All Stories

  1. Paleontology

    Why the turtle got its shell

    Fossil evidence suggests that turtles’ ancestors started to form precursors to today’s shells to help them dig, not to protect themselves.

    By
  2. Planetary Science

    Juno snaps its first pic of Jupiter

    Jupiter and three of its moons take center stage in the first snapshot taken by the Juno spacecraft since arriving at the planet on July 4.

    By
  3. Health & Medicine

    Risk of travelers to Olympics sparking new Zika outbreaks low

    Just four countries — Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen — bear a substantial risk of bringing Zika virus home from the Olympics and having it spread, the CDC says.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    Still mysterious, aging may prove malleable

    Our editor in chief discusses the science of aging.

    By
  5. Life

    A healthy old age may trump immortality

    Despite disagreements about what aging is and isn't, scientists have reached a radical consensus: It can be delayed.

    By
  6. Neuroscience

    The brain’s blueprint for aging is set early in life

    The brain's decline may mirror its beginning, offering clues to aging.

    By
  7. Animals

    Organisms age in myriad ways — and some might not even bother

    There is great variety in how animals and plants deteriorate (or don’t) over time.

    By
  8. Animals

    Readers mesmerized by ‘Strange visions’

    Animal vision, ice-making microbes, brain maps and more reader feedback.

    By
  9. Animals

    What animals’ life spans can tell us about how people age

    The animal world can offer insights into human longevity.

    By
  10. Animals

    When bird populations shrink, females fly away

    In small and shrinking populations of willow warblers, males outnumber females. That’s because girls choose to join bigger groups, a new study finds.

    By
  11. Animals

    How snails breathe through snorkels on land

    Shells with a tube counterintuitively sealed at the end have hidden ways to let Asian snails snorkel while sealed in their shells.

    By
  12. Animals

    How snails breathe through snorkels on land

    Shells with a tube counterintuitively sealed at the end have hidden ways to let Asian snails snorkel while sealed in their shells.

    By