Science
News and updates from the science team. Topics include genetics, infectious disease, psychology, and more.
Malaria kills half a million people a year in Africa. We can prevent that — if we act fast enough.
Fast-moving air 8 miles in the sky is pinning hot air over the South, driving the heat index into triple digits.
The burger-sized hole in climate change coverage, explained.
The science of consciousness still has no theory.
The hard problem of faked data in science.
What the history of nuclear arms can — and can’t — tell us about the future of AI.
Deforestation raged ahead again in 2022, even after scores of countries pledged to protect their forests.
A chemist explains how PFAS can harm us — and what to do about them.
The crew of the missing sub is dead, following a “catastrophic implosion,” the US Coast Guard said Thursday.
The messy legal fight that could follow the deaths of the Titan passengers.
How to have better conversations about contentious scientific subjects.
The history of American air pollution, explained.
Why do we have a summer solstice, anyway?
How the Vietnam War and ancient Chinese medicine led to a malaria treatment.
The regimen is common and considered safe after 10 weeks, but the delays are cause for concern.
Carnivorous plants are thriving in the most unlikely place.
Unprecedented Atlantic Ocean heating and El Niño in the Pacific are pushing the climate into uncharted territory.
A new study shows how non-medical use of drugs like Ritalin leads to more time spent working harder, not smarter.
The space agency has a plan to “skip a generation” of passenger aircraft design to fight climate change.
Extreme weather and climate-linked disasters don’t always lead to changes in public opinion.
How to tell if your pet is suffering from wildfire smoke.
The smoke is clearing from New York and other East Coast cities, but Canada’s wildfires are set to get worse.
Canada’s smoke blanketing the US is just the latest example of intensifying wildfires.
4 basic questions about Canada’s wildfires, answered.
From burning eyes to asthma attacks: Who’s at highest risk from air pollution? And when should you seek care?
From “fluffy flying narwhals” to maggots that snorkel in trash, welcome to the wonderfully bizarre world of flies.
As America gets ready to grill on Memorial Day, a reminder of meat’s role in climate change.
Harsh state policies imply it’s not — but what do the studies say?
A revolutionary SETI experiment seeks to find out how earthlings might respond to a signal from aliens.
Why do we know so little about pregnancy — one of the most common experiences on Earth?
Salpingectomies, explained.
It’s a reminder that volcanoes are beautiful, dangerous, and closer than we may realize.
Protected areas cover more than a quarter of US waters, yet they often don’t safeguard marine life.
The new breast cancer screening recommendations for women over 40 are surprisingly fraught.
Why you should keep tabs on the subtle changes in weather, not just extremes.
It’s a stinky ecological wonder.
Scientists have never seen anything like it.
A new survey finds two-thirds of car dealers didn’t have a single electric vehicle for sale.
For Americans, the coming end to the US public health emergency will have much bigger impacts.
Kelp forests are majestic, life-sustaining ecosystems. Climate change imperils them.