Project Mohole

Moho-A-Go-Go: Journey to the Far Edge of the Center of the Earth

The “Moho,” short for the Mohorovičić discontinuity, is a long way down.
A wild turkey

The Great American Turkey

The turkey was semi-domesticated and kept in pens in the American Southwest some 2,000 years ago—but not for the reason you think.
A scene of anatomical dissection in the ancient world

The Anatomists of Ancient Alexandria

Cultural forces under the Ptolemaic dynasty briefly allowed scholars like Herophilus to practice dissection—and possibly vivisection—on human subjects.
A cluster of Azolla filiculoides plants.

Azolla filiculoides: Balancing Environmental Promise and Peril

One of the world’s tiniest fern species, Azolla filiculoides may be one of our greatest tools for lowering agricultural pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Male tarantula hawk (Pepsis formosa)

Sting! (Don’t Stand So Close to the Tarantula Hawk)

Tarantula hawk wasps offer some of the most painful stings known to humans, giving them almost absolute protection from vertebrate predators.
Legionella pneumonia

Legionnaires’ Disease, an Illness of Affluence

Legionnaires’ is the first communicable disease of modern wealth, thriving in the interstitial spaces of our built environment.
A detail from the Arecibo message as sent 1974 from the Arecibo Observatory

The Arecibo Message Fifty Years Later

In November 1974, astronomers used the radio telescope at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory to send a hello to the universe.
Plate 82 of Birds of America by John James Audubon depicting Whip-poor-will.

The Whip-Poor-Will Has Been an Omen of Death for Centuries

What happened to this iconic bird of American horror?
Stereoscopic image showing an aerial view of a German town, ca 1916

High-Flying Geology

The development and refinement of aerial photography in the World Wars transformed the discipline of geology.
Mjøstårnet skyscraper, Norway

Sustainable Building Effort Reaches New Heights with Wooden Skyscrapers

Wood engineered for strength and safety offers architects an alternative to carbon-intensive steel and concrete.