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a tigress licking her paws
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The weirdest things we learned this week: hot air balloon riots and the man-eatingest tiger

Our editors scrounged up some truly bizarre facts.

By Rachel Feltman

Doctors have been overprescribing fentanyl for years and the FDA hasn’t been able to stop it
Health

Doctors have been overprescribing fentanyl for years and the FDA hasn’t been able to stop it

A new report shows up to half of potent fentanyl prescriptions were given inappropriately.

By Kat Eschner

Georgia O'Keeffe Pedernal art painting material science
Science

Art gets ‘caldera-like’ acne, too. This tool could help clear it up.

Researchers also finally figured out why Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings have so many of these pimples.

By Eleanor Cummins

Extreme weather can stress pregnant women—and their unborn babies
Climate Change

Extreme weather can stress pregnant women—and their unborn babies

New research suggests extreme weather can worsen depression in mothers, leaving children more anxious and distressed.

By Marlene Cimons

Bighorn Joshua Tree National Park California
Conservation

The biggest public lands bill in a decade has something for everyone

And that's why it might actually pass.

By Ula Chrobak

Audi traffic light system
Vehicles

Audi’s in-car Information system helps drivers avoid red lights

It will also tell you how long before they turn green.

By Dan Carney

polar bear on sea shore
Bears

Climate change is pushing desperate polar bears, kangaroos, and other wildlife into human territory

Human-wildlife interactions can be dangerous, and they're only growing more common.

By Niki Rust/The Conversation

What we know about diet soda’s connection to heart disease, stroke, and early death
Heart Disease

What we know about diet soda’s connection to heart disease, stroke, and early death

People who drank two or more artificially-sweetened drinks per day might be at a higher risk.

By Claire Maldarelli

little kid flu shot
Vaccines

Flu season’s been pretty quiet this year—here’s why

It's not just because of measles.

By Sara Chodosh

Chilldren taking political action to save the environment
Climate Change

Kids skipping school to protest climate change isn’t just reasonable—it’s logical

Why adults no longer have the right to object to their children taking radical action.

By Rupert Read/The Conversation

spacex iridium 8 launch
Mars

Next month’s SpaceX launch could help end America’s reliance on Russian rockets

If it’s not delayed again, that is.

By Neel Patel

Here’s why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health
Diseases

Here’s why ultra-processed foods are so bad for your health

These packaged foods can increase overall risk of death.

By Nicole Wetsman

The Green New Deal could help farmers help the planet
Agriculture

The Green New Deal could help farmers help the planet

The new potential plan could incentivize farming practices that help remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere.

By Jeremy Deaton

A380
Aviation

Goodbye to the A380, the biggest passenger plane there ever was

It was just too large.

By Rob Verger

elk chronic wasting disease
Health

Scientists worry ‘zombie deer’ disease could jump to humans

Chronic wasting disease is currently in 24 states.

By Sara Chodosh

a white rat perched on a glass jar
Science

Tricking rats with augmented reality unlocked a secret about our own brains

Ever wondered why you feel a little funny when you step off a treadmill?

By Kat Eschner

welded bottlecaps
Projects

How to spin weld at home

Forge bonds without screws, glues, or fancy gear

By Sean Michael Ragan

Two long-necked dinosaurs pose together in the rain
Dinosaurs

This newly discovered titanosaur had heart-shaped tail bones

How romantic.

By Jessica Boddy

How self-driving cars can predict the way pedestrians move
Self Driving

How self-driving cars can predict the way pedestrians move

Good drivers anticipate what others will do. Autonomous cars need to do the same.

By Rob Verger

Eero router
Security

Amazon is thinking about routers and you should be, too

Jeff Bezos and company bought a mesh network company and that makes things complicated.

By Stan Horaczek