The Infamous 1972 Report That Warned of Civilization"s Collapse
The Limits to Growth argued that rampant pollution and resource extraction were pushing Earth to the brink. How does it hold up 50 years later?.....»»
Permanent Birth Control Is in Demand in the US—but Hard to Get
After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, more people are seeking to get their tubes tied—assuming they can find a sympathetic doctor......»»
How Landsat Chronicled 50 Years on a Changing, Fiery Planet
The pioneering satellite program has provided the longest continuous document of how fire, global warming, and humanity are remaking our world......»»
Genetic Screening Now Lets Parents Pick the Healthiest Embryos
Those using IVF can see which embryo is least likely to develop cancer and other diseases. But can protecting your child slip into playing God?.....»»
Climate Change Breaks Plant Immune Systems. Can They Be Rebooted?
When temperatures rise, plants mysteriously lose their ability to defend against invading pathogens—but there may be a fix......»»
Why Can’t a Magnet-Propelled Truck Actually Work?
The internet thinks it has discovered the secret to fuel-free perpetual motion. Physics knows better......»»
Scientists Are Trying to Grow Crops in the Dark
Powering plant growth with solar panels instead of photosynthesis could be a more efficient way of using the Sun’s energy for food. But it’s not all good news......»»
Secrets of the Moon’s Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light
Robots will venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to find ancient water ice, while studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds......»»
130-Year-Old Menus Show How Climate Change Affects What We Eat
By studying the so-called mean temperature of restaurant seafood, scientists have shown how the species that fill our plates have changed with time......»»
The Secrets of Covid ‘Brain Fog’ Are Starting to Lift
Scientists are getting closer to understanding the neurology behind the memory problems and cognitive fuzziness that an infection can trigger......»»
The Race to Build Wind Farms That Float on the Open Sea
There’s huge potential to generate renewable energy far out in the ocean. But designing turbines that can survive rough waters isn’t exactly a breeze......»»
The Supreme Court Is Jeopardizing Federal Climate Action
The court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA doesn’t go as far as some climate activists feared it might. But it’s a road map for future challenges......»»
Why the Search for Life on Mars Is Happening in Canada’s Arctic
Scientists show how microbes living in a salty spring near the North Pole might resemble those that could have survived on the Red Planet—or in ocean worlds......»»
The World Can’t Wean Itself Off Chinese Lithium
China dominates the global supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. Now rival countries are scrambling for more control over “white oil.”.....»»
The Gaia Mission Keeps Unlocking Secrets of the Galaxy
New data from the ESA’s probe, now eight years into its mission, adds significant detail to its portrait of nearly 2 billion objects in the Milky Way......»»
Spotting Objects From Space Is Easy. This Challenge Is Harder
A battle royale called the SMART program has charged teams with a daunting first task: Identify construction sites on Earth using only data from orbiters......»»
The Rise and Precarious Reign of China’s Battery King
Zeng Yuqun is China’s most prolific battery billionaire. His ascent has major implications for a world increasingly reliant on electric vehicles......»»
Behold the Weird Physics of Double-Impact Asteroids
Mars is littered with craters made by binary asteroids. These collisions are as intriguing as they are powerful......»»
Forget Lasers. The Hot New Tool for Physicists Is Sound
From acoustic tweezers to holograms, engineers are taking inspiration from the field of optics—and riding the sound wave......»»
Astronomers Radically Reimagine the Making of the Planets
Observations of faraway worlds have forced a near-total rewrite of the story of our solar system......»»