Science & Society
- Astronomy
What can the eclipse tell us about the corona’s magnetic field?
The corona’s plasma jumps and dances thanks to the magnetic field, but scientists have never measured the field directly.
- Astronomy
Can the eclipse tell us if Einstein was right about general relativity?
During the eclipse, astronomers will reproduce the 1919 experiment that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
- Astronomy
What can we learn about Mercury’s surface during the eclipse?
Instruments aboard twin research jets will take advantage of the total solar eclipse to make the first thermal map of Mercury.
- Astronomy
What happens in Earth’s atmosphere during an eclipse?
The charged layer of Earth’s atmosphere gets uncharged during an eclipse, and that could have implications for everything from GPS accuracy to earthquake prediction.
- Astronomy
What do plants and animals do during an eclipse?
A citizen science experiment will gather the biggest dataset to date of animal responses to a total eclipse.
- Astronomy
What will scientists learn from the Great American Eclipse?
Between now and August 21, astronomy writer Lisa Grossman will explore the top questions scientists will tackle during the 2017 total solar eclipse.
- Astronomy
Why is this year’s solar eclipse such a big deal for scientists?
Total eclipses offer scientists a way to see all the way down to the sun’s surface.
- Health & Medicine
More U.S. adults are drinking, and more heavily
Heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders have risen in the United States, at a cost to society’s health.
- Animals
Ticks are here to stay. But scientists are finding ways to outsmart them
Researchers acknowledge that there’s no getting rid of ticks, so they are developing ways to make them less dangerous.
- Psychology
A look at Rwanda’s genocide helps explain why ordinary people kill their neighbors
New research on the 1994 Rwanda genocide overturns assumptions about why people participate in genocide. A sense of duty, not blind obedience, drives many perpetrators.
- Science & Society
To combat cholera in Yemen, one scientist goes back to basics
As the cholera epidemic rages on in war-torn Yemen, basic hygiene is the first line of defense.
- Science & Society
Your solar eclipse experience can help science
The Aug. 21 total solar eclipse offers a rare opportunity for crowdsourced data collection on a spectacular celestial phenomenon.
