What ancient salt can tell us about life on Earth
Scientists are finding more evidence about how our planet gained oxygen
Earth Science
Rice University
Dive deeper into the real science behind the headlines with Massive Science Reports
Every month we’ll work with a team of experts to produce reports that can help you make informed, science-driven decisions for yourself & your family.
Join monthly Q&As with the scientists behind each report, help us pick future report topics, and discuss Massive articles in our subscriber forums.
Subscribe for free Learn more-
![]()
-
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
-
Deep-sea creatures are weirder than we ever suspected
Rare anglerfish footage shows glowing fins and parasitic mating
Marine Biology
University of Rhode Island
-
Meet Jane Marcet, whose books made science accessible
She recreated her own informal learning process in print, to much success
![]()
Chemical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
-
'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
-
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 -
Can exercise counteract the effects of aging on our muscles?
New research is making it seem increasingly likely – to a point
Neuroscience
LA Biomed
-
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
-
Three times Louise Slaughter used her microbiology training in Congress
The lawmaker, who died last month, pushed for public health reform
Microbiology
-
How farmers on the Great Plains are changing the local climate
New crop practices trap more carbon in the soil, increasing rainfall and adding profits
![]()
Ecology and Biogeochemistry
Virginia Commonwealth University
1 peer comment
Keeping up with Massive
-
After you march for science, we'll help you keep up the cause
Join Massive and support our mission to make science and scientists an important part of society, politics, and culture
The risks and rewards of genetic engineering, animated
Pioneering biologist David Baltimore on the ethical quandary of engineering 'cures'
Produced in partnership with
Theme
Dispatches from the frontiers of neuroscience
-
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
-
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
-
.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=faces&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=360&q=70&w=540
)
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
-
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
-
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
-
Can we reverse the effects of drugs on developing brains?
These researchers are trying to find out
Neuroscience
McGill University
-
International collaboration is the best way to understand the complexities of the brain
Why neuroscientists are creating their own CERN to understand the mind together
Developmental Biology
UC Berkeley
-
Does modern neuroscience really help us understand behavior?
Two experts argue that the field needs to move beyond its limited roots
Comparative Neuroscience
Champalimaud Foundation
Neuroscience
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
1 peer comment -
The psychedelic renaissance is here. Will it last this time?
To avoid the mistakes of the past, scientists and society need to open their minds
Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins University
.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=faces&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=400&q=70&w=600)
Meet the barrier-breaking physicist hunting gravity with lasers
Nergis Mavalvala explores gravitational waves and quantum physics
-
Neuroscience
Northeastern University
Theme
Objectivity may be science's holy grail, but the experiences of its practitioners have a large effect. Here are first-person essays from the front lines of STEM research
-
Why I'm quitting GMO research
Constantly confronting people who think my research will harm them is profoundly distressing
Synthetic Biology
ETH Zurich
3 peer comments -
My life in butterflies: how a childhood hobby shaped my career
Citizen scientists make tangible contributions to data collection
Ecology
Wake Forest University
-
I’m a Russian scientist. Why can’t Americans see past my citizenship?
In my adopted home, I've found distrust divorced from the reality of my work
Molecular Pharmacology
University of Pittsburgh
-
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
-
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
-
How I realized that LGBT+ scientists like me can inspire others in their field
Far too many LGBT+ scientists still report fear in their workplaces, but I have hope for change
Molecular Biology
National Louis University
-
How theater, startup culture, and business history helped us become better neuroscientists
The sciences would benefit enormously from applying lessons from art and business
Neuroscience
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
Comparative Neuroscience
Champalimaud Foundation
-
I had to learn assembly language to truly understand my grandfather
He didn't process the world like the rest of us
Computational Neuroscience
-
The time I solved a tricky lab problem with Google and Vaseline
Yup, scientists use search engines, too
Biochemistry
University of Bristol
Life on the savannah is a duel between agility and strength
Survival of the fittest evolves in the genes
-
Environmental Physiology
McMaster University
Theme
From the social network in the soil to the ecosystem in your body, it’s amazing what’s hidden just out of sight
-
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
-
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 -
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
-
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
-
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 -
Genes are like the cosmos: the more we discover, the more we have to explore
"I don't know how to keep the air in my chest thinking about the scale and size of the unknown"
Biochemistry
-
.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=faces&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=360&q=70&w=540
)
Why teamwork is better than attempting lone heroism in science
A story of failure, collaboration, and incredibly tiny medicine
![]()
Chemistry
University of Toronto
2 peer comments -
Scientists are recruiting live bacteria to fight deadly infections
A study in rural India is raising hopes for a future without antibiotics
Synthetic Biology
ETH Zurich
3 peer comments
.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=faces&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=400&q=70&w=600)
