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Black lives matter protests
COVID-19

COVID-19 cases are surging, but not because of Black Lives Matter protests

Social distancing measures by all could have helped prevent increases in coronavirus cases after Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

angler holding up a mahi mahi caught on a spoon lure
Projects

Turn an old spoon into a fishing lure that’ll catch almost anything

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give a man a spoon and you feed him for life.

massive caldera
Environment

A massive volcanic eruption may have contributed to the rise of the Roman Empire

After Alaska’s Okmok volcano blew its top in 43 BCE, the Mediterranean saw years of bitter cold and famines.

An illustration of what an Earthlike exoplanet might look like.
Exoplanets

There should be billions of Earths out there. Why can’t we find them?

A new estimate suggests the Milky Way is home to six billion Earth-like planets. So far, we’ve found just one potential candidate.

A black shepherd dog along a river
Vaccines

Snakebites can be deadly for dogs, but some simple precautions can save them

Step one: Get your buddy vaccinated.

road running through hot flatlands with sun shining
Global Warming

The latest summer forecast calls for deadly heat waves

Heat waves are the most dangerous natural disaster—and they kill more people than we previously thought.

Person on phone
Tech Hacks

Your favorite apps might be sharing too much about you. Here’s how to make sure they don’t.

Time for a much-needed privacy check.

B-52 Bomber
Air Force

Inside a training mission with a B-52 bomber, the aircraft that will not die

Over the next decades, the US fleet will be both old-school and futuristic. Here's what's happening.

satellite image of dust cloud
Weather

Five wild facts about the Saharan dust plume before it hits the US

This enormous dust cloud will be touching down in the Gulf Coast today.

The Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville, Illinois, mark the site of one of the biggest pre-Colombian civilizations in the US.
Archaeology

Colonial bias gave us an incorrect history of North America’s Indigenous people

Archaeologists are now trying to get it right now by looking at more authentic cultural clues.

a person using the Google search engine on a laptop
Tech Hacks

Google has free movies and games if you know where to look

And, uh, here's where to look.

LGBTQIA+ advocates rally in front of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Health

Trans people’s access to health care is imperiled, but a recent Supreme Court case might help

Many trans and non-binary people still live in states that ban gender-affirming treatment.

tax forms
Health

Why it matters that race and ethnicity aren’t recorded by the IRS

Reforming tax law could go a long way to addressing racial inequity.

pandemic social distancing sign
COVID-19

COVID-19 antibodies might not last long, but immunity still could

Cases have doubled in seven states over the past two weeks.

A senior in a wheelchair with a mask on
COVID-19

The pandemic has shown how unsafe nursing homes can be. But is there a better option?

Nursing home deaths have critics saying it’s time to rethink the institutional model for elder care.

Tales from the Field illustration
Physics

What did the universe look like just after the big bang?

The original 'gram, as described by astronomer Chuck Bennett.

harbor seals
Diseases

Mass die-offs in marine mammals are accelerating, and climate change will only make it worse

Warming seas and melting ice could create the perfect storm of conditions for disease transmission.

two maps side by side
Archaeology

Scientists explored a buried Roman city without digging up an ounce of soil

Radar is taking some of the shovel work out of archaeology.

A father and son standing on the balcony
Psychology

Your kids aren’t growing up too quickly, but your brain sure thinks they are

The idea of them growing any faster than the rest of us is a myth.

bound by two sudoku puzzle
Science

These sudoku puzzles only use 1s and 0s. Can you crack them?

There’s only one correct answer for each grid.