Chien-Shiung Wu, the First Lady of Physics
Chien-Shiung Wu disproved a fundamental law of physics—a stunning achievement that helped earn her male colleagues (but not her) a Nobel Prize.
Wait, There’s Noise Pollution at the Bottom of the Ocean?
Anthropogenic sounds have made it all the way down into the deepest place on Earth—Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench.
How Charles Keeling Measured the Rise of Carbon Dioxide
The climate scientist created a new method to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide. It's still used today.
Could Negentropy Help Your Life Run Smoother?
In physics, entropy is the process of a system losing energy and dissolving into chaos. This applies to social systems in everyday life, too.
How the Gender Binary Limits Archaeological Study
One case study demonstrates how contemporary assumptions about gender in ancient societies risk obscuring the larger picture.
Could Venus’s Hell Climate Predict Earth’s Future?
The answer will require a probe that can withstand the planet's heat and atmospheric pressure to send back good data.
Giving Overdue Credit to Early Archaeologists’ Wives
These women labored alongside their famous husbands to produce world-renowned research.
Charles Darwin’s Descent of Man, 150 Years Later
A new book on Darwin’s classic asks what he got right and wrong about “the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist:” human evolution.
Why Hasn’t NASA Sent Anyone to Mars?
The Perseverance mission to Mars represents a considerable step forward for the space program. But are rovers as good as it gets?
Annie M. Alexander: Paleontologist and Silent Benefactor
An unsung patron of science whose deep pockets and passion for exploring led to the founding of two influential natural history museums.