Science & Society

  1. Psychology

    Simple rules can ease complex financial decisions

    Straightforward strategies, known as heuristics, can be indispensable tools for keeping credit card debt in check as well as for making complex business decisions.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Animals

    Numbers of California blue whales rebound

    Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, were hunted nearly to extinction. Now the population that feeds off the coast of California appears to have rebounded to close to prewhaling numbers.

    By Ashley Yeager
  3. Tech

    Space tourism’s price tag rockets upward

    The “high price” of space tourism proposed in the 1960s is nowhere close to the astronomical price tag of trips today.

    By Nsikan Akpan
  4. Science & Society

    ‘Enlightening Symbols’ shows how math’s language arose

    From numerals to infinity, symbols have advanced mathematical thinking.

    By Tom Siegfried
  5. Science & Society

    Top 10 mathematical innovations

    Nine mathematical innovations that rank right up there with logarithms.

    By Tom Siegfried
  6. Astronomy

    The craziest NASA mission ever proposed

    In this issue, Meghan Rosen provides an in-depth report on that mission, but without the erroneous conclusion that the Asteroid Redirect Mission has much to do with asteroid defense.

    By Eva Emerson
  7. Planetary Science

    NASA bets on asteroid mission as best path to Mars

    NASA wants to bag an asteroid using robotic arms or an enormous sack and place the rock in the moon’s orbit for study. This may keep astronauts working but not, as NASA claims, get them Mars-ready.

    By Meghan Rosen
  8. Animals

    Here’s your chance to see the last passenger pigeon

    On display for the 100th anniversary of her species’ extinction, the final passenger pigeon specimen looks pretty good.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Science & Society

    Quantum connection could revitalize superstrings

    Status of superstrings could be elevated by their ability to explain the mysterious rules of quantum mechanics.

    By Tom Siegfried
  10. Science & Society

    Spiny media battle highlights importance of scientific credit

    Media coverage of research on invasive lionfish tolerating brackish water brought up issues of attribution and recognition in science.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  11. Science & Society

    Book delves into Scientific Revolution way beyond Galileo

    ‘Voyaging in Strange Seas’ shows that modern science was built not just by giants but by hundreds who explored all realms of science.

    By Tom Siegfried
  12. Science & Society

    An app to track firefly flashings

    This summer, you can contribute to citizen science by tracking lightning bugs in your backyard.

    By Bethany Brookshire