A Brief History of the Calorie
The measure of thermal energy expended by exercise was adapted from the study of explosives and engines.
How Safe Is BPA-Free Plastic?
With BPA gone from many plastic products, researchers are concerned about other environmental chemicals, which might cause reproductive harm.
The Law and Coronavirus
Can environmental law help contain viruses that spill over from animal to human populations?
We Consume a Spoonful of Plastic a Week
You've heard about all the microscopic plastic in our water supply. But did you know there are ways to limit how much you ingest?
The Measles Might Make Your Body “Forget” Its Own Immunity
Scientists have found that sometimes people infected with measles later develop "immune amnesia": their bodies don't remember being sick, even with other viruses.
How Medieval Surgeons Shaped Sex and Gender
Our ideas about surgically “correcting” intersex conditions go back to a shift in the profession of surgery seven centuries ago.
When Ambulances Were Hearses
The federal government pushed the improvement of emergency services from several directions in the 60s and 70s.
Five Green Living Resolutions for 2020
We won't solve all of the pressing environmental problems, but we can help mitigate some.
Is It Ethical to Grow a Brain in a Petri Dish?
Brain organoids could be the key to understanding brain diseases, which is why we should think carefully about how far we are prepared to take them.
We’re Living in a Post-Antibiotic World
A new CDC report warns: “Stop referring to a coming post-antibiotic era—it’s already here.” Contrast that to a 1944 article on the promise of penicillin.