Climate
‘Tree Story’ explores what tree rings can tell us about the past
The book "Tree Story" explains how scientists decipher tree rings to discover clues about past climates and ancient civilizations.
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Cover Story
Special Report: Fighting the Virus
This special report investigates what it will take to regain some sense of normalcy: Safe and effective treatments and a vaccine, along with testing and contact-tracing systems.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Planetary Science
This is the most comprehensive map of the moon’s geology yet
Cartographers merged Apollo-era maps and modern lunar observations to into a new geologic map of the moon.
Notebook
Physics
Physicists have found a way to foil a classic oobleck science trick
Cornstarch and water solidifies under impact, but a new technique can make it remain a liquid.
Features
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What coronavirus antibody tests tell us — and what they don’t
Antibody tests can give a clearer picture of who has been infected but don’t guarantee immunity for those who test positive.
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How coronavirus stress may scramble our brains
The pandemic has made clear thinking a real struggle. But researchers say knowing how stress affects the brain can help people cope.
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To end social distancing, the U.S. must dramatically ramp up contact tracing
Life after social distancing may involve apps that ask you to self-isolate after you’ve been near someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
More Stories from the June 6, 2020 issue
- Health & Medicine
As we wait for a vaccine, here’s a snapshot of potential COVID-19 treatments
Though a vaccine remains the ultimate goal, researchers are on the hunt for new ways to treat COVID-19.
- Paleontology
A ‘crazy beast’ from the time of dinosaurs belongs to an obscure mammal group
Paleontologists have finally matched a bizarre fossil, Adalatherium hui, to an obscure group of ancient mammals called gondwanatherians.
- Oceans
Deep-sea mining may damage underwater ecosystems for decades
Microbe communities in the seabed off Peru still haven’t fully recovered from being disturbed by a deep-sea mining experiment 26 years ago.
- Genetics
New hybrid embryos are the most thorough mixing of humans and mice yet
Human-mice chimeras may usher in a deeper understanding of how cells build bodies.
- Space
The closest black hole to Earth may have been spotted 1,000 light-years away
What appears to be the closest black hole to the solar system shares orbits with two massive stars, a new study finds.
- Physics
A newfound superconducting current travels only along a material’s edge
In a first, scientists spot electricity flowing without resistance on the rim of a topological superconductor.
- Astronomy
The sun is less magnetically active than similar stars, and we don’t know why
Why our star seems so different from its stellar kin is a mystery.
- Earth
Plate tectonics may have started 400 million years earlier than we thought
Magnetic minerals in ancient rocks suggest that plate tectonics may have been under way as early as 3.2 billion years ago.
- Planetary Science
Planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres could harbor life
Lab experiments show yeast and E. coli survive and reproduce in hydrogen gas, suggesting new environments to seek alien life.
- Animals
Why mammals like elephants and armadillos might get drunk easily
Differences in a gene for breaking down alcohol could help explain which mammals get tipsy.
- Health & Medicine
A pill for heavy metal poisoning may also save snakebite victims
In mice, an oral medication delayed or even prevented death after a lethal dose of viper venom, a new study finds.
- Paleontology
Spinosaurus fossil tail suggests dinosaurs were swimmers after all
Unique among known dinosaurs, Spinosaurus had a finlike tail, which the predator may have used to propel itself through the water.
- Health & Medicine
Vaping may damage the heart just as smoking does
Vapers and smokers showed similar signs of blood vessel damage, compared with people who didn’t smoke or vape.
- Physics
Gravitational waves have revealed the first unevenly sized black hole pair
For the first time, LIGO and Virgo scientists spotted gravitational waves produced when one big black hole merged with a smaller one.
- Animals
Some comb jellies cannibalize their young when food is scarce
Invasive warty comb jellies feast on their larvae after massive population booms in the summer deplete their prey from waters off of Germany.
- Anthropology
16th century skeletons suggest the slave trade brought some diseases to Mexico
Slaves buried in a 16th century grave in Mexico had hepatitis B and yaws, suggesting the slave trade helped spread some versions of those diseases.
- Earth
50 years ago, scientists were getting a better glimpse inside storms
In 1970, experts were harnessing technologies that provided a three-dimensional picture of the inside of a storm.
