100 vignettes that will make you excited to talk about the weather
Andy Revkin and Lisa Mechaley's book tells the history of weather, from the creation of the atmosphere to today
Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
New science stories every week
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Even corals deep down on the ocean floor can’t escape humanity's impact
Climate change, industrial fishing, offshore drilling, and deep sea mining are all threats to life at the bottom of the sea
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Marine Biology
Florida State University
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We're studying collapsed civilizations so that ours can endure climate change
Paleoclimatologists are digging into the connections between the collapse of Maya Civilization and extreme droughts
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Geochemistry and Paleoclimatology
University of Waikato
3 peer comments -
Meet Annie Easley, the barrier-breaking mathematician who helped us explore the solar system
She overcame life-long racial discrimination to complete a long and impactful career at NASA
Biochemistry
Carnegie Mellon University
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This mysterious substance is accelerating the expansion of our Universe
Join an Oxford cosmologist in an animated exploration of Dark Energy
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Fewer crops are feeding more people worldwide – and that’s not good
Reduced agrobiodiversity threatens the stability of our whole food system
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Geography
Pennsylvania State University
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Galaxies are eating each other and the Milky Way might be next
Astronomers see a trail of destruction in the patterns of Andromeda's stars.
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Astrophysics
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Naked mole rats and ant colonies have more in common than you think
They both demonstrate something called 'swarm intelligence'
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This is how the light from your phone breaks your internal clock
It's not just sleep: circadian rhythms influence your metabolism, circulation and psychology, too
Molecular Biology
Princeton University
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Our buildings could help reverse global warming, instead of being a major cause
Concrete isn't going away anytime soon, but we can engineer it to store more carbon
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Entomology
University of California Riverside
This mysterious substance is accelerating the expansion of our Universe
Join an Oxford cosmologist in an animated exploration of Dark Energy
Produced in partnership with
Fewer crops are feeding more people worldwide – and that’s not good
Reduced agrobiodiversity threatens the stability of our whole food system
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Geography
Pennsylvania State University
Produced in partnership with
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Climate change is no longer an open question—for researchers today, it's a baseline assumption. How these changes will impact ecosystems, public health, and our future are now the questions we need to ask.
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After Hurricane Florence, North Carolina's water quality will go down the toilet
Floodwaters contaminated with coal ash, human sewage, and animal waste throw the entire watershed out of balance
Marine Science
University of Rhode Island
1 peer comment -
When evolution's path leads to a dead end
The fossil record shows that nature doesn't always make the right choices
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Geology
Government of Greenland
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Rising seas are threatening historical sites around the world
As climate change encroaches, our heritage is drowning
Archaeology
New York University
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Tracking the history – and future – of the world's largest penguin breeding colony
Climate change is upending migration patterns that predate Cleopatra
Environmental Physiology
McMaster University
1 peer comment -
Tree-murdering fungi and insects increasingly contribute to climate change
New research suggests carbon dioxide released from dying forests equals emissions from 11 million cars
Ecology and Biogeochemistry
Virginia Commonwealth University
1 peer comment -
How atmospheric dust might help cool the planet
New research suggests an old idea of geoengineering has more merit than long suspected
Oceanography
University of Washington
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'Being Ecological' is a book with admirable aims and a tangled execution
Prioritizing data over action can be counterproductive – but so is a muddled message
Ecology
Wake Forest University
Naked mole rats and ant colonies have more in common than you think
They both demonstrate something called 'swarm intelligence'
Produced in partnership with
This is how the light from your phone breaks your internal clock
It's not just sleep: circadian rhythms influence your metabolism, circulation and psychology, too
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Molecular Biology
Princeton University
These women changed science for the better
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Meet Annie Easley, the barrier-breaking mathematician who helped us explore the solar system
She overcame life-long racial discrimination to complete a long and impactful career at NASA
Biochemistry
Carnegie Mellon University
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Meet Grete Hermann, the philosopher of quantum physics
She changed how we thought about truth not only in science, but in politics and ethics, too
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Meet Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer
A "prophet of the computer age," she saw the potential for computers outside of pure mathematics
Neuroscience
McGill University
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Meet Hypatia, the ancient mathematician who helped preserve seminal texts
Her dramatic death often overshadows her epic life, but it shouldn't
Biochemistry
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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There was so much more to Rachel Carson beyond 'Silent Spring'
The trained zoologist and a bureaucrat pushed for environmental safety her whole life
Ecology
Wake Forest University
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Meet Mary Anning, a fossil hunter who changed the way we think about the history of life on Earth
The ichthyosaur she found helped prove extinction
Botany
University of Florida
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Meet Mary Golda Ross, one of the first Native Americans in engineering
Much of her Cold War work on missiles is still classified today
