Scientists Are Very Worried About NASA’s Mars Plan
We could find hints of ancient life in Martian rocks—if we can ever bring them back to Earth.
Science
The Bird-Flu Host We Should Worry About
Pigs have a track record of hosting flu viruses that jump to us.
Meerkats Keep Dropping Dead From Heart Failure
The genomes of meerkats could help researchers solve some puzzles in human heart disease.
A Rat Purge Saved This Island
Eliminating the rodents was all it took to revive a seabird paradise.
Giant Heaps of Plastic Are Helping Vegetables Grow
Plastic allows farmers to use less water and fertilizer. But at the end of each season, they’re left with a pile of waste.
The Study-Abroad Accent Might Be the Real Deal
Our speech patterns can change with remarkable speed—if we want them to.
Should the Hawthorn Be Saved?
These trees once proliferated wildly across eastern North America, but now they’re dying out.
Asteroids Could Fuel the Clean-Energy Transition
If companies can figure out how to mine them.
Against Sunscreen Absolutism
Moderate sun exposure can be good for you. Why won’t American experts acknowledge that?
Who Really Has Brain Worms?
A scientific inquiry