Feature

Chemistry

Designer drugs hit dangerous lows to bring new highs

A surge in designer drugs, which emulate the highs of classic illicit substances with unpredictable effects, is keeping law enforcement busy.

Planetary Science

The Martian Diaries

Curiosity has explored Mars for over two and a half years. What if NASA's rover kept a scrapbook?

Climate

The greatest natural disaster that almost was

The public’s response to the widest tornado ever recorded suggests earlier warnings need to be done right.

Climate

Weather forecasting is getting a high-speed makeover

Meteorologists are throwing new technology at the problem of weather forecasting to provide faster and more precise predictions of the coming weather.

Astronomy

Celebrating 25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope has served for more than two decades as the sharpest eyes ever to peer into the universe.

Environment

Five years on, Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s impact lingers

Five years after the Gulf of Mexico’s largest disaster, researchers are still studying its ecological impact and struggling to learn the fate of most of the spilled oil.

Archaeology

Telling stories from stone tools

Existing stone tool categories may hide more than they reveal. New methods for analyzing stone artifacts aim to better reconstruct how hominids interacted and moved across Africa, Asia and Europe.

Astronomy

Solo planets may be surprisingly common

Rogue planets may form as stars do, but on a smaller scale, or they may go forced out of orbit during planetary ping-pong. Researchers are scanning the skies for them.

Neuroscience

Mapping aggression circuits in the brain

Using optogenetics and other techniques, scientists are tracing connections to and from the brain’s aggression command center.

Particle Physics

Sam Ting tries to expose dark matter’s mysteries

Particle physicist Sam Ting is applying a meticulous approach to analyzing positrons in space, testing whether they can reveal clues about dark matter.

Health & Medicine

For athletes, antioxidant pills may not help performance

Supplements of vitamins C, E and other antioxidants may blunt the positive effects of exercise training.

Health & Medicine

Six ways to beat chronic stress

Counseling, mindfulness training and purposeful social contact may counteract the effects of chronic stress.