Energy
New Fuels Could Make Nuclear Reactors Safer and More Efficient
Advanced fuels could improve the safety and economics of nuclear power plants
Features159093 articles archived since 1845
Neuroscience
The Roots of Human Aggression
Experiments in humans and animals have started to identify how violent behaviors begin in the brain
Evolution
Animals Use Brain Tricks to See in the Dark
Many animals once thought to have poor sight in low light use tricks in their nervous systems to see brilliantly in the dark
Behavior
In Search of a (Subjective) Fountain of Youth
Research finds a fascinating connection between IQ and aging
Public Health
Why Women—and Men—Need Better Birth Control
The IUD is held up as the gold standard of contraception. That says a lot about the slothful pace of innovation
Space & Physics
Did a Meteor from Another Star Strike Earth in 2014?
Questionable data cloud the potential discovery of the first known interstellar fireball
Fitness
Why Are Girls Getting Their Periods So Young?
Female puberty is starting earlier and earlier, with worrying consequences for women’s health
Fitness
What Is the Point of a Period?
Age-old taboos against menstruation have led to a lack of research on how women's cycles work, with serious consequences for their health
Public Health
Fertile Ground: The Long-Neglected Science of Female Reproductive Health
When the discussion of reproductive health is dominated by the political will to control it, gaps in medical research get overshadowed
Neuroscience
Behind the Buzz: How Ketamine Changes the Depressed Patient’s Brain
The anesthetic-cum-party drug restores the ability to make connections among brain cells
Black Holes
An Exit Chute from the Universe: The Story of a Historic Effort to Image a Black Hole
After more than a decade of effort, a global network of radio telescopes revealed the first-ever picture of an enigmatic hole in spacetime
Health
How Calculus Was the Unsung Hero in the Fight against HIV
The story of a differential equation and a medical breakthrough
Quantum Physics
Space: The Final Illusion
The intuitive idea that objects influence each other because they are in physical proximity is soon to become another of those beliefs that turn out to be wrong when we look deeper
Energy
Solar Power’s Benefits Don’t Shine Equally on Everyone
Racial and ethnic minorities have less access to solar power, regardless of income, highlighting the need for environmental justice
Biology
Shocking Secrets of the Electric Eel
Investigations into how the electric eel uses electricity have revealed astonishing insights into the creature's physiology and behavior
Neuroscience
Machines That Translate Wants into Actions
A new generation of brain-machine interfaces can deduce what a person wants
Conservation
Rebuilt Wetlands Can Protect Shorelines Better Than Walls
Fortified wetlands can protect shorelines better than hard structures
Biotech
A Drug Shows an Astonishing Ability to Regenerate Damaged Hearts and Other Body Parts
A once abandoned drug compound shows an ability to rebuild organs damaged by illness and injury
Quantum Physics
Quantum Gravity in the Lab
Physicists attempting to unify the theories of gravity and quantum mechanics have long thought practical experiments were out of reach, but new proposals offer a chance to test the quantum nature of gravity on a tabletop...
Quantum Physics
Found: A Quadrillion Ways for String Theory to Make Our Universe
Stemming from the “F-theory” branch of string theory, each solution replicates key features of the standard model of particle physics
