Doing the Touchy Math on Who Should Get a COVID Vaccine First
Mathematicians model pandemic scenarios by plugging thorny ethical and logistical issues into calculations
Stories by Undark
Why Do Some People Weather Coronavirus Infection Unscathed?
Some scientists are confident that the immune system’s aggressive response is only part of the story
Deep Cleaners Have Their Day in a Nation Paralyzed by a Pathogen
Turning from bedbugs and carpet-eating moths to COVID-19, an industrial cleaner joins the coronavirus fight...
Why Are America’s Black-Footed Ferrets Disappearing?
Despite some success, the species remains threatened in the U.S. West. Biologists are trying to understand why
How a New Wave of Orbiting Sentinels Is Changing Climate Science
Advanced remote-sensing satellite technology is compiling a granular record of Earth’s hardest-to-reach regions
To Save the Redwoods, Scientists Debate Burning and Logging
Some scientists question whether controlled burns and logging are really the best way to preserve California’s iconic redwoods
Federal Toxmap Shutters, Raising the Ire of Pollution Researchers
The loss of the federal pollution tracker, supporters say, will inhibit public access to data on environmental hazards
To Combat Climate Change, See the Forest for the Trees
As the world scrambles to combat deforestation, experts warn our efforts could have far fewer benefits than we think
Beekeepers Seek Resistance to the Honeybee’s Most Fearsome Enemy
Facing the scourge of a parasitic Asian mite, commercial beekeepers are trying to breed a resistant strain—but other threats loom
To Justify Using Weed, Some Pregnant Women Cling to an Old and Dubious Study
Social media users extol—and health experts decry—a 25-year-old study from Jamaica suggesting cannabis use poses no harm to fetal development
From Two Bulls, Nine Million Dairy Cows
Just two Y chromosomes exist in a huge population of U.S. Holsteins; researchers want to know what traits have been lost
The Race to Relearn Hemp Farming
Researchers have a lot to learn about the previously banned crop before it flourishes on U.S. farms
Is the Psychology of Deadly Force Ready for the Courts?
In the absence of rigorous science, psychologists disagree about using the neurobiology of stress to defend police officers who kill
The Ethical Quandary of Human Infection Studies
Sometimes infecting volunteers with a disease can lead to new treatments. But how much risk and compensation is acceptable for those in poor nations?
Navigating a Sea of Superlatives in Pursuit of the Asian Carp
In the contentious discussions over what to do about Asian carp, facts and science are often distorted or even completely ignored
Can Pregnancy Help Scientists Better Understand Cancer?
Cancerous cells and placental ones appear to regulate the immune system in similar ways
Leaving the Paris Climate Accord Could Lead to a Public Health Disaster
Global warming will get worse. Physical and mental health might, too
The Virus Hunters
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, teams of researchers are busy looking for the next deadly virus. The odds are not in their favor
