Science & Society

  1. An image of a white half circle at the bottom-center on a starry background. There are 8 arches spreading away from the circle.
    Math

    How Pythagoras turned math into a tool for understanding reality

    Reality was made of numbers, Pythagoras said, and he employed numbers to explain the “harmony of the heavens.”

    By Tom Siegfried
  2. People wearing gloves and full-body personal protective equipment prepare a COVID-19 test for a person sitting in a car wearing sunglasses
    Health & Medicine

    WHO declares an end to the global COVID-19 public health emergency

    Global COVID-19 deaths are down and immunity is up. But with the virus here to stay, it’s time to shift to more long-term health measures.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  3. A black-and-white headshot of Rosalind Franklin
    Genetics

    What was Rosalind Franklin’s true role in the discovery of DNA’s double helix?

    Two researchers say that Rosalind Franklin knowingly collaborated with James Watson and Francis Crick to discover the molecular structure of DNA.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. A photo of several maxi pads spread out of a small bag on an orange background.
    Humans

    ‘Period’ wants to change how you think about menstruation

    Kate Clancy offers fascinating science and history about the uterus and menstruation in her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  5. A photo of a dark room with a projector screen showing a film about the origin of a star cluster. The outlines of people and stars are on the screen frozen while stars light up the ceiling.
    Science & Society

    The Smithsonian’s ‘Lights Out’ inspires visitors to save the fading night sky

    The exhibition examines how light pollution harms astronomy, ecosystems and human cultures. But it also offers hope.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  6. An overhead photo of several pedestrian intersections with lots of people walking through the area.
    Math

    Dense crowds of pedestrians shift into surprisingly orderly lines. Math explains why

    New research into collective behavior adds to decades of study on the wisdom of crowds.

    By Dana Mackenzie
  7. An overhead photo of the many different and brightly colored homes all clustered together on a small island while surround by a green sea.
    Climate

    How an Indigenous community in Panama is escaping rising seas

    The Indigenous Guna peoples' relocation from Panama could offer lessons for other communities threatened by climate change.

    By Melba Newsome
  8. A photo of Aaron Judge swinging at a baseball with spectators out of focus in the background.
    Climate

    Baseball’s home run boom is due, in part, to climate change

    Higher air temperatures led to an average of 58 more home runs each MLB season from 2010 to 2019, a study shows.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  9. The Statue of Liberty up to its waist in water, under gray cloudy skies
    Science & Society

    Here are the Top 10 threats to the survival of civilization

    These aren’t just movie scenarios. From aliens and asteroids to pandemics, war and climate change, civilization as we know it is at risk.

    By Tom Siegfried
  10. An astronaut in a space suit stands with their back to the camera and looks out at inflatable domes as part of a habitat on Mars.
    Space

    ‘Off-Earth’ asks how to build a better future in space

    As humans prepare to live in space someday, ethics should be as much of guide as science and technology, an astrophysicist argues in a new book.

    By Lisa Grossman
  11. A group of people of various races and ethnicities crossing a street
    Genetics

    Why experts recommend ditching racial labels in genetic studies

    Racial labels don’t explain biological and genetic diversity but do cause stigma. They belong “in the dustbin of history,” a panel of experts says.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. A photo of the inside of the Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory.
    Particle Physics

    ‘Ghost Particle’ chronicles the neutrino’s discovery and what’s left to learn

    Author James Riordon discusses his new book, why neutrinos are so important and how physicists are on the verge of making big discoveries about them.

    By Erin Wayman