Stories by Alex Sugiura

Tracing how psychedelics have undergone a revival in the U.S. and what the White House’s new psychedelic push means for research

A physicist explores how poetry, pop culture and imagination help us understand spacetime and our place in the universe

What NASA’s Curiosity Rover found on Mars, how youth suicides dropped after the launch of the 988 crisis line, and what people think of AI voice clones

New research shows the global wildlife trade is rapidly accelerating the spread of animal pathogens that can jump to humans

This Earth Day three environmental experts share stories about times when environmental action succeeded in saving the planet—and explain why this can be done again

“Cocaine hippos,” underground bees, and fresh insights into aging and heart health

How a few unique traits helped modern-style birds—the last living dinosaurs—survive the asteroid apocalypse that took out T. rex and other mighty beasts

As Pokémon turns 30, we take a look at how the beloved Japanese kids’ franchise was inspired by—and has shaped—real-world science

Artemis II’s safe return from lunar orbit sparks a debate over the costs, climate effects and long‑term value of going back to the moon

Alexis Hall reimagines Melville’s classic with space whales, AI intrigue and a bold queer twist that launches Moby-Dick into an entirely new sci‑fi universe

A sharp rise in U.S. measles cases is linked to falling MMR vaccination rates and growing immunity gaps

An update on NASA’s historic moon mission, alarm over the low snowpack in the western U.S. and a move that could endanger wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico

Artemis II blasts off on a high‑stakes lunar flyby, marking NASA’s first crewed mission to the moon in decades

Humans are the only species that has chins. A recent study sheds light on how that came to be and why evolution doesn’t always follow the rules

NASA’s nuclear Mars mission, the Iran war’s carbon fallout, the looming climate cost of rebuilding and a hopeful new Lyme vaccine

A pain scientist breaks down the surprising brain‑body science that explains why so many of us hurt more than we have to

A new challenge reveals how well AI can tackle true math problems

An unseasonal heat dome over parts of the U.S., a federal court ruling that blocks the CDC’s recent change to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule, new research on unsafe levels of lead in fast fashion

The author of the novel Project Hail Mary breaks down aliens, anxiety and the process of bringing his story to the screen

“Imitation” drugs, unexpected benefits, serious pitfalls—here’s what comes next as GLP-1 medications continue to rise in popularity

From emergency oil reserves to nuclear scrutiny, bigger hail, and research on a connection between the aging gut and the brain

How Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s ideas about public health—from vaccines to seed oils—are shaping Americans’ health

From cognitive overload to pretty privilege, the science behind The Traitors shows what really makes lies believable

Why measles cases are rising in the U.S., how artificial intelligence is shaping warfare, and what accelerated global warming means for the world