Why TRAPPIST-1 Is Our Favorite Alien Planetary System
The TRAPPIST-1 system is a treasure trove of possibilities and questions. Observations by JWST have just begun.
New Zealand’s Quest to Save Its Rotund, Flightless Parrots
DNA sequencing, GPS tracking and tailored diets are slowly restoring the endangered kākāpō.
Cinchona: A Legacy of Extraction and Extirpation
The source of quinine, cinchona tells a story about the value placed on parts of plants and how that value can be extracted and distorted in support of empire.
Ancient Black Hole Challenges Our Understanding of the Early Universe
The Big Bang theory is not threatened, but astrophysicists have some explaining to do.
Why the Worst Weather on Earth Is in New Hampshire
A combination of factors makes the weather at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington arguably the most brutal in the world.
How Earthquakes Helped Us Map the Interior of the Sun
Temperatures in the Sun's core exceed 10 million degrees Celsius. But how on Earth did we actually come to know that?
Quinoa: Rise of an Andean Superfood
Once considered a minor crop for Indigenous communities, quinoa’s journey to worldwide stardom was centuries in the making.
The Hunt for Life in Alpha Centauri
This oddball system of three stars might be our best chance at finding nearby life in the Universe.