Science & Society

  1. Science & Society

    All kinds of outbreaks, from COVID-19 to violence, share the same principles

    Adam Kucharski talks about his new book ‘The Rules of Contagion,’ a timely read during the coronavirus pandemic.

    By Cassandra Willyard
  2. Space

    Self-destructive civilizations may doom our search for alien intelligence

    A lack of signals from space may also be bad news for Earthlings.

    By Tom Siegfried
  3. Science & Society

    The U.S. largely wasted time bought by COVID-19 lockdowns. Now what?

    As states reopen, most don’t have adequate systems in place to test, trace and isolate new COVID-19 cases, setting the stage for future outbreaks.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  4. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 case clusters offer lessons and warnings for reopening

    As restaurants, offices and other businesses open, trends in where and how COVID-19 transmission is happening could help guide re-entry strategies.

    By Helen Thompson
  5. Science & Society

    Real-life scientists inspire these comic book superheroes

    Three scientists are publishing comics casting researchers as heroes, and hope the cartoon format and pared-down storyline can boost science literacy.

    By Kyle Plantz
  6. Environment

    How giving cash to poor families may also save trees in Indonesia

    Indonesia’s poverty reduction program also reduced deforestation by 30 percent, researchers say.

    By Megan Sever
  7. Science & Society

    Biomedical studies are including more female subjects (finally)

    In 2019, 49 percent of biomedical research articles had both male and female subjects, almost double the percentage a decade ago.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  8. Science & Society

    What the 1960s civil rights protests can teach us about fighting racism today

    Princeton political scientist Omar Wasow talks about how his research into violent versus nonviolent protests applies to the current moment.

    By Sujata Gupta
  9. Science & Society

    A #BlackBirdersWeek cofounder aims to amplify black nature enthusiasts

    Wildlife biologist Danielle Belleny hopes the social media campaign represents black birders and nature enthusiasts of color in a hobby often stereotyped as white.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  10. Climate

    ‘Tree Story’ explores what tree rings can tell us about the past

    The book "Tree Story" explains how scientists decipher tree rings to discover clues about past climates and ancient civilizations.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  11. Science & Society

    Scientists sometimes conceal a lack of knowledge with vague words

    Life, time, intelligence — plenty of terms used in science have imprecise definitions.

    By Tom Siegfried
  12. Science & Society

    Past plagues offer lessons for society after the coronavirus pandemic

    Starting with the Roman Empire, societies have often dealt resiliently with deadly pandemics.

    By Bruce Bower