Meet the World’s Most Hard-Core Nappers
Elephant seals survive on only two hours of sleep. Why can’t we?
Do Not Allow Even One Fruit Fly Into Your Kitchen Compost
Collecting food scraps in your kitchen can invite insect invaders. But there are plenty of ways to outsmart them.
Why Does Contact Say So Much About God?
Carl Sagan’s novel is an unexpected lesson in faith.
Animals Are Migrating to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The oceanic soup of plastic fragments is becoming a new kind of ecosystem.
We’re in Denial About Our Dogs
Pets love beaches—and wreak havoc on their wildlife.
The Mirror Test Is Broken
Either fish are self-aware or scientists need to rethink how they study animal cognition.
Medicine Has a Rat Problem
It’s stranger than you think.
Nutrition Science’s Most Preposterous Result
Studies show a mysterious health benefit to ice cream. Scientists don’t want to talk about it.
Conservation Tends to Ignore the Most Common Type of Life
The field frets about endangered polar bears and tigers. Why not also bacteria?
Why California Can’t Catch a Break
After years of drought, much of the state is in a climate lull. But it won’t last.
Otters Are Returning to Polluted Areas. It’s Not a Happy Ending.
They’re now as toxic as their environment.
The Flu May Never Be the Same
Scientists haven’t spotted one of influenza’s most mysterious lineages for more than three years. Is it truly gone?
America Is Missing Out on the Biggest EV Boom of All
Consider the electric rickshaw
Not Your Grandfather’s Moon Mission
NASA has picked the four astronauts who will fly to the moon next year—and this lineup looks different than the Apollo crews did.
A Classic Theory About Dinosaur Life May Be Wrong
Paleontologists once thought that the biggest creatures grew the fastest. New research shows that’s not the whole story.
Yachts Won’t Slow Down to Save a Nearly Extinct Whale
Speed limits could make whale collisions far less deadly. So why are fishing boats against them?
Are Ancient Phallic Objects ... Exactly What They Look Like?
Archaeology has long shied away from describing artifacts as sexual. But things may finally be changing.
The Search for Earth Look-Alikes Is Getting Serious
One promising planet turned out not to have an atmosphere. But there are six more where it came from.
The West Agreed to Pay Climate Reparations. That Was the Easy Part.
At this point, the UN fund is “an empty bucket.” How full could it get?
One More Reason to Hate Cockroaches
The insects’ sweet tooth should have made them easy to kill. But they outsmarted us with warp-speed evolution.