An orange cat playing with a toy

Ginger, Tortie, Calico

The mystery gene responsible for orange color in cat coats has been found.

String Theory Is Not Dead

Out of the limelight, theoretical physicists seek the math that can explain the universe’s particles and forces.
Adolf Hitler at his Berghof mansion in Obersalzberg.

A Blind Beetle Named Hitler?

The case for changing offensive names of animals and plants, and how it can be done
A cluster of Azolla filiculoides plants.

Azolla filiculoides: Balancing Environmental Promise and Peril

One of the world’s tiniest fern species, Azolla filiculoides may be one of our greatest tools for lowering agricultural pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Cahokia

How Native Americans Guarded Their Societies Against Tyranny

Many Native American communities were consensus democracies that survived for generations because of careful attention to checking and balancing power.
Plate 82 of Birds of America by John James Audubon depicting Whip-poor-will.

The Whip-Poor-Will Has Been an Omen of Death for Centuries

What happened to this iconic bird of American horror?
Mjøstårnet skyscraper, Norway

Sustainable Building Effort Reaches New Heights with Wooden Skyscrapers

Wood engineered for strength and safety offers architects an alternative to carbon-intensive steel and concrete.
Concert of Apollo and the Muses on Mount Helicon by Maerten van Heemskerck

A Brief History of the Muses

Scholar Alison Habens tells us more about the Greek goddesses who provided divine inspiration for ancient poets.
Monotropa uniflora in bloom by Nichole Ouellette

Ghost of the Forest: Monotropa uniflora

Look for this other-worldly plant in moist, shaded areas of mature forests throughout much of North America, East Asia, and northern South America.