Science & Society

  1. Earth

    Will Smith narrates ‘One Strange Rock,’ but astronauts are the real stars

    Hosted by Will Smith, ‘One Strange Rock’ embraces Earth’s weirdness and explores the planet’s natural history.

    By
  2. Science & Society

    What we can and can’t say about Arctic warming and U.S. winters

    Evidence of a connection is growing stronger, but scientists still struggle to explain why.

    By
  3. Neuroscience

    How biology breaks the ‘cerebral mystique’

    The Biological Mind rejects the idea of the brain as the lone organ that makes us who we are. Our body and environment also factor in, Alan Jasanoff says.

    By
  4. Science & Society

    What we do and don’t know about how to prevent gun violence

    Background checks work to prevent gun violence; concealed carry and stand-your-ground laws don’t. But lack of data makes it hard to make other links.

    By
  5. Science & Society

    Discussing what matters when facts are not enough

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute reflects on finding common ground with science and policy.

    By
  6. Tech

    On Twitter, the lure of fake news is stronger than the truth

    An analysis of more than 4.5 million tweets discussing false and true stories reveals that in the Twittersphere, fake news gets more views.

    By
  7. Cosmology

    Remembering Joe Polchinski, the modest physicist who conceived a multiverse

    String theorists lament the death of Joe Polchinski, one of their field’s most esteemed and respected thinkers.

    By
  8. Earth

    New mapping shows just how much fishing impacts the world’s seas

    Industrial fishing now occurs across 55 percent of the world’s ocean area while only 34 percent of Earth’s land area is used for agriculture or grazing.

    By
  9. Science & Society

    Building a bright future for science journalism

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute is ready to produce top-quality science journalism and investigate digital innovations.

    By
  10. Planetary Science

    Readers weigh in on human gene editing and more

    Readers debated feeling morally obligated to edit their kid's genes and had questions about exoplanets.

    By
  11. Computing

    Are computers better than people at predicting who will commit another crime?

    If crime-predicting computer programs aren’t any more accurate than human guesswork, do they still have a place in the criminal justice system?

    By
  12. Archaeology

    Modern tech unravels mysteries of Egyptian mummy portraits

    A museum exhibit showcases what modern analytical tools can reveal about ancient Egyptian funerary portraits and mummies.

    By