Flying with whales: Drones are remaking marine mammal research
From collecting whale snot to capturing surprising behaviors, aerial drones are giving scientists a new view of life at sea
What happens to the weavers? Lessons for AI from the Industrial Revolution
Handled right, AI has potential to bring back middle-skill jobs lost to the rise of computers, economists argue. Or, like the mechanized mills of the past, it could toss whole sectors out of work.
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thalianawas always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
Computers are getting much better at learning to “see”
The machine-learning programs that underpin image-recognition still have blind spots, but will they for much longer?
Animals that eat poisons and don’t die
Critters consuming species that contain deadly toxins have evolved a suite of clever strategies to keep out of harm’s way
Tracking down the hidden pollutants that make wildlife sick
A new technique for detecting unknown and unlooked-for chemicals is revealing dozens of contaminants in alligators, sea lions and condors
Property crime and violent crime have different solutions — here’s why
Addressing poverty helps to curb thefts and burglaries, but offenses like assaults and shootings need more innovative approaches
Animal origami: The physics of nature’s folds
Insects that tuck away wings; a protist with an accordion-like neck — studying these clever creases may inspire foldable structures for drones
The pernicious infections infiltrating Ukraine’s front lines
Doctors and scientists are waging a shadow war in the besieged nation: bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The deadly bugs are now knocking on western Europe’s door.
Will your next EV have a solid-state battery — and improved performance?
Superionic materials have spawned hope for a new generation of power packs for electric cars, with a promise of greater range, faster charges and more safety. But scaling up won’t be easy.
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The fight against an invasive fish in California’s Clear Lake
VIDEO: Can removing carp help the lake’s native fish and keep toxic algal blooms in check?
Preparing for future pandemics: Learning from Covid-19
VIDEO:Knowable Magazine’s interviews with experts during the pandemic revealed many missed opportunities and blunders in the US response to Covid-19, which was marked by excess American deaths and disability. The experience does offer lessons on how to better prepare for what scientists call the inevitable emergence of the next global health emergency.
Long Covid: A parallel pandemic
VIDEO: Tens of millions of people are living with long Covid. Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki explains the current state of play in the search for causes of, and treatments for, this potentially debilitating illness.
Covid and the brain: A neurological health crisis
VIDEO: Even a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause inflammation that disrupts neural communication, says Stanford neurologist Michelle Monje. Her concern is that Covid-19 may leave millions dealing with cognitive problems, from a loss of mental sharpness to lapses in memory, that prevent them from returning to their previous level of function.
Covid-19: Origins of an outbreak
VIDEO: Where do new diseases come from? As people increasingly push into remote areas, the risk of encountering new pathogens increases, says wildlife epidemiologist Jonna Mazet.
Can a fire-ravaged forest of Joshua trees be restored?
VIDEO: In August 2020, the Dome Fire burned more than 40,000 acres of the iconic species’ range in the Mojave Desert, leaving a graveyard of blackened trees. A massive replanting effort now underway hopes to return life to the fragile ecosystem by boosting numbers of the climate-threatened plant.
Why Covid-19 testing went so wrong in the US, and what to do now
VIDEO: Delays, errors and a fragmented response initially kept public health officials in the dark about the spread of SARS-CoV-2. More tests and easy access could still play a critical role in slowing the virus.
Covid’s main lesson? For this journalist, it’s unpredictability
VIDEO:New York Times science reporter Apoorva Mandavilli chronicles the rise of the delta variant, the latest of many twists in the pandemic that she’s covered since it began. Delta has left parents in an especially tough spot, with schools opening but young children still vulnerable.
Covid-19: Why race matters for health
VIDEO: The pandemic has highlighted the complex links between inequality, racism and disease risk in America. Harvard public health scholar David Williams explains.
SARS-CoV-2: Evolution of a virus
VIDEO: Scientists expected the novel coronavirus would mutate and change. But its runaway spread means new, more dangerous variants are more likely to emerge. Harvard computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti explains.
The clock is ticking: How epigenetics could help save wildlife from collapse
In polar bears, dolphins, baboons and more, molecular signatures of aging are changing how conservationists assess population health, resilience and risk
Corruption: When norms upstage the law
People with good motives may engage in bribery and worse depending on what society expects of them. A political scientist explains.
Shucking the past: Can oysters thrive again?
Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.
The other end of the weight spectrum: Very thin people
Researchers are exploring why some individuals are naturally super-lean and may struggle to gain weight. The causes of such constitutional thinness offer clues to the physiology of weight control.
Can a shift in strategy reduce intimate partner violence?
New research, innovative programs and emboldened advocates are challenging decades-old conventions about how to respond to domestic abuse
Using pollen to make paper, sponges and more
Reengineered, the powdery stuff could become a range of eco-friendly objects
How a mysterious particle could explain the universe’s missing antimatter
The Big Bang should have produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter, which would have annihilated each other in a spectacular burst of pure energy. But it didn’t. New experiments focused on understanding the enigmatic neutrino may offer insights.
How the cavefish lost its eyes — again and again
Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs. They lost their eyes in multiple ways — and gained some nifty traits too.
Civilizations of Africa through a new lens
Small settlements and the scourge of slavery left gaps in Africa’s archaeological record. Yet sites and artifacts are revealing clues to the continent’s more recent history. An archaeologist explains the findings and threats to this heritage.
Uncovering the impact of artisanal fisheries
Small-scale fishing has long been ignored by public policy, scientific research and global economics, but its potential to help end hunger and poverty is huge. New work is bringing it out of the shadows.
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