How Does Your Brain Know a Cat Is a Cat?
A conversation with renowned neuroscientists Lisa Feldman Barrett and Earl Miller about categories, “folk psychology,” beginner’s mind, and thinking fast and slow
Here’s Why Dreams During Naps Are So Weird
And what it has to do with Thomas Edison
The Rapid Evolution of Giant Daisies
They’re the botanical versions of Darwin’s finches
When a Species’ Survival Hinges on Every Single Embryo
The two female Northern white rhinos keeping the species alive
How Seals Detox After a Long Deep Dive
Just like us, they need a cooldown after workouts
Latest Stories
Vaccine Hesitancy in an Era of Misinformation
The U.S. government and the right-wing media ecosystem are sowing unfounded doubt
From our latest print issue
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more Astronomy(Almost) A Eulogy for Voyager
The robotic space probe is 15 billion miles away and is nearing the end of its life in the distant cosmos
The Origins of Uranus’ Distant Rings Hint at a Hidden Moon
Astronomers are circling the answers
The Peace That an Eclipse Brings
The total solar eclipse in 2024 hushed the Earth by striking awe in the humans in its path
History
See more History
Rome Was Built Today
Celebrating the scientific and technical contributions of Rome on the mythical birthday of the eternal city
Psychology
See more PsychologyThe Mix-up at the Heart of the Supreme Court’s Conversion Therapy Ruling
A psychiatrist on the crucial distinction the case glosses over, how media coverage has made it worse, and why that’s dangerous for LGBTQ+ youth
The Science of Spooky Sounds
A conversation with a “pseudoscience” researcher about how infrasound could be linked to ghosts
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Environment
See more EnvironmentWhat Happens When Giants Disappear from Ecosystems?
Big animals leave big holes in the food web
Earth Day Started with an Oil Spill
The day of environmental action and protest has grown and evolved over the past 56 years
Zoology
See more ZoologyScorpions Wield Metal-Tipped Weapons
They pack an even more impressive punch than previously thought
These Bees Change Color with the Weather
But the biological significance of their shifts is a mystery
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyThe Bad Seed and the Problem of Blame
A conversation with behavioral geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden about the heritability of vice
A Light in the Dark: Finding the Good in the Natural World
Is it absurd to think that science can inform our values?
How ‘Tiny Shortcuts’ Are Poisoning Science
Seemingly harmless data tweaks are undermining the integrity of the entire field. We must define the problem to prevent it
A Treatment for Pre-Eclampsia Could Be in Sight
And it’s not a new drug
Read more
See all postsOur Eyes Originated in a 600-Million-Year-Old Cyclops
There was a time when one eye was better than two
The Predictive Powers of Bear Poop
It doesn’t even need to leave the intestines to tell a story
Where Brains Process Smell
First “smell map” reveals organization where scientists had predicted chaos
Trump’s War on Science Continues
As sacked National Science Board members and lawmakers speak out, US research preeminence further dims on the international stage
When “Extinct” Volcanoes Reawaken
They’re filled with a lot more fury than their millennia-long slumber would suggest
What Mummies Read Before a Long Nap
Archaeologists have recovered a scrap of the Iliad in the belly of an interred Egyptian
