All Stories
- Science & Society
50 years ago, the United States wanted to deflate the helium stockpile
An attempt to dismantle the Federal Helium Reserve in 1971 failed. Fifty years later, the U.S. government is still determined to run out of gas.
- Humans
Neandertal DNA from cave mud shows two waves of migration across Eurasia
Genetic material left behind in sediments reveals new details about how ancient humans once spread across the continent.
- Planetary Science
Earth sweeps up 5,200 tons of extraterrestrial dust each year
Thousands of micrometeorites collected from Antarctica come from both comets and asteroids, a new study suggests.
- Life
Only 3 percent of Earth’s land hasn’t been marred by humans
A sweeping survey of terrestrial ecosystems finds that vanishingly little land houses all the animals it used to. Species reintroductions could help.
- Health & Medicine
The P.1 coronavirus variant is twice as transmissible as earlier strains
The variant first found in Brazil can evade some immunity from previous COVID-19 infections, making reinfections a possibility.
- Paleontology
‘Monkeydactyl’ may be the oldest known creature with opposable thumbs
A newly discovered pterosaur that lived during the Jurassic Period could have used its flexible digits to climb trees like a monkey.
- Anthropology
A coronavirus epidemic may have hit East Asia about 25,000 years ago
An ancient viral outbreak may have left a genetic mark in East Asians that possibly influences their responses to the virus that causes COVID-19.
- Anthropology
‘First Steps’ shows how bipedalism led humans down a strange evolutionary path
In a new book, a paleoanthropologist argues that walking upright has had profound effects on human anatomy and behavior.
- Science & Society
STEM’s racial, ethnic and gender gaps are still strikingly large
Black and Hispanic professionals remain underrepresented in STEM, while women’s representation varies widely by STEM field, according to a new report.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. pauses J&J vaccine rollout after 6 people of 6.8 million get rare blood clots
The COVID-19 vaccine’s pause is out of abundance of caution, experts say. The potentially deadly clots appear to be “extremely rare.”
- Neuroscience
Surprisingly, humans recognize joyful screams faster than fearful screams
Scientists believed we evolved to respond to alarming screams faster than non-alarming ones, but experiments show our brains may be wired differently.
- Ecosystems
Wildfires launch microbes into the air. How big of a health risk is that?
How does wildfire smoke move bacteria and fungi — and what harm might they do to people when they get there?
