The Sciences

Rejection of mainstream science and medicine has become a key feature of the political right in the U.S. and increasingly around the world

Culture collections of bacteria play an unheralded but crucial role in science

During the pandemic, the National Museum of Mathematics found new ways to build human connections

Robotic rovers such as Perseverance are great, but they can’t answer the most fundamental questions about the Red Planet

We don’t know if the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua was natural or artificial—but a new telescope coming online in a few years could help us identify the next one

If so, as has recently been suggested, there are likely many more such icebergs moving between star systems

The Space Launch System could launch on an inaugural lunar mission later this year

The philosophical position that the world has an objective, physical existence may be dubious, but we need it to address our very real problems

Creating Bose-Einstein condensates—and crashing them together—in microgravity could lead to physics breakthroughs, better spacecraft navigation and more

Mars becomes the first inner planet after Earth to have its core measured

Organoids made of tear-producing cells offer chances to study, and possibly treat, eye disorders

With initial operations going smoothly, the rover could soon attempt to launch its pioneering helicopter, Ingenuity