Why It’s So Hard to Make Antiviral Drugs for COVID and Other Diseases
Antibiotics abound, but virus-fighting drugs are harder to come by. Fortunately, scientists are getting better at making and finding them
Stories by Knowable Magazine
Molecular Medicine Keeps Mice Mighty in Microgravity
An experimental gene treatment aboard the International Space Station demonstrates how rodents—and humans—might stay buff beyond Earth
The Science of Sourdough: How Microbes Enabled a Pandemic Pastime
Scientists peer into those jars on the kitchen counter to find out what’s really happening
An Elemental Problem with the Sun
A decades-long dispute over how much carbon, nitrogen and oxygen lie within our closest star has implications for the entire universe
Gut Microbes May Be Key to Solving Food Allergies
New therapeutics are testing whether protective bacteria can dampen harmful immune responses to food
Social Media Posts and Online Searches Hold Vital Clues about Pandemic Spread
Such data offer valuable information and could help track the novel coronavirus—but they risk errors and raise privacy concerns
Physicists Probe Validity of Einstein’s Gravity on Cosmic Scales
New tests could verify the general theory of relativity, or find flaws
The Unexpected Diversity of Pain
It comes in many types that each require specialized treatment, and scientists are learning to diagnose different varieties
The Weapons of Sexual Rivalry
Male competition and female preferences have driven arms races for the flashiest horns, antlers, pincers, tusks and claws
GPS Is Doing More Than You Thought
Here are five scientific applications that take the navigation system beyond the map
How Monarch Butterflies Evolved to Eat a Poisonous Plant
By engineering mutations into fruit flies, scientists reconstructed how the bright orange butterflies came to tolerate milkweed toxins
Is “Neurolaw” Coming Soon to a Courtroom Near You?
Neuroscience is closing in on states of mind the legal system cares about: memory, responsibility and mental maturity
Mucus: The Body’s Unsung Hero
The slimy stuff has a surprisingly wide array of beneficial biological functions
The Mighty Milky Way
Our galaxy is far bigger, brighter and more massive than most others
How Humans Get in the Way of Clean Water
There are many cheap and effective ways to provide safe water to the world’s poor regions. But projects often fail due to inadequate planning, maintenance or persuasive power
Awesome Ears: The Weird World of Insect Hearing
Evolution made insect ears many times over, resulting in a dazzling variety of forms found in spots all over the body
Sticky Science: the Evolution of Spider Webs
*The eight-legged weavers have been hunting insects for almost 400 million years, flaunting their long history in a rich array of architectures
Orbital Forensics Hint at Sun’s Long-Lost Planet
Clues hidden in today’s orbits reveal the violent origins of the solar system—and, just maybe, a rogue giant kicked out long ago
Searching for Chocolate’s Roots, and Enemies, in Colombia’s Wilderness
A newfound peace has spurred the hunt for disease-resistant wild cacao within the nation’s borders
