Precision Medicine Has Been Overhyped
A new book argues that genomics is overshadowing environmental and social solutions to better health for all
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U.S. Heat Deaths Will Soar as the Climate Crisis Worsens
With three degrees Celsius of warming, U.S. deaths during extreme temperatures could reach 63,000 a year, researchers calculate -
Why Do Airplane Flights Cause Digestive Problems?
The butterflies, and gas, in your tummy while you’re in flight might not just be from nerves -
Dead Trees and a Mysterious Cosmic Explosion Reveal Bigger Quake Risk for Seattle
Washington State’s Puget Sound could face previously unknown earthquake risks, according to a new study that has pinned down the date of an ancient earthquake using tree rings and the radiation left by a mysterious cosmic force -
What Happens if You Drop Antimatter? New Gravitational Test Sees First Fall
In theory, physicists knew that antimatter should behave just like matter under gravity’s pull. But until now, no one had ever seen it happen -
Hoʻoleilana, a Billion-Light-Year-Wide Bubble of Galaxies, Astounds Astronomers
This enormous structure could help explain processes close to the dawn of time—or it could be a random cosmic fluke -
The Secret to Beetles' Unfathomable Diversity
The evolution of a chemical defense gland allowed the most diverse group of beetles to repel predators and go on to conquer wholly new environments -
Streetlights Are Mysteriously Turning Purple. Here's Why
Newly purple streetlights might seem innocuous, but they could affect driver and pedestrian safety -
Our Fragile Earth: How Close Are We to Climate Catastrophe?
Lessons from past eras when Earth was a hothouse or a snowball tell us whether we are doomed by climate change or still have time to prevent that fate -
How Mathematical Objects Are like People and Other Mysteries of Intersection Theory
A Q&A with Hannah Larson, a recipient of the 2024 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize -
Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe?
Physicists and philosophers recently met to debate a theory of consciousness called panpsychism -
If You're Pregnant, These Vaccines Could Save Your and Your Baby's Life
The RSV vaccine is the latest in a series of immunizations that could protect pregnant people and their babies from severe disease and death -
Bizarre Quantum Theory Explains Why Your Coffee Takes So Long to Drip through a Narrow Filter
Physicist John Cardy and his colleague just won the 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. We spoke with Cardy about conformal field theory, 2D black holes and coffee filters -
OSIRIS-REx's Asteroid Samples Are Finally Down to Earth
OSIRIS-REx—the first U.S. mission to attempt a sample return from a space rock—has successfully sent materials from asteroid Bennu back to Earth -
These Adorable Jellyfish Show Learning Doesn't Even Require a Brain
Human scientists—used to the benefits of a centralized, complex brain—have been underestimating what a simple nerve network can do -
The Equinox Is Not What You Think It Is
The equinox is not when day and night have equal lengths. Instead it’s something more nuanced but no less glorious -
This Efficiency-Obsessed Psychologist (and Mother of 11) Revolutionized Kitchen Design
Lillian Gilbreth pioneered time and motion efficiency in workplaces and revolutionized kitchen design -
Jupiter's Moon Europa May Hide Tantalizing Carbon in Mysterious Ocean
Jupiter’s mysterious moon Europa may hold carbon in the ocean lurking beneath its icy shell -
Period Food Cravings Are Real. A New Brain Finding Could Explain Why They Happen
A new study suggests that changes in the brain's sensitivity to insulin during phases of the menstrual cycle may be linked to appetite -
NASA's Gorgeous New Moon Image Paints Shackleton Crater in Light and Shadow
A new NASA instrument allows researchers to view the bright and permanently shadowed portions of the moon’s Shackleton Crater at the same time
