Illustration of space junk orbiting the Earth.

Garbage on the Final Frontier

We’ve trashed Earth, so let’s trash space… Oh, wait, we already have!
Green Iguanas

The Reptilian Renaissance

Think reptiles like crocodiles and caimans are slow learners? It’s probably because you’re human.
Hellas Chaos on Mars

Mars Time Machine

Researchers are creating advanced simulations that will provide a deeper understanding of Mars’s climatic history and help to determine whether it was once able to sustain life.
A unicorn, a squirrel and a mouse. Cut-out engravings pasted onto paper

The Undying Unicorn

What role could a mythical animal play in our lives—centuries after its existence came into question?
Sturgeon

Atlantic Sturgeon Were Fished Almost to Extinction

Ancient DNA reveals how the Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries.
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in The North American Sylva by François André Michaux. Illustration by Henri-Joseph Redouté, 1819.

Tradition in Turmoil: Sugar Maple and Climate Change

With harvests dependent on the spring freeze-thaw cycle, the maple industry is seeking ways to mitigate damage wrought by a changing climate.
Caitlin D. Wylie

Caitlin D. Wylie on the Hidden Labor of STEM Research

An interview with Caitlin D. Wylie, a social scientist who analyzes “behind-the-science work” to understand how knowledge is produced and who produces it.
The cover of Sonyŏn kwahak from September, 1965

Popular Science—but Make It North Korean

In the 1950s, science in North Korea was presented in a way that fired children’s imaginations and encouraged youth to develop ideas that served the state.
a concept of diverse races and crowd cooperation symbol as hands holding together the planet earth in a 3D illustration style.

Survival Strategies: The Next Chapter of Environmental Justice

The environmental justice movement may look to the past to determine how to move forward during times of austerity.
Close-up of sourdough starter and flour in jars

The Science of Sourdough: How Citizens Are Helping Shape the Future of Fermented Foods

Citizen scientists are drawing on personal experience to help researchers create new plant-based fermented foods and maximize their health benefits.