The Ozone Hole Showed Humans Could Damage Earth and That We Could Heal It
The discovery of a hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer in 1985 led to a worldwide effort to heal it. But are there lessons that can be applied to today’s treaty talks on climate change?
These Salamanders Steal Genes and Can Have up to Five Extra Sets of Chromosomes
Unisexual salamanders in the genus Ambystoma appear to be the only creatures in the world that reproduce the way they do. Researchers know how, but the why is still being figured out.
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Listen to the Astonishing ‘Chirp’ of Two Black Holes Merging
Some of the most violent cosmic collisions occur silently in the vacuum of space, but with the right instrumental ears, we can still hear it happen. Here’s how.
Will the Chesapeake Bay Become a Dead Zone?
The country’s largest estuary is under critical threat from pollution and climate change. The question is: Can it be saved?
This Astoundingly Simple Ancient Technique Is Helping to Beat Back Drought
Amid a warming world, these conservationists have brought back a very old and very low-tech drought-busting practice, and they are getting results.
Vera Rubin Lives On in Lives of the Women She Helped in Astronomy
The “mother of dark matter” was a force of nature—and a forceful advocate for other women who wanted to dedicate their career to the cosmos.
Mysterious Microbes in Earth’s Crust Might Help with the Climate Crisis
Wherever we dig and however deep we dig, we find microscopic living organisms. Could they eat the carbon we’re pumping into the air?
Inside the Scientific Quest to Save (Most of) the World’s Parasites
Scientists are on a mission to save parasites—not to kill them. Climate change is already doing an increasingly good job at the latter, and that could be a big problem for the world.
These Researchers Used AI to Design a Completely New ‘Animal Robot’
“Xenobots” are living, swimming self-powered robots that measure less than a millimeter across. They are evolved by artificial intelligence and built out of frog stem cells—and they could open new medical frontiers.
This Particle Accelerator Makes a Substance That Has Not Existed in 13 Billion Years
By using one of the most complicated and powerful machines on the planet, scientists have found a way to glimpse back to the very beginning of time itself.
Decoded: Aging
What really happens to our bodies when we age—and could we find a way to slow it down?
Did Plants Domesticate Humans? Watch The First Entanglement
Archaeologists studying one of the birthplaces of agriculture find a complex interplay between human actions and the workings of nature and genetics.