The Mississippi Is Losing Its Fight With the Ocean
A combination of drought and sea-level rise has sent a wedge of salt water moving up the river.
Hiking Needs New Rules
We need to restrict outdoor recreation to certain places during certain parts of the year for the well-being of wildlife.
How We Find Our Place in the Universe
A collaboration that includes the United States, China, and Russia points us toward a better future.
A Simple Solution for Keeping Microplastics Out of the Water Supply
The future could include lots of plastic-gobbling sponges.
An Unwelcome Discovery in the Colorado River
Climate change has opened the Grand Canyon to the invasive smallmouth bass.
The Smartest Man Who Ever Lived
A novelist transforms the physicist John von Neumann into a scientific demon.
A Crucial Barrier Against Hurricanes Is at Risk
Sand dunes can protect the coastline from the effects of climate change. But they’re vulnerable to intense storms.
New York City Is Not Built for This
The city is seeing rainfall patterns that look more like Miami’s or even Singapore’s, an official said at The Atlantic Festival.
Basil the Opossum Has One Eye, a Big Heart, and a Job to Do
The National Zoo’s newest resident isn’t colorful or exotic. That’s exactly the point.
The Peer-Review Dilemma
Scientific publication can be a constraining, flattening, and maddening process—but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Next Supercontinent Could Be a Terrible, Terrible Place
A new study predicts that one giant, hot, dry landmass is looming in Earth’s future.
South Africa’s Sharks Disappeared Without a Trace
Or so we thought.
A New Dinosaur Discovery Challenges ‘Everything We Think We Know’
If dinosaurs loved the heat, why are their footprints all over Alaska?
The Calendar of Human Fertility Is Changing
American births have historically peaked in late summer. But our changing behaviors, technology, and environment are flattening that bump.
What Comes After the British Museum?
We need a new way to tell the story of humanity.
COVID Drugs Are a Miracle Cure for Cats
Leftover medications are going to save the animals from a deadly feline coronavirus.
The Quest to Build a Better Birdhouse
The classic wooden ones aren’t quite cutting it. Conservationists are now turning to 3-D printing and augmented reality.
Scientists Have Spent 40 Years Trying to Understand Salt
How our tongues distinguish well-seasoned from oversalted is surprisingly complicated.
You’ve Never Seen a Star Like This
A new image from the Webb telescope shows an infant star not as a diamond hanging in the sky, but as a velvety, dark orb surrounded by jets of radiant dust.
The One Thing Everyone Should Know About Fall COVID Vaccines
The simplest way to think about them—everyone should just get one—is arguably the best.