Science & Society
Our favorite books of 2020 covered climate change, Mars, the end of the universe and more
In a year when the coronavirus pandemic dominated the news, these books were a welcomed distraction.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
The science stories that defined 2020: coronavirus, diversity movements and more
While this year was all about the coronavirus pandemic, climate change effects continued, diversity movements were born and research carried on.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Animals
Mineral body armor helps some leaf-cutting ants win fights with bigger kin
Researchers have found that at least one species of leaf-cutting ant has a tough layer of calcite on its exoskeleton.
Notebook
Health & Medicine
50 years ago, urea showed promise as a sickle-cell treatment
In 1970, scientists found the first treatment for sickle-cell disease. 50 years later, they’re trying to cure it with CRISPR.
Features
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As 2020 comes to an end, here’s what we still don’t know about COVID-19
After making fast progress understanding COVID-19, researchers are still in search of answers.
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Meet 5 Black researchers fighting for diversity and equity in science
Here are a few of the people out to improve the professional lives of Black researchers.
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These 6 graphs show that Black scientists are underrepresented at every level
In the U.S., Black people are underrepresented in STEM fields, both as students and in the workforce.
More Stories from the December 19, 2020 issue
- Science & Society
This COVID-19 pandemic timeline shows how fast the coronavirus took over our lives
Look back on how the coronavirus pandemic took over 2020 and how efforts to fight back evolved.
- Science & Society
Hear from people taking action against COVID-19
Researchers, a health care worker, a clinical trial volunteer and others share their experiences during the pandemic.
- Science & Society
What will life be like after the coronavirus pandemic ends?
Researchers offer a range of perspectives on the possible long-term social consequences of COVID-19.
- Science & Society
From Elvis worms to the Milky Way’s edge, these science stories sparked joy in 2020
During a gloomy year dominated by a pandemic, these scientific discoveries were reminders that we live in a world of wonder.
- Climate
Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes broke all kinds of records in 2020
Climate change did not take a break during the pandemic.
- Space
Here are the highlights from a busy year in space launches
Satellites, Mars rovers and astronauts launched into space in 2020.
- Animals
Rumors of a ‘murder hornet’ apocalypse may have been exaggerated
Murder hornets sightings in the Pacific northwest inspired a mix of concern and delight.
- Health & Medicine
Against all odds, 2020 featured some good health news
Good health news in 2020 included a first treatment for peanut allergies, a rare self-cure for HIV, and an Ebola outbreak ends.
- Science & Society
These science claims from 2020 could be big news if confirmed
Scientific findings reported this year that still need more proof include potential signs of life on Venus and Earth’s oldest parasites.
- Neuroscience
Psilocybin may help treat depression, a small study finds
Researchers found that a compound in psychedelic mushrooms eased depression symptoms, but larger studies are needed.
- Plants
These plants seem like they’re trying to hide from people
A plant used in traditional Chinese medicine has evolved remarkable camouflage in areas with intense harvesting pressure, a study suggests.
- Physics
Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms
A new experiment used ultrafast techniques to reveal high-density water transforming into low-density water at subfreezing temperatures.
- Space
Planets with many neighbors may be the best places to look for life
Solar systems with many planets in circular orbits suggest a calm life-nurturing past, while single exoplanets with eccentric orbits hint at chaos.
- Space
Astronomers spotted colliding neutron stars that may have formed a magnetar
Astronomers may have witnessed the formation of a kind of rapidly spinning, extremely magnetized stellar corpse for the first time.
- Health & Medicine
The FDA has approved the first drug to treat the rapid-aging disease progeria
Children with a rare genetic disorder called progeria age quickly and often die before they are 15. A newly approved drug may give them more time.
- Anthropology
Homo erectus, not humans, may have invented the barbed bone point
Carved artifacts excavated from Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge suggest now-extinct hominids made barbed bone points long before humans did, researchers say.
- Paleontology
How massive long-necked dinosaurs rose to rule the Jurassic herbivores
New dinosaur fossil dates to same time as a volcanic surge, suggesting ensuing changes in plant life allowed these long-necked giants to emerge.
- Animals
Guttural toads shrank by a third after just 100 years on two islands
Introduced in the 1920s, toads on two islands in the Indian Ocean have shrunken limbs and bodies that may be evidence that "island dwarfism" can evolve quickly.
- Archaeology
The biblical warrior Goliath may not have been so giant after all
Archaeological finds suggest the width of the walls of Goliath’s home city were used to metaphorically represent the Old Testament figure’s height.
- Planetary Science
Farming on Mars will be a lot harder than ‘The Martian’ made it seem
Lab experiments developing and testing fake Martian dirt are proving just how difficult it would be to farm on the Red Planet.
- Earth
Technology and natural hazards clash to create ‘natech’ disasters
Hurricanes, wildfires and nature’s other extreme events are increasingly causing damage to infrastructure crucial for safety and communication.
- Tech
A smartwatch app alerts users with hearing loss to nearby sounds
With a new smartwatch app, users who are deaf or hard of hearing can get alerts that an alarm is going off or someone is knocking at the door.
- Animals
A fish’s fins may be as sensitive to touch as fingertips
Newfound parallels between fins and fingers suggest that touch-sensing limbs evolved early, setting the stage for a shared way to sense surroundings.
