Science

The former public health lead opens up on serving under Trump, what dangers America faces right now, and what keeps him up at night.

The latest dominant Covid variants have stronger infectiousness than their predecessors and the ability to evade vaccine-induced antibodies.

The next wave of obesity drugs could help people lose even more weight—and make some pharma companies a fortune.

Activists believe that the vice president, who is already the leading voice for reproductive rights in the Biden administration, will champion their cause.

Platforms combining plants and recycled garbage could offer a cut-price solution for reviving polluted bodies of water.

Researchers believe they have discovered oxygen being produced 4,000 meters below the sea surface, and think polymetallic nodules—the sought-after bounty of deep-sea miners—could be the source.

Four key rulings from the US Supreme Court will hamper the ability of the EPA and other agencies to write and enforce climate policies.

The venom of recluse spiders can be dangerous, but the idea of there being a “season” when these arachnids invade homes and bite is unhelpful and wrong.

This week, we learn about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and how the failure of this critical ocean current could throw the world’s climate even further into crisis.

A gigantic, weather-defining current system could be headed to collapse. Peter and Susanne Ditlevsen had a simple yet controversial question: How much time might we have left to save it?

In so many aspects of our culture, we view severe heat as something that should be willingly embraced, bravely endured, or blithely ignored.

Small improvements to the roof, siding, windows, and vents of your house can make a big difference when threatened by the risk of flames.

Guilt-free air travel is a beautiful dream, but there’s simply no way to get enough solar energy to keep a cabin full of people in the air.

Legislation in coming years will set up a publicly owned clean power company and leverage the Crown Estate for investment in green infrastructure.

Once a sci-fi staple, the ability to beam solar power from space now seems closer than ever—but a lot of work remains.

Roughly 10 percent of the world’s energy is used for cooling, with much of the necessary electricity generated by fossil fuels. Companies need to make AC much more efficient—as soon as possible.

With a new framework, researchers believe they could be close to explaining how regularities emerge on macro scales out of systems made up of uncountable constituent parts.

Missions to explore other worlds, like Mars or Saturn’s moon Titan, could disrupt or destroy extraterrestrial life in the process of seeking it.

Analysis of lunar imagery has ended a longstanding debate over whether there are accessible underground areas on the Moon; an emptied lava tube in the Sea of Tranquility is of particular interest.

Space Pioneer blamed a “structural failure” for the unintended blastoff.

Computer scientist Lance Fortnow writes that by embracing the computations that surround us, we can begin to understand and tame our seemingly random world.

It’s hard to stay fit in low gravity. Here’s a simple solution, using Einsteinian physics and an old carnival stunt.

Researchers have proved that secure quantum encryption is possible in a world without hard problems, establishing a new foundation for what is needed to keep information secure.

This supergiant star is in our celestial neighborhood, and it’s threatening to go supernova. What would that look like from down here?

In a livestreamed update on X, Elon Musk and Neuralink executives gave an update on the company's next study participant—and its next-generation brain implant.

Surgeons at NYU took out the pig kidney because it wasn’t getting enough blood flow.

Biotech giant Bayer plans to distribute mustard greens that have been genetically altered to make them less bitter to grocery stores across the country.

Using DNA from tangerines and tobacco, food scientists have made a familiar fruit tastier—and more Instagrammable—than ever. We looked into it so you don’t have to.

Before the dear old model could even power down, Boston Dynamics unleashed a stronger new Atlas robot that can move in ways us puny humans never can.

Don't worry, your next surgeon will definitely be a human. But just as medical students are training to use a scalpel, they're also training to use robots designed to make surgeries easier.

Robots, computers, and algorithms are hunting for potential new therapies in ways humans can’t—by processing huge volumes of data and building previously unimagined molecules.

Actuators inspired by cucumber plants could make robots move more naturally in response to their environments, or be used for devices in inhospitable places.

The cerebellum is responsible for far more than coordinating movement. New techniques reveal that it is, in fact, a hub of sensory and emotional processing in the brain.

Afshin Mehin has helped design some of the most futuristic neurotech devices.

Every person has a different idea of what makes noise “loud,” but there are some things we all can do to turn the volume down a little.

If you've ever heard music, voices, or other sounds while trying to sleep with a white noise machine running, you're not losing your mind. Here's what's going on.