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photograph of someone about to get a vaccine shot

Health & Medicine

Infecting people with COVID-19 could speed vaccine trials. Is it worth it?

To accelerate vaccine development, some experts argue we should purposefully infect volunteers with the coronavirus. Others warn of the risks.

By Jonathan LambertMay 27, 2020

NASA astronauts in a flight simulator

Space

SpaceX’s astronaut launch will mark a milestone for commercial spaceflight

By Lisa Grossman17 hours ago

Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder

Space

Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have been found

By Maria Temming22 hours ago

Health & Medicine

Is the coronavirus mutating? Yes. But here’s why you don’t need to panic

By Erin Garcia de JesusMay 26, 2020

Physics

A star shredded by a black hole may have spit out an extremely energetic neutrino

By Emily ConoverMay 26, 2020

Animals

New species of scaly, deep-sea worms named after Elvis have been found

By Maria TemmingMay 25, 2020

How coronavirus stress may scramble our brains

By Laura SandersMay 24, 2020

Space
Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have been found

By Maria Temming22 hours ago
Health & Medicine
Is the coronavirus mutating? Yes. But here’s why you don’t need to panic

By Erin Garcia de JesusMay 26, 2020
Health & Medicine
Wastewater could provide up to a week of warning for a COVID-19 spike

By Erin Garcia de Jesus3 hours ago
Physics
A star shredded by a black hole may have spit out an extremely energetic neutrino

By Emily ConoverMay 26, 2020
Health & Medicine
New data suggest people aren’t getting reinfected with the coronavirus

By Erin Garcia de JesusMay 19, 2020
Health & Medicine
Infecting people with COVID-19 could speed vaccine trials. Is it worth it?

By Jonathan LambertMay 27, 2020
Health & Medicine
Why 6 feet may not be enough social distance to avoid COVID-19

By Tina Hesman SaeyApril 17, 2020
Space
SpaceX’s astronaut launch will mark a milestone for commercial spaceflight

By Lisa Grossman17 hours ago

The Coronavirus Outbreak

woman working in a lab

As we wait for a vaccine, here’s a snapshot of potential COVID-19 treatments

Though a vaccine remains the ultimate goal, researchers are on the hunt for new ways to treat COVID-19.

By Tina Hesman SaeyMay 20, 2020
How fear and anger change our perception of coronavirus risk
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From the Archives

Life Studies Flow from Live Volcanoes

April 25, 1970 Vol. 97 No. #17

Science News Magazine

cover of May 9, 2020 magazine issue

May 9, 2020 Vol. 197 No. 9

Featured Media

Element character illustration

Here’s how the periodic table gets new elements

Today’s scientists keep adding to the periodic table. But an element has to earn its spot.

Asian small-clawed otter

Why otters ‘juggle’ rocks is still a mystery

illustration of people in the United States

How the U.S. census has measured race over 230 years

mini Mars rover

Wiggling wheels could keep future rovers trucking in loose lunar soil

wok with fried rice

How to make the best fried rice, according to physics

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More Stories

Life

Pollen-deprived bumblebees may speed up plant blooming by biting leaves

By Susan MiliusMay 21, 2020
How much space does nature need? 30 percent of the planet may not be enough

By Jonathan LambertApril 22, 2020
Toxin-producing bacteria can make this newt deadly

By Erin Garcia de JesusApril 20, 2020

Humans

Births in the United States have dropped to a 34-year low

By Aimee CunninghamMay 20, 2020
Malaria parasites may have their own circadian rhythms

By Jake BuehlerMay 14, 2020
A gene variant partly explains why Peruvians are among the world’s shortest people

By Tina Hesman SaeyMay 13, 2020

Climate

Daily global CO₂ emissions dropped dramatically as COVID-19 kept people home

By Carolyn GramlingMay 19, 2020
These 6 books explore climate change science and solutions

By Science News StaffMay 15, 2020
What lifestyle changes will shrink your carbon footprint the most?

By Christie AschwandenMay 14, 2020

Astronomy

The oldest disk galaxy yet found formed more than 12 billion years ago

By Lisa GrossmanMay 20, 2020
The sun is less magnetically active than similar stars, and we don’t know why

By Lisa GrossmanApril 30, 2020
A century ago, astronomy’s Great Debate foreshadowed today’s view of the universe

By Tom SiegfriedApril 24, 2020

Physics

Physicists have found a way to foil a classic oobleck science trick

By Emily ConoverMay 8, 2020
50 years ago, superconductors started feeling the pressure

By Emily ConoverMay 1, 2020
A newfound superconducting current travels only along a material’s edge

By Emily ConoverApril 30, 2020

Health & Medicine

Wastewater could provide up to a week of warning for a COVID-19 spike

By Erin Garcia de Jesus3 hours ago
Politics aside, hydroxychloroquine could (maybe) help fight COVID-19

By Tina Hesman SaeyMay 22, 2020
There are two versions of the coronavirus. One’s not more dangerous than the other

By Tina Hesman SaeyMay 21, 2020

Earth

Up to 220 million people globally may be at risk of arsenic-contaminated water

By Carolyn GramlingMay 21, 2020
Long-dormant volcano Mauna Kea has been quietly grumbling for decades

By Carolyn GramlingMay 14, 2020
Deadly temperatures expected to arrive later this century are already here

By Jonathan LambertMay 8, 2020

Science & Society

Scientists sometimes conceal a lack of knowledge with vague words

By Tom SiegfriedMay 22, 2020
Past plagues offer lessons for society after the coronavirus pandemic

By Bruce BowerMay 18, 2020
How materials science has changed humankind — for better and worse

By Emily ConoverApril 10, 2020