Feature
- Science & Society
How we got from Gregor Mendel’s pea plants to modern genetics
Philosopher Yafeng Shan explains how today's understanding of inheritance emerged from a muddle of ideas at the turn of the 20th century.
- Tech
Materials of the last century shaped modern life, but at a price
From our homes and cities to our electronics and clothing, the stuff of daily life is dramatically different from decades ago.
- Psychology
How mindfulness-based training can give elite athletes a mental edge
Mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy are two types of training psychologists are using to bolster athletes’ mental health.
- Quantum Physics
A century of quantum mechanics questions the fundamental nature of reality
A century after the quantum revolution, a lot of uncertainty remains.
- Archaeology
Clovis hunters’ reputation as mammoth killers takes a hit
Early Americans’ stone points were best suited to butchering the huge beasts’ carcasses, scientists contend.
- Microbes
A sailor’s story captures the impact of rising serious fungal infections
Fungal infections are hard to diagnose, hard to treat and are on the rise. A young sailor is staying positive to navigate the challenges.
- Particle Physics
A new particle accelerator aims to unlock secrets of bizarre atomic nuclei
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams will help scientists unlock the inner workings of atomic nuclei and explore how elements formed in the cosmos.
- Microbes
Are viruses alive, not alive or something in between? And why does it matter?
The way we talk about viruses can shift scientific research and our understanding of evolution.
- Psychology
Scientists should report results with intellectual humility. Here’s how
Foregrounding a study’s uncertainties and limitations could help restore faith in the social sciences.
- Health & Medicine
Epidemics have happened before and they’ll happen again. What will we remember?
A century’s worth of science has helped us fend off infectious pathogens. But we have a lot to learn from the people who lived and died during epidemics.
- Animals
Jumping spiders’ remarkable senses capture a world beyond our perception
Clever experiments and new technology are taking scientists deep into the lives of jumping spiders, and opening a portal to their experience of the world.
- Science & Society
How our SN 10 scientists have responded to tumultuous times
COVID-19, social justice movements and the realities of climate change have given our Scientists to Watch new perspective.
