Science & Society

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Science & Society

    It’s ‘personal.’ What the Stand Up for Science rally meant for attendees

    Stand Up for Science rallies in Washington, D.C., and across the United States drew crowds of people worried about cuts to scientific funding.

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  2. Astronomy

    Citizen scientists make cosmic discoveries with a global telescope network

    On balconies and in backyards, Wi-Fi–enabled telescopes are connecting astronomy enthusiasts across six continents.

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  3. Science & Society

    Married men are doing more cleaning and laundry than in the past

    Some scholars argue that efforts to equalize the time men and women spend on housework has stalled. An analysis reveals slow progress.

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  4. Animals

    How a puffin patrol in Iceland is saving the iconic seabirds

    Light pollution disorients young puffins. The Puffling Patrol helps them find their way to the sea.

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  5. Science & Society

    Fired federal workers share the crucial jobs no longer being done

    Thousands of probationary federal employees received termination notices. Many were doing crucial work at science-related agencies.

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  6. Science & Society

    Why some chaos-seekers just want to watch the world burn

    A political scientist explains how a confluence of personality traits and perceived status loss can encourage some people to generate chaos as a solution to their woes.

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  7. Humans

    Biological sex is not as simple as male or female

    A recent Trump executive order defines sex based on gamete size. But the order oversimplifies genetics, hormones and reproductive biology.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    ‘It felt like dread.’ Hear what severe depression can do to people

    In the second episode of The Deep End, listeners hear what it’s like to live with severe depression and the backstory of an experimental treatment.

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  9. Science & Society

    ‘Uncertain, anxious, fearful.’ That’s the mood at 2025’s first big U.S. science meeting

    Scientists are losing funding and even their jobs under the new Trump administration. Researchers at the AAAS meeting shared fears and coping strategies.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    NIH research grant cuts could deal a biting blow to crucial support staff

    The funding agency aims to cap “indirect costs” in biomedical research grants. But this behind-the-scenes work is crucial to making research happen.

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  11. Climate

    Historical writings reveal how people weathered the Little Ice Age

    Records from 500 years ago document floods, famine and death in 16th century Transylvania due to wild weather swings during the Little Ice Age.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    A man volunteered to get brain implants for depression. Hear his story

    In the first episode of The Deep End Podcast, we meet Jon Nelson, who shares why he volunteered to get brain implants for his relentless depression.

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