Public Health
Fertile Ground: The Long-Neglected Science of Female Reproductive Health
When the discussion of reproductive health is dominated by the political will to control it, gaps in medical research get overshadowed
Stories by Clara Moskowitz
Space
Israeli Spacecraft Fails to Make First Private Lunar Landing
Private organization SpaceIL’s Beresheet lander crashes down on the moon following engine and communications problems
Space
Looking for Life on Mars: Viking Experiment Team Member Reflects on Divisive Findings
Patricia Straat looks back on the Viking lander experiment that aimed to find microbes
Math
The “Fantastic” Feeling of a Breakthrough: Q&A with Math Prize Winner Karen Uhlenbeck
The first female winner of the prestigious Abel Prize shares details of life as a mathematician
Space
Neutron Stars: Nature’s Weirdest Form of Matter
The insides of neutron stars—the densest form of matter in the universe—have long been a mystery, but it is one that scientists are starting to crack
Space
Erupting Black Hole Shows Intriguing "Light Echoes"
A huge flare from a black hole helps reveal how matter and energy are expelled
Physics
Redefining the Kilogram
Officials will vote to overhaul the SI system of measurements, basing units such as the kilogram not on physical objects but on fundamental constants
Policy & Ethics
Halting Sexual Harassment
A leader of a major report on sexual misconduct explains how to make science accessible to everyone
Space
DNA-Coded “Lunar Library” Aims to Preserve Civilization for Millennia
Mission co-founder explains how backing up data on synthetic DNA can protect humanity’s knowledge
Space
String Theory May Create Far Fewer Universes Than Thought
Some physicists claim that the popular landscape of universes in string theory may not exist
Physics
Evidence Builds for a New Kind of Neutrino
“Sterile neutrinos” that ignore all other particles might be showing up in experiments—and could even help solve the mystery of dark matter
Physics
Quantum Leaps: Read the Winning Entry in a Physics-Inspired Fiction Contest
The Quantum Shorts competition invited stories incorporating the laws of quantum mechanics
Behavior & Society
Breaking News! The World Isn’t Falling Apart: Why We Ignore Progress
Optimism may not be dead after all. Steven Pinker says our gloomy outlook for humanity is misplaced, and argues for faith in science, reason and democracy
Chemistry
A Noble Gas Surprise: Helium Can Form Weird Compounds
A new idea explains recently discovered chemistry that seems to break the rules of high school textbooks everywhere
Physics
Missing Neutrons May Lead a Secret Life as Dark Matter
This may be the reason experiments can’t agree on the neutron lifetime, according to a new idea
Space
Molecular Clue to the Mystery of Carbon’s Cosmic Origin Uncovered
A chemical found in a distant gas cloud could help explain where planets like Earth get the seeds of life
Biology
Secret to Porpoise Sonar Revealed
The animals can adjust structures in their foreheads to change the echolocation signals they emit
Physics
Nobel Physics Prize Goes to Gravitational Wave Scientists
Three physicists who lead the LIGO experiment, which made the first detection of gravitational waves, will share this year's award
Physics
The Neutrino Puzzle
The largest experiment ever to probe these mysterious particles could point the way to new physics
Space
NASA Hires New Astronauts—but Where Will They Go?
The space agency awaits direction from the Trump administration, along with congressional funding to match its ambitions
