Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
Will animal-to-human organ transplants overcome their complicated history?
The elusive goal of using animal organs for transplants could be within reach, but it’s too soon to tell.
- Science & Society
Here are the Top 10 science anniversaries of 2022
Insulin to treat diabetes, the slide rule and the birthdays of Gregor Mendel and Louis Pasteur make the list.
- 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.
- Science & Society
Stuck inside this winter? Try an at-home citizen science project
Researchers are in search of volunteers to look for solar jets, transcribe old weather logbooks, listen for threatened frogs and more.
- Climate
Intense drought or flash floods can shock the global economy
Rainfall extremes have powerful impacts on the global economy, affecting the manufacturing and services sectors more than agriculture.
- Math
Take an online journey through the history of math
‘History of Mathematics’ explores the origins of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and more.
- Animals
Part donkey, part wild ass, the kunga is the oldest known hybrid bred by humans
Syria’s 4,500-year-old kungas were donkey-wild ass hybrids, genetic analysis reveals, so the earliest known example of humans crossing animal species.
- Science & Society
Why do some people succeed when others fail? Outliers provide clues
A close look at outliers — people or communities that defy expectations — reveals what could be.
- Science & Society
How some of 2021’s major science stories evolved over time
Tulsa massacre analysis and a genetically modified mosquito release are two important updates to 2021 stories.
- Science & Society
6 surprising records science set in 2021
Ancient mammoth DNA and a new source of gravitational waves set new records this year.
- Health & Medicine
These are the viruses that mRNA vaccines may take on next
Now that mRNA vaccines have proved effective against the coronavirus, scientists are taking aim at influenza, HIV and other viruses.
