Column
- Health & Medicine
How to scout a safe summer swimming hole
Best practices, including checking public E. coli reports and keeping your head above water can keep you safe while swimming.
- Science & Society
AI can take the friction out of life, but some effort can be good
Technologies, including chatbots, promise to make life easier. But removing the friction, or effort involved in thinking, has costs.
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Science behind the scenes
Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the fascinating world of constructed languages, our behind-the-scenes look at a vast science museum collection, and how some mathematicians are embracing AI to check complex proofs.
- Health & Medicine
Breath carries clues to gut health
At-home breath tests could reveal insights about gut health, though their ability to assess food intolerances is not yet clear.
- Science & Society
Pronatalists want more babies. Their solutions aren’t rooted in science
Conservative pronatalists want a return to the traditional nuclear family. But that family structure is at odds with how humans evolved.
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Science and armed conflict
Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses how science and armed conflict have been intertwined throughout history, from the Greeks in 400 B.C. to the use of tear gas in the protests across the United States as recently as a few months ago.
- Health & Medicine
GLP-1 microdosers are chasing longevity
Experimenters hope to harness the powerful effects of medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy at doses smaller than those studied most.
- Climate
Why we fail to notice climate change
People quickly normalize extreme weather. Simple visuals highlighting abrupt change could help climate change break through our mental blind spots.
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Finding the story
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how our reporters find unique stories, from vaccine beer to a particle collider’s retirement to the rise of AI scientists.
- Health & Medicine
Home HPV tests won’t replace the ob-gyn
Breast exams, birth control and family planning are just some of the reasons not to skip your annual ob-gyn appointment.
- Science & Society
Autistic Barbie reminds us stories have the power to counter misinformation
Representation and rigorous science compete with the Trump administration’s false claims about autism.
- Psychology
With effort, procrastinators can change
Procrastination in young adulthood is not set in stone, though change is difficult, a long-term study shows.
