Reviews
- Humans
How Homo sapiens became world’s dominant species
'First Peoples' dispels old ideas about human evolution and tells an updated tale of how Homo sapiens came to dominate the world.
- Genetics
Extinct species may get a second chance
An evolutionary biologist explains the obstacles scientists must overcome to revive extinct species.
- Plants
The art and science of the hedgerow
Spiky hawthorn trees have found many uses despite their unforgiving nature, Bill Vaughn writes in ‘Hawthorn.’
- Science & Society
Histories left behind by the dispossessed
‘Dispatches from Dystopia’ chronicles adventures in modernist wastelands to recount tales of the invisible and the overlooked, the exiled and the dispossessed.
- Astronomy
‘Black Hole’ traces 100 years of a transformative idea
Implied by general relativity and proven by astronomical discoveries, black holes’ existence took decades for physicists to accept.
- Planetary Science
Explore an asteroid with ‘Vesta Trek’
Vesta Trek lets users explore the asteroid Vesta with data from the Dawn spacecraft.
- Math
Research can’t be right with ‘Statistics Done Wrong’
Fraud in science gets a lot of attention and condemnation — as it should. But fraud isn't that interesting compared to all the errors that scientists commit unintentionally.
- Tech
‘Ex Machina’ explores humanity as much as AI
Sci-fi thriller delves into hubris and power relationships.
- Chemistry
A chemistry card game forges bonds
A new card game lets players brush up on chemistry by making compounds out of ions. Form some bonds and have fun in the process.
- Science & Society
Expedition’s plants illustrated, build your own robot, and more
Three museum exhibits allow visitors to explore 18th century botanical art, natural disasters and robots.
- Animals
Tales of the bedbug, one of the world’s most reviled insects
‘Infested’ captivates with stories about the bloodsucking insects. Resurgent in many areas in the United States, bedbugs are the fastest-growing moneymaker in pest control.
- Health & Medicine
Apple’s ResearchKit wants your health data
Apple seeks recruits for health studies. But with uncertain measurements and lots of effort required to participate, the desire to help research may extend only so far.
