All Stories

  1. Neuroscience

    ‘Silent’ cells play a surprising role in how brains work

    New studies show that astrocytes, long thought to be support cells in the brain, are crucial intermediaries for relaying messages to neurons.

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  2. Animals

    Bedbugs may have been one of the first urban pests

    Common bedbugs experienced a dramatic jump in population size about 13,000 years ago, around the time humans congregated in the first cities.

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  3. Anthropology

    Humans used whale bones to make tools 20,000 years ago

    Ancient scavengers of the beached beasts turned their bones into implements that spread across a large area, researchers say.

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  4. Life

    The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

    A 47-million-year-old cicada fossil from Germany’s Messel Pit could teach us about the evolution of insect communication.

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  5. Readers discuss the biology of sex, plastic in the brain and more

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  6. The long and short of science

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the centennial of quantum mechanics’ framework, Hubble’s 35th anniversary and the legacy of Kanzi the bonobo.

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  7. Math puzzle: The conundrum of sharing

    Solve the math puzzle from our June 2025 issue, in which friends must find ways to all enjoy hot mud beds.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Wet fingers always wrinkle in the same way

    Pruney fingertips aren't swollen sponges — the wrinkles actually come from blood vessels constricting and pulling skin inward.

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  9. Paleontology

    Sloths once came in a dizzying array of sizes. Here’s why

    A new fossil and DNA analysis traces how dozens of sloth species responded to climate shifts and humans. Just two small tree-dwelling sloths remain today.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    It’s tricky to transplant a bladder. How surgeons finally did it

    The person who received the bladder is doing well, and the successful transplant could offer hope to thousands of people with bladder dysfunction.

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  11. Climate

    Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost

    Penguin poop provides ammonia for cloud formation in coastal Antarctica, potentially helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region.

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  12. Science & Society

    Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plan has a major obstacle: Physics

    Scientists suggest the missile defense plan will face big hurdles, especially given its projected timeline and cost.

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