Ecology
Wake Forest University
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Meet Barbara McClintock, who used corn to decipher 'jumping genes'
Through meticulous crossbreeding, she showed that DNA is far more complicated than scientists originally thought
Neuroscience
LA Biomed
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Meet Ynes Mexia, late-blooming botanist whose adventures rivaled Darwin's
Eighty years after her death, scientists are still processing the plants she collected
Marine Geology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Meet Helen Rodríguez-Trías, pediatrician-turned-healthcare activist
She pushed to end sterilization, legalize abortion, and give poor people access to quality care
Psychology and Nutrition
University of South Australia
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Meet Jane Marcet, whose books made science accessible
She recreated her own informal learning process in print, to much success
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Chemical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
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Three times Louise Slaughter used her microbiology training in Congress
The lawmaker, the only microbiologist in Congress, pushed for public health reform
Microbiology
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Four facts about Jane Goodall, primatologist, anthropologist, and activist
Her unorthodox research showed us that chimpanzees are far more human than we thought
Environmental Physiology
McMaster University
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Meet Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the astrophysicist who first noticed pulsars
Through sheer tenacity she has forged a career in a male-dominated field
Neuroscience
LA Biomed
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Meet Katherine Johnson, the computer who helped send men to the moon
John Glenn wouldn't blast off until she double-checked the IBM's calculations
Ecology
Wake Forest University
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Five facts about Rita Levi-Montalcini, who figured out how neurons grow
She bested anti-Semitism and sexism to have a Nobel-winning career
Neuroscience
McGill University
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5 facts about Frances Hamerstrom, wildlife biologist, hunter, and savior of the prairie chicken
As a kid, she dissected blue jays and built a garden whose path was lined with poison ivy
Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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Meet Vera Rubin, the stargazer who predicted dark matter
From childhood, she preferred 'to stay up and watch the stars than go to sleep'
Environmental Physiology
McMaster University
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Meet Mamie Phipps Clark, the social psychologist who helped outlaw segregated schools
She became the first black woman to earn a PhD in psychology from Columbia University
Neuroscience
McGill University
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Six facts about Gertrude Elion, a legend in drug discovery
She experienced many obstacles, but her perseverance and passion always won
Cell Biology
Carnegie Mellon University
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Four facts about Marie Tharp, the woman whose art mapped the bottom of the sea
She discovered the Earth's 'backbone' even though men wouldn't let her on a ship for 17 years
Ecology
Wake Forest University
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Remembering Ursula K. Le Guin, an inspiration to scientists
Le Guin was a testament to how fiction reveals truth, empathy, and the beauty of knowledge
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Meet the barrier-breaking physicist hunting gravity with lasers
Nergis Mavalvala explores gravitational waves and quantum physics
Neuroscience
Northeastern University
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5 facts about Marie Curie, chemist, physicist, and Nobel legend
She was the first woman to win one – much less two – Nobel Prizes
Neuroscience
McGill University
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The prolific life of Wang Zhenyi, autodidact, astronomer, and poet
Progressive in science and art, she disregarded sexist norms of Qing-dynasty China
Genomics
University of Alberta
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5 facts about Hedy Lamarr, star, inventor, wartime code maker
“Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid”
Computational Neuroscience
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5 facts about Marjorie Lee Browne, African American math prodigy and pioneer
Breaking through barriers of race and gender, she pursued the beauty of pure math
Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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5 facts about Rosalind Franklin, DNA pioneer
She helped discover DNA, got snubbed by her contemporaries, and kept right on going
Evolutionary Biology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
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5 facts about Jean Bartik, expert programmer of the world's first computer
"The ENIAC was a son of a b**** to program"
Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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Five facts about Mae Jemison, doctor, dancer, and the first woman of color in space
You know she went to space. But do you know which TV show inspired her to go?
Molecular Pharmacology
University of Pittsburgh
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Five facts about Mary Putnam Jacobi, medical pioneer and suffragette
She was a true renaissance woman
Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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Five facts about Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space
Two decades before Sally Ride, a Soviet woman rose from obscurity to become the first female cosmonaut
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Five facts about Linda Buck, olfactory pioneer
The Nobel Prize-winning biologist revolutionized how we think about our noses
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Meet the astronomer who changed how we see the stars
Williamina Fleming pioneered a system for classifying stars and discovered the Horsehead Nebula
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Maryam Mirzakhani died Friday. Her legacy lives on
The first woman to win a Fields Medal was only 40, but she revolutionized mathematics
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Meet the "First Lady of Physics," "Queen of Nuclear Research," and destroyer of natural laws
Chien-Shiung Wu conducted some of the most elegant particle physics experiments of her time
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Meet the chemist who engineered the first effective treatment of leprosy
Alice Augusta Ball’s died at the age of 24. Ninety years later, we finally started recognizing her contributions.
