Science & Society
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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Science & SocietyWe’re celebrating a century of Science News
Across a century of science journalism, Science News has covered the Scopes trial, the moonwalk, Dolly the Sheep and more.
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Science & SocietySome past Science News coverage was racist and sexist. We’re deeply sorry
During our early history, Science News shared and endorsed ideas that were unscientific and morally wrong.
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Science & SocietySocial media crackdowns during the war in Ukraine make the internet less global
Social media has become an important battleground, and now stands to split along geopolitical lines.
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GeneticsHow gene therapy overcame high-profile failures
A dark period for gene therapy didn’t derail scientists determined to help patients.
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EarthHow climbers help scientists vibe with Utah’s famous red rock formations
Researchers teamed up with rock climbers to collect rare data that help them assess the seismic stability of red rock formations in Utah.
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Science & SocietyWhat made the last century’s great innovations possible?
Science paved the way for antibiotics, lasers, computers and COVID-19 vaccines, but science alone was not enough.
By Jon Gertner -
SpaceHow Russia’s war in Ukraine hinders space research and exploration
A Mars rover, an X-ray telescope and several low-Earth satellites are at risk in response to international sanctions on Russia.
By Liz Kruesi -
ChemistryMarie Maynard Daly was a trailblazing biochemist, but her full story may be lost
Marie Maynard Daly was the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry, but her own perspective on her research is missing from the historical record.
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Science & Society‘Fresh Banana Leaves’ shows how Western conservation has harmed Indigenous people
Author and environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez discusses Indigenous displacement, conservation’s failures and how to improve the field.
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Science & SocietyNudge theory’s popularity may block insights into improving society
Small interventions that influence people’s behavior can be tested. But the real world requires big, hard-to-measure changes too, scientists say.
By Sujata Gupta -
Science & SocietyMilitary towns are the most racially integrated places in the U.S. Here’s why
The military’s big stick approach allowed the institution to integrate troops and military towns. Can the civilian world follow suit?
By Sujata Gupta -
Science & SocietyHow we got from Gregor Mendel’s pea plants to modern genetics
Philosopher Yafeng Shan explains how today's understanding of inheritance emerged from a muddle of ideas at the turn of the 20th century.