All Science
- Animal behavior: A purr-fect fit
As pet lovers know well, cats love nestling into boxes. No one know for sure why, but scientists think it has something to do with the way it feels.
- Confronting ‘intergroup anxiety’: Can you try too hard to be fair?
Sometimes efforts to avoid bias can backfire in ways that actually deepen social divides. But that can be overcome, experts say, by focusing on the values and motivations behind the desire to appear fair.
- Have you heard the buzz? Honeybees can count.
New research suggests that honeybees are capable of performing simple addition and subtraction on the fly. But is that really math?
- Cuddly foxes show the ‘softer side’ of evolution
This year marks the 60th anniversary of an experiment at Russia’s Institute of Cytology and Genetics that is shedding light not just on the origins of dogs, but perhaps even on modern humans.
- Russia’s GMO debate looks a lot like America’s – with more geopolitics
Russians tend to be just as concerned as their Western peers about how genetic modification might affect food products. But Russia's bans on GMOs have become a bone of East-West ideological contention.
- To the moon and beyond: Why China is aiming for the stars
For Beijing, Thursday's historic lunar landing is as much about cementing global-power status on Earth as it is a foray into the cosmos.
- Science NotebookA cosmic shift in our perspective
This year marked two big anniversaries for American space exploration and changed how we see ourselves.
- Forget New Year’s resolutions. This art prompts thinking in ‘deep time.’
Between daily meetings and weekly appointments, long-term thinking often falls by the wayside. These artists aim to foster appreciation for the ‘long now.’
- Chasing darkness: One reporter's journey into the night
Illumination has come to signify societal progress. But some communities are starting to find new value in darkness. On this darkest night of the year, our reporter reflects on a quest to find true darkness – and to restore her connection to the cosmos.
- How early people conquered the ‘Roof of the World’
What does it mean to be human? Our species has set itself apart by colonizing the farthest reaches of the globe. A discovery of 30,000-year-old stone tools on the Tibetan Plateau underscores our adaptability.
- First LookChina orders medical team to stop gene-editing project
Researcher He Jiankui claims to have altered the DNA of twin girls born earlier this month, a move that many scientists condemned as premature. On Nov. 29, China ordered Mr. He's team to stop its gene-editing experiment, with a top official calling the project "shocking and unacceptable."
- First LookAs spacecraft nears Mars, NASA scientists hold their breath
On Nov. 26, the Insight lander is scheduled to touch down on Mars. NASA last attempted a Mars landing – full of risks, tricky conditions, and delayed communication – six years ago. If it goes smoothly, the spacecraft will spend two years gathering data on the red planet.
- Convection: Currents you can see
Convection, the transfer of heat via the movement of fluids, is one of the major processes that drive the weather. But if you want to visualize how it works, you might want to try using water instead of air.
- Open SESAME: Jordan’s particle accelerator breaks down atoms – and barriers
The Middle East is often portrayed as a region locked in perpetual turmoil. But in the foothills of western Jordan, scientists from all over the region are setting aside national politics to work together.
- Galactic collision ripples across eons to shape our view of the cosmos
Looking up at the heavens from below, it can be easy to think of the universe as a fixed constellation of stars. But, as a new study illustrates this week, the cosmos is ever changing – as is our understanding.
- Why tsunamis are so difficult to predict
In the wake of Indonesia's devastating tsunami, questions have arisen about what could more have been done to save lives. But natural disaster detection and preparedness takes more than technological know-how.
- First LookDisinterred and flown home: the remains of lost US soldiers increasingly identified
Through advances in technology and new government funding, more and more remains of soldiers killed since World War II are being identified. The process is bringing closure to families who have been wondering for more than 70 years what happened to their loved ones.
- Science NotebookFinally, women see some science recognition
The 2018 Nobel Prize will forever stand as a historic marker in the evolution of scientific recognition.
- Wild Sound: A Q & A with Laura Krantz
Veteran broadcast journalist Laura Krantz is the creator of “Wild Thing,” a nine-episode podcast about Bigfoot and the people who search for him.
- Bigfoot and beyond: Why tales of wild men endure
Stories of an elusive, hirsute man-ape are not limited to the Himalayas and the Pacific Northwest. What is it about the idea of an untamed version of ourselves that resonates so deeply?