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SCIENCE
Milky Way Census Shows Stars Take Varied Paths
The Gaia satellite is making the most detailed and complete map of the stars in our galaxy Credit: Nadieh BremerAdvertisement
After launching to space in 2013, the European Space Agency’s Gaia telescope has been spinning in full…
Why Mauna Loa and Other Hawaiian Volcanoes Are Different from Most
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, began sending up fountains of glowing rock and spilling…
U.S. Embassies Face Growing Risk from Climate Change, Government Watchdog Says
State Department personnel working at embassies and consulates around the world face heightened safety and security risks from climate disasters—particularly in countries ravaged by storms, heat and drought, say federal watchdogs.…
Heralded Alzheimer’s Drug Works, but Safety Concerns Loom
Researchers have got a first look at phase III clinical trial data for a much lauded experimental Alzheimer’s drug—and although the data support it having a moderate cognitive benefit for people, scientists worry about its safety.
The…
Are the James Webb Space Telescope’s Pictures ‘Real’?
As light travels through space, it gets stretched by the expansion of the universe. This is why many of the most distant objects shine in infrared light, which is longer in wavelength than visible light. We can't see this ancient light…
How Beavers Shaped America, from Capitalism to Climate Change
Nonfiction
A Busy History
How beavers shaped America—and not just its ecology
Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America
by Leila Philip
Twelve, 2022 ($30)
Beavers, you may have noticed, are having a moment. These…
A Year of Wonder, Awe and Discovery
Last July, NASA revealed the first images sent back from its highly anticipated new space telescope. Gorgeous photographs of swirling galaxies, fiery nebulas and newborn stars stunned the world. As one of the lead scientists working with…
One in 10 Who Menstruate Suffer from Endometriosis. Why Do We Know So Little about It?
“Like little elves in my belly, just punching, kicking, beating up my organs.” This is how Shea O’Donnell, a psychology graduate student at San Diego State University, used to describe pain from a disease called endometriosis to their…
Pop-Up Farming Pods to Help Colonizers Grow Crops on Mars
As a nerdy, nature-loving kid growing up in France, Barbara Belvisi daydreamed about life on other planets: giant domes filled with lush plants and exotic flowers like the ones she’d painted on her bedroom walls. But adult life beckoned:…
Fatherhood Changes Men’s Brains, According to Before-and-After MRI Scans
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
The time fathers devote to child care every week has tripled over the past 50 years in the United States. The…