As a freshman astronomy major, I was captivated by class discussions of black holes. Working at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium later that year, I asked a staff scientist where I could learn more about wormholes, black holes and event horizons. “You won’t understand the journal articles,” he said. “They’re essentially all math. I’d suggest Science News. That’s where we go to read about them in plain English.” Until then, I’d never encountered the magazine. But it has been an integral part of my life ever since, including 34 years as a staff writer and editor. So it was both a ... (p. 20)

Scientists capitalize on 'natural’ experiment to chronicle how ecosystems will change as oceans continue to acidify. (p. 10)

The proposed federal budget would stall nonmandated spending overall, but science and tech would climb. (p. 19)

As invasive snakes expand territory, some mammal populations drop by more than 90 percent within a decade. (p. 5)