The OmegaCAM imager on ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope has captured this glittering view of the stellar nursery called Sharpless 29. Many astronomical phenomena can be seen in this giant image, including cosmic dust and gas clouds that reflect, absorb, and re-emit the light of hot young stars within the nebula.

How the Universe Forges Stars from Cosmic Clouds

A deep dive into the chaotic journey of star formation.
Peziza pseudoviolacea

The Vital Near-Magic of Fire-Eating Fungi

As wildfires grow in size and severity, researchers are learning more about the burn scar pioneers that are foundational to ecosystem recovery.
Sheep are seen while being transported in Fremantle Harbour on June 16, 2020 in Fremantle, Australia.

The Long History of Live Animal Export

The practice of live animal export from Australia is controversial and complex, and it has a longer history than you might realize.
Relief from a wall of the northern palace of Nineveh, Iraq. 645-635 BC

Haunted Soldiers in Mesopotamia

In ancient Mesopotamia, many medical disorders were attributed to ghosts, including mental problems faced by men who had spent years at war.
MeerKAT telescopes

MeerKAT: The South African Radio Telescope That’s Transformed Our Understanding of the Cosmos

MeerKAT has emerged as a beacon of innovation and opportunity on the African continent.
The exterior of the concept design home "Reversible Destiny Lofts MITAKA: In Memory of Helen Keller" is seen on October 27, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan.

Arakawa and Gins: An Eternal Architecture

With the Reversible Destiny Foundation, architect-philosophers Arakawa and Gins created disquieting designs meant to defeat mortality.
The Vivisection of Humans, 1899

The Dangers of Animal Experimentation—for Doctors

Nineteenth-century opponents of vivisection warned that the practice could make researchers and physicians callous toward all living creatures.
Jimi Sadle (L) , botanist at Everglades National Park; and George D. Gann, chief conservation strategist for the Institute for Regional Conservation give a tour looking for plants endangered by the effects of climate change

Witnessing and Professing Climate Professionals

What are scientists to do? Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton and historian of science Naomi Oreskes consider the social responsibility of climate scientists.
Illustration of a time when the Earth was being formed, known as the Hadean Period.

Crucial Building Blocks of Life on Earth Can More Easily Form in Outer Space

A special group of molecules, known as peptides, can form more easily under the conditions of space than those found on Earth.
An overhead view of a group of five preschoolers sitting at a table playing with colorful blocks and geometric shapes.

Making Implicit Racism

In the first few years of life, children learn much from the observation of the adults around them—including their biases.