Oh Great, Spiders Can Swim
They can eat, breathe, and reproduce underwater too.
Racehorses Have No Idea What’s Going On
If you give a horse a trophy, will he even know he raced?
Medieval Pets Had One of Humanity’s Most Cursed Diseases
Medieval people had a lot of leprosy. So did their pet squirrels.
The Mysteries of Plant ‘Intelligence’
Scientists are debating whether concepts such as memory, consciousness, and communication can be applied beyond the animal kingdom.
A Uniquely French Approach to Environmentalism
The biodiversity police might just work.
Seaweed Mining Could Power the Future
It’s full of minerals that could speed along the green-energy transition.
A New Declaration of Animal Consciousness
A group of prominent scientists believes fruit flies, fish, and mollusks might experience pain and pleasure.
A Dentist Found a Jawbone in a Floor Tile
Fossils are quite common in this type of stone, but human-looking ones are not.
It’s Really Hard to Rebuild a Marsh
Scientists hope a gentler approach can save those in San Francisco Bay.
Playing God With the Atmosphere
Interfering with Earth’s climate systems is becoming more possible—and less predictable—than ever.
A New Proposal to Bring the Ocean Back to Life
Pumping a clean-energy by-product into “dead zones” could restore local ecosystems.
Maine Is a Warning for America’s PFAS Future
New federal rules require public systems to measure and mitigate certain harmful man-made chemicals. Maine is already learning how hard that can be.
So You Looked Directly Into the Sun
Scientists may have overstated eclipse risk.
Totality Is Worth It
A total solar eclipse is a rare opportunity to experience unadulterated communion with the cosmos.
Drones Could Unite Ranchers and Conservationists
Flying robots could offer a nonlethal way to keep wolves away from cattle.
Why a Cognitive Scientist Put a Head Cam on His Baby
The perspective of a child could help AI learn language—and tell us more about how humans manage the same feat.
A Secret Code May Have Been Hiding in Classical Music for 200 Years
A violinist believes he has discovered a previously unknown system of dynamics in Beethoven’s original manuscripts.
The Coming Birth-Control Revolution
An abundance of new methods for men could transform women’s contraception too.
A 600-Year-Old Blueprint for Weathering Climate Change
During the Little Ice Age, Native North Americans devised whole new economic, social, and political structures.
What’s So Bad About Asking Where Humans Came From?
Human origin stories have often been used for nefarious purposes. That doesn’t mean they are worthless.