Feature

  1. A photo of a teen boy's profile with the light shining just on his face.
    Psychology

    Boys experience depression differently than girls. Here’s why that matters

    Boys’ depression often manifests as anger or irritability, but teen mental health surveys tend to ask about hopelessness.

    By Sujata Gupta
  2. Illustration of a red and yellow key with bubbles around the handle and the bit. A greenish bubble also encircles the entire key and blue gear shapes appear in the background.
    Quantum Physics

    Quantum computers could break the internet. Here’s how to save it

    Today's encryption schemes will be vulnerable to future quantum computers, but new algorithms and a quantum internet could help.

    By Emily Conover
  3. A photo of Daphne Martschenko with a white background.
    Genetics

    Daphne Martschenko is a champion for ethical, inclusive genomics research

    A bioethicist focused on the genomics revolution, Daphne Martschenko fosters open discussion through “adversarial collaboration”

    By Martina G. Efeyini
  4. A photo of a dusty barren ground with the tree line seen in the middle distance.
    Ecosystems

    The Amazon might not have a ‘tipping point.’ But it’s still in trouble

    Scientists race to foretell the fate of the vast forest facing deforestation and climate change.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  5. A headshot of Marjorie Weber smiling in front of large plants
    Ecosystems

    Marjorie Weber explores plant-protecting ants and other wonders of evolution

    Cooperation across the tree of life is an understudied driver of evolution and biodiversity, Marjorie Weber says.

    By Meghan Rosen
  6. illustration of a black hole
    Astronomy

    Weird black holes may hold secrets of the early universe

    Big black holes in little galaxies, rogue black holes and other behemoths could offer clues to cosmic evolution.

    By Ashley Yeager
  7. A photo of Quinton Smith looking at the camera and smiling.
    Health & Medicine

    With tools from Silicon Valley, Quinton Smith builds lab-made organs

    Tissues made with 3-D printing and other techniques could offer insights into diseases such as fatty liver disease and preeclampsia.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  8. A photo of Deblina Sarkar standing behind a table with a big microscope on it.
    Tech

    Deblina Sarkar is building microscopic machines to enter our brains

    The ultratiny devices can communicate wirelessly from inside living cells and may one day help cure brain diseases.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  9. image of an octopus
    Animals

    Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact

    Modifications to RNA could explain the intelligence and flexibility of shell-less cephalopods.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  10. An image of a rainbow tie dye background with two frogs, ants, fish and coral overlays.
    Animals

    The Sonoran Desert toad can alter your mind — it’s not the only animal

    Their psychedelic and other potentially mind-bending compounds didn't evolve to give people a trip.

    By Deborah Balthazar
  11. A photo of a person standing next to a snow mobile and a stack of supplies with tracks in the snow disappearing into the distance.
    Earth

    A massive cavern beneath a West Antarctic glacier is teeming with life

    A subglacial river has carved out the cavern beