Science & Society

  1. Archaeology

    A tour of ‘Four Lost Cities’ reveals modern ties to ancient people

    In the book 'Four Lost Cities,' author Annalee Newitz uses cities of the past to show what might happen to cities in the future.

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  2. Animals

    Delve into the history of the fight for Earth’s endangered creatures

    The new book ‘Beloved Beasts’ chronicles past conservation efforts as a movement and a science, and explores how to keep striding forward.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 has exacerbated a troubling U.S. health trend: premature deaths

    The pandemic played into already rising death rates from obesity, drugs, alcohol and suicide.

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  4. Neuroscience

    Catnip repels insects. Scientists may have finally found out how

    The plant deters mosquitoes and fruit flies by triggering a chemical receptor that, in other animals, senses pain and itch.

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  5. Physics

    Black hole visionaries push the boundaries of knowledge in a new film

    ‘Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know’ follows researchers with the Event Horizon Telescope and other physicists working to understand black holes.

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  6. Science & Society

    ‘Gory Details’ dives into the morbid, the taboo — and our minds

    Erika Engelhaupt explores creepy insects, fecal transplants, cannibalism and more in her new book.

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  7. Space

    Solar storms can wreak havoc. We need better space weather forecasts

    Solar storms can devastate power grids and other systems on Earth. We need better forecasting

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Redefining ‘flesh-colored’ bandages makes medicine more inclusive

    Peach-colored bandages label dark-skinned patients as outside the norm, says med student Linda Oyesiku. Brown bandages expand who gets to be normal.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    How 5 universities tried to handle COVID-19 on campus

    U.S. colleges opened in the fall with a patchwork of control measures to keep COVID-19 at bay.

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  10. Psychology

    In the social distancing era, boredom may pose a public health threat

    Boredom contributes to pandemic fatigue and may account for why some people don’t follow social distancing rules.

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  11. Science & Society

    Black, Hispanic and female police use force less often than white male officers

    A case study of Chicago policing suggests that diversifying to include more Black, Hispanic and female officers may improve how civilians are treated.

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  12. Science & Society

    Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity?

    An onslaught of new technology aims to listen to — and maybe even change — your brain activity. Readers, scientists and ethicists grapple with the ethical implications of new ways to get inside the skull.

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