All Stories
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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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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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
