All Stories
- Archaeology
Ancient nomadic herders beat a path to the Silk Road
Herders’ mountain treks helped mold the Silk Road, an ancient, cross-continental trade network.
- Animals
Readers dispute starfishes’ water-swirling abilities
Volcanic eruptions, fast-freezing water, starfish physics and more in reader feedback.
- Science & Society
Science journalists don’t use the science of ‘nudge’
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the mission of science journalists.
- Neuroscience
Brain training turns recall rookies into memory masters
Six weeks of training turned average people into memory masters, a skill reflected in their brains.
- Science & Society
Data-driven crime prediction fails to erase human bias
Software programs that predict where crimes will occur don’t eliminate bias; they exacerbate it.
- Psychology
Nudging people to make good choices can backfire
Steering people’s decisions with simple nudges, such as e-mail reminders or opt-out programs, can come with a downside.
- Astronomy
Astronomers detect oldest known stardust in distant galaxy
The first stardust ever generated in the universe may have been spotted in a distant galaxy, seen as it was 600 million years after the Big Bang.
- Agriculture
Fleets of drones could pollinate future crops
Chemist Eijiro Miyako turned a lab failure into a way to rethink artificial pollination.
- Ecosystems
Invasive species, climate change threaten Great Lakes
In The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, a journalist chronicles the lakes’ downward spiral and slow revival.
- Tech
Virtual reality has a motion sickness problem
Virtual reality games and experiences can make some people sick, and women are more susceptible.
- Astronomy
Magnetism helps black holes blow off gas
The turbulent winds that swirl around black holes are probably driven by magnetic fields, scientists say.
- Health & Medicine
Anesthesia for youngsters is a tricky calculation
Scientists, doctors and parents face uncertainty when it comes to anesthesia for babies.
