Culture
How to Make a Hippogriff Fly and Other Flights of Fancy
A paleontologist and an illustrator team up to make mythical creatures follow biomechanical rules
Features159019 articles archived since 1845
Particle Physics
Long-Awaited Muon Measurement Boosts Evidence for New Physics
Initial data from the Muon g-2 experiment have excited particle physicists searching for undiscovered subatomic particles and forces
Public Health
How to Debunk Misinformation about COVID, Vaccines and Masks
We each have more power to be a science communicator than we realize
Space & Physics
The Race to Find Alien Moons
Astronomers are hunting for the first moon around a planet beyond our solar system
Behavior
Microaggressions: Death by a Thousand Cuts
The everyday slights, insults and offensive behaviors that people of marginalized groups experience in daily interactions cause real psychological harm
Policy
George Floyd’s Autopsy and the Structural Gaslighting of America
The weaponization of medical language emboldened white supremacy with the authority of the white coat. How will we stop it from happening again?
The Sciences
The Mathematics of How Connections Become Global
Percolation theory illuminates the behavior of many kinds of networks, from cell-phone connections to disease transmission
Climate Change
How Dirt Could Help Save the Planet
Farming practices that retain carbon in the soil, or return it there, would limit both erosion and climate change
Behavior
So What Can People Actually Do after Being Vaccinated?
It’s complicated; not even the experts agree
Biology
Bacteria in 100-Million-Year-Old Seafloor Sediment Have Been Resuscitated
Could bacteria be effectively immortal?
Evolution
An Ancient Proto-City Reveals the Origin of Home
The 9,000-year-old settlement of Çatalhöyük in Turkey shows how humans began putting down roots
Public Health
How COVID Is Changing the Cold and Flu Season
Measures meant to tame the coronavirus pandemic are quashing influenza and most other respiratory diseases, which could have wide-ranging implications
Neurology
The Link Between Delirium and Dementia
Delirium is very common on COVID wards. Researchers are testing whether these temporary bouts of confusion could bring on permanent cognitive decline
Public Health
Unraveling the Complex Link between COVID and Diabetes
Infection with the pandemic-causing virus seems to trigger diabetes in some patients. Here are five plausible explanations as to why
Cognition
Are Dolphins Right-Handed or Left-Handed?
That is a trick question because dolphins obviously don’t have hands. But studying whether they have “handedness” led to identifying a quirk of human perception
Neuroscience
People Answer Scientists’ Queries in Real Time while Dreaming
Researchers demonstrate that during REM sleep, people can hear—and respond to—simple questions such as “What is eight minus six?”
Animals
What Scientists Have Learned from 100 Years of Bird Banding
A rich archive of data has illuminated the secret lives of birds
Biology
The Epic, Absurdly Complex Battle between a Zombie Maker and Its Victim
The emerald jewel wasp is a cockroach’s worst nightmare
Evolution
Evolution Could Explain Why Psychotherapy May Work for Depression
Persistent rumination may be an attribute that lets us think our way out of despair—a process enhanced through talk therapy
Behavior
White Chicago Cops Use Force More Often Than Black Officers
A new study of the city’s policing also shows differences between male and female cops
