Feature

  1. Climate

    Year in review: Sea ice loss will shake up ecosystems

    Researchers are studying the complex biological consequences of polar melting and opening Arctic passageways.

    By Susan Milius
  2. Genetics

    Year in review: How humans populated the globe

    DNA studies put new twists on timing of ancient human migrations – but genetics alone are not enough to tell the full story.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Life

    Year in review: ‘Minimal genome’ makes its debut

    A synthetic cell reported this year jettisons unnecessary genes and embraces human design principles.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  4. Neuroscience

    Year in review: Alzheimer’s drug may clarify disease’s origins

    Researchers will now test whether a treatment that swept away amyloid brain plaques also improves cognitive performance.

    By Laura Sanders
  5. Earth

    Year in review: Ozone hole officially on the mend

    Research this year confirms that the Antarctic ozone hole is healing — an international success attributed to cooperation and new technologies.

    By Alexandra Witze
  6. Computing

    Year in review: AlphaGo scores a win for artificial intelligence

    AlphaGo’s triumph over its human opponent provides a glimpse into the future of artificial intelligence.

    By Thomas Sumner
  7. Tech

    Five challenges for self-driving cars

    Scientific and technical experts weigh in on the biggest hurdles for autonomous vehicles, and how ongoing research will help.

    By Laurel Hamers
  8. Animals

    Animals give clues to the origins of human number crunching

    Guppies, dogs, chickens, crows, spiders — lots of animals have number sense without knowing numbers.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Astronomy

    Star-starved galaxies fill the cosmos

    Astronomers are detecting hundreds of galaxies that are almost devoid of stars. There are at least four theories on how they got that way.

    By Christopher Crockett
  10. Paleontology

    Dinosaurs may have used color as camouflage

    Fossilized pigments could paint a vivid picture of a dinosaur’s life.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. Life

    Lichens are an early warning system for forest health

    Lichens, fascinating mosaics of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, are made for sensing environmental change.

    By Amy McDermott
  12. Tech

    For robots, artificial intelligence gets physical

    Physical intelligence makes robots able to sense of the world around them.

    By Meghan Rosen