Stories by Knowable Magazine

DNA sequencing, GPS tracking and tailored diets are slowly restoring New Zealand's endangered kākāpō

Traits in psychopaths may be present to some extent in all of us. New research is reframing this often maligned set of attributes and finding some positive twists

Earth-based analogs are opening new frontiers in studies of the superdense interiors of neutron stars

The COVID pandemic put mRNA technology, long in development, to the test. Here’s a look at how it might fight cancer and when it might reach patients

The way we see and describe hues varies widely for many reasons: from our individual eye structure, to how our brain processes images, to what language we speak, or even if we live near a body of water

Flexible organic circuits that mimic biological neurons could increase processing speed and might someday hook right into your head

Were mitochondria a driving evolutionary force or just a late addition?

New technology is enabling neuroscientists to make increasingly detailed wiring diagrams that could yield new insights into brain function

Evolution in cities illuminates long-standing scientific questions and climate change futures

The complex interplay of tick ecology, land use and climate may be enabling the spread of the pathogens the arachnids carry

Excessive adversity activates biological reactions that can lead to lifelong problems in physical and mental well-being

Research is shedding light on why many water dwellers, from plankton to large fish, commute daily from the depths to the surface

Some researchers suspect these bacterial ancestors living within our cells may contribute to a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders

U.N. recognition would strengthen legal arguments for preserving nature

Filters in household faucets and genetic technology could help reduce this public health threat, biologist Rebecca Fry says

Antibiotics abound, but virus-fighting drugs are harder to come by. Fortunately, scientists are getting better at making and finding them

An experimental gene treatment aboard the International Space Station demonstrates how rodents—and humans—might stay buff beyond Earth

Scientists peer into those jars on the kitchen counter to find out what’s really happening

A decades-long dispute over how much carbon, nitrogen and oxygen lie within our closest star has implications for the entire universe

New therapeutics are testing whether protective bacteria can dampen harmful immune responses to food

Such data offer valuable information and could help track the novel coronavirus—but they risk errors and raise privacy concerns

New tests could verify the general theory of relativity, or find flaws

It comes in many types that each require specialized treatment, and scientists are learning to diagnose different varieties

Male competition and female preferences have driven arms races for the flashiest horns, antlers, pincers, tusks and claws