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4 incredible fossils found by paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey
Meet the British anthropologist who completely changed our understanding of the hominid ancestral tree
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Meet the woman who changed how we treat cancer
Jane Cooke Wright saved millions by making chemotherapy more effective
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Meet the physicist who helped discover three fundamental particles
Most scientists spend their careers hoping for a single big discovery. Sau Lan Wu has had three and is still searching for more.
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Meet the first black woman to earn a PhD in chemistry
Marie Maynard Daly worked at a time when our understanding of DNA was changing in big ways
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Meet the botanist who made sugarcane sweeter and snuck a squirrel into England
Janaki Ammal lived simply. Her life was anything but.
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3 incredible stories from the life of nanoscience pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus
The “Queen of Carbon” didn’t earn her title by playing by the rules
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Massive Science Report № 2
Join five scientists as they explain the research behind new psychedelic treatments for mental illnesses
Our buildings could help reverse global warming, instead of being a major cause
Concrete isn't going away anytime soon, but we can engineer it to store more carbon
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Entomology
University of California Riverside
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That bossy GPS voice isn't actually necessary for navigating
New research suggests our brains update an internal 'cognitive map' when the environment changes
Neuroscience
McGill University
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People ask about my experiments on mice. The answers are … complicated
Behind most breakthroughs is animal research. Let's stop pretending otherwise
Neuroscience
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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The beautiful merger of art and science that inspired generations of neuroscientists
"Perhaps only an artist's eye could have seen so much in a slice of brain"
Computational Neuroscience
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Artificial intelligence isn't a 'black box.' It's a key to studying the brain
Algorithms can help us see how our unconscious processes work – if we understand their language
Neuroscience
Stanford University
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Scientists have learned to grow brain tissue to 100x (just add water)
A new technique to expand cells seems like science fiction: it lets researchers bypass laws of microscope physics
Cell Biology
Carnegie Mellon University
3 peer comments -
How machine learning is helping neuroscientists understand the brain
An expert argues that neuroscience is using the wrong metaphors
Neuroscience
Stanford University
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Can we reverse the effects of drugs on developing brains?
These researchers are trying to find out
Neuroscience
McGill University
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Science book reviews and more
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The weird and wonderful world of fish
A new book tells tales of the life aquatic
Environmental Physiology
McMaster University
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Carl Zimmer explores the mysteries and contradictions of genetics
In 'She Has Her Mother's Laugh,' Zimmer reveals the lawlessness of our genes
Biochemistry
Carnegie Mellon University
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The slap-dash nature of evolution makes entertaining reading
Nathan Lents' new book details the accidental, incidental nature of human quirks
Evolutionary Anthropology
Rutgers University
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'Visualizing Disease' is an illuminating history of how we started to see medicine
Though beautifully printed, the book will most appeal to modern practitioners
Computational Neuroscience
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A neuroscientist reviews Michael Pollan's 'How to Change Your Mind'
The book shines new light on the revitalized field of psychedelic medicine
Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins University
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Mark Lynas on the complexity of disagreeing on GMOs
'I try to take people at face value in terms of what their objections are, and to not ascribe them with ill-intent'
Genomics
University of Alberta
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The art of publicly changing your mind on GMOs
'Seeds of Science' makes a persuasive case for GM technology by a man who used to oppose it
Genomics
University of Alberta
Massive Science Report № 3
We worked with scientists in the field to explain how we’re growing meats in labs—and when you can eat them. It's your introduction to the next agricultural revolution.
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From the social network in the soil to the ecosystem in your body, it’s amazing what’s hidden just out of sight
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The secret to sounder sleep may be lurking in our guts
New research shows that stressed med students on probiotics got better shut-eye
Neuroscience
University of Washington
2 peer comments -
Refrigeration slows – but doesn't stop – food rot. Now scientists know why
Bacteria like E. coli have a system to recover from the cold
Molecular Microbiology
UC San Francisco
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Don't fear germs – at least not too much
Microbes are neither purely 'good' nor 'bad'
Microbiology
3 peer comments -
Scientists want to harness our microbiomes for cancer treatments
Microbes' fight for survival can help cancers thrive or help us treat it
Molecular Microbiology
UC San Francisco
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Can corals be saved? The key may be in their microbes
Biologists are studying corals with techniques designed for humans
Environmental Health
University of Georgia
3 peer comments -
How scientists are mapping the building blocks of life
A microscopic moonshot hopes to revolutionize biology
Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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How gut bacteria manipulates your immune system – by mimicking it
Scientists are discovering how microbes 'speak' with the body
Molecular Microbiology
UC San Francisco
1 peer comment
Photo by Janis Karkossa on Unsplash
That refreshing ocean mist is full of microbes
And they're landing on your face
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Microbiology