Epidemics as Entertainment
Plagues capture the public imagination in ways that other less terrifying--but more deadly--diseases don't.
The Most Abundant Creature You’ve Never Heard Of
Conodonts are actually older than the oldest previously known vertebrates, making them the earliest known “skeletonized” vertebrates in existence.
Why Do Some People Have Curly Hair and Others Straight?
Either environmental or sexual selective pressure began acting on hair after humans began dispersing out of Africa.
Is the 30-Year-Long Styrofoam War Nearing Its End?
Neither banning nor recycling will rid us of Styrofoam. Can we live without it?
The Lost Paradise of Los Angeles
Los Angeles's bountiful agricultural land was devoured by runaway suburbanization, a process which began long before the post-war era.
Why Would Scientists Give an Octopus Ecstasy?
In a perplexing recent study, researchers dosed octopuses. Turns out, scientists have long studied the similarities between cephalopod and human brains.
Porklife: Building a Better Pig
Can we reconcile our growing appetite for meat with our desire to treat factory animals better?
How Conflicts of Interest Are Changing Medical Research
Federal funding for medical research has declined, leading academics to seek alternative funding sources, sometimes from drug companies.
The Mystical Practice That Preceded Medical Anesthesia
For a brief period of time in the 19th century, doctors used "mesmerism" for pain-free surgery.
Will National Parks Disappear Due to Climate Change?
Temperatures and droughts have spiked at much higher rates in parks than elsewhere.