Why Are Close Elections So Common?
When voters decide between two alternatives, as is effectively the case in the U.S. presidential election, it usually comes down to a neck-and-neck race. Researchers can now explain this mathematically
Sunken Temple of Ancient Arabian Civilization Found off Italy
An ancient temple made by Arabian immigrants from the Nabataean culture has finally been found off the Italian coast
We Must Restore Trust in Science in ‘Antiscientific America’
Anti-intellectualism is a prevalent and pernicious force in American public life. Stimulating interest in science may combat its influence
Shaken Baby Syndrome Has Been Discredited. Why Is Robert Roberson Still on Death Row?
Convicted of a crime that never happened, Roberson’s case is a prime example of how the U.S. legal system often fails to recognize advances in scientific knowledge
The Surprising Story of How Peaches Became an Icon of the U.S. Southeast
The Spanish brought peaches to the U.S., but Indigenous peoples spread the fruit across the eastern half of the U.S.
Lost Silk Road Cities Discovered High in the Mountains of Central Asia
On the Silk Road, these lost twin cities may have sustained themselves in a foreboding landscape with metallurgy and commerce
Biden’s Withdrawal Made Containing War in the Middle East Harder
As tensions soar in the Middle East, the president’s lame duck status hinders efforts to manage the escalation of risks in the region
Book Review: Fifty years later, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Novel about Utopian Anarchists Is as Relevant as Ever
In The Dispossessed, a physicist is caught between societies
Book Review: Inside the Global Movement to Protect Forests from Climate Change
Lessons from the people making forest ecosystems more resilient
Book Review: The Big Costs of Mining the Planet for Electric Power
Vince Beiser’s tour of the “Electro-Digital Age” puts resource extraction at the center
November 2024: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago
Computer chess champ; dental chloroform killer
Poem: ‘Alfred Wegener to the World’
Science in meter and verse