Waves touch the shore at low tide

Five Things You Didn’t Know About the Ocean

June is National Oceans Month. Celebrate with some beach reads.
Francis Crick

How Francis Crick Almost Didn’t Make His Huge DNA Discovery

British physicist-turned-biologist Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA 100 years ago. Crick had a convoluted route to this important discovery.
A bison beside a lake in Yellowstone National Park

How Not to Approach Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

National parks like Yellowstone are great places to get close to nature, but tourists shouldn't forget that they are also important refuges for wildlife.
A doctor giving a young girl a vaccination

Avoiding Autoimmune Diseases

Avoiding autoimmune disease may depend on your social class and the ecosystems you’re exposed to.
Black and white family photos laid on wooden floor background.

The Brain’s Memory Back-Up Plan

Neuroscientists have discovered how memory is stored–and backed up–in the brain.
Diagram outlining how menstrual cycles connect to computer networks

Why the Future of the Internet May Depend on the History of Abortion

Our columnist’s take on the future of the Internet and the importance of grassroots networks.
Close-up of mitochondria

Who Needs Mitochondria Anyway?

Mitochondria was once thought to be an integral part of all complex organisms. Then this organism was discovered.
Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964)

Rachel Carson’s Lasting Legacy

On this day in 1907, Rachel Carson—one of the greatest ecologists and nature writers of our time—was born.
Science jars of formalin and fish

What Lies Beneath the Museum?

Paradoxically, museum specimens of long-dead animals may offer us the keys to protecting live ones.
Microscope view of thread-like cells

Guess What? You’re a Superorganism.

The White House has announced the "microbiome moonshot" – a push to understand the human microbiome.