Artificial Intelligence
How AI Could Prevent the Development of New Illicit Drugs
The DarkNPS algorithm has predicted the formulas of millions of potential drugs
Stories by Undark
Epidemiology
Humanitarians Push to Vaccinate in Conflict Zones
Pandemic ceasefires offer an opportunity to expand vaccination efforts, experts say. But negotiation is tricky
Climate Change
Climate Change Could Fuel the Spread of a Flesh-Eating Parasite
Scientists caution that as the planet warms, more Americans could be exposed to varieties of the Leishmania parasite
Biology
Making Sense of the Great Whip Spider Boom
The discovery of exotic arachnids reveals as much about the structure of science as it does about the creatures
Policy
In a Pipe Repair Worker’s Death, Questions of Safety Still Swirl
A wrongful-death suit tied to cured-in-place piping is resolved, but critics say studies justify more oversight
Behavior
How Science Explains Trump’s Grip on White Males
Research on risk perception can help us understand the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol
Health
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
Public Health
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
Medicine
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...
Conservation
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
Space & Physics
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
Conservation
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
Environment
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
EARTH
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
Biology
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
Public Health
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
Biology
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
Chemistry
The Race to Relearn Hemp Farming
Researchers have a lot to learn about the previously banned crop before it flourishes on U.S. farms
Behavior
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
Policy
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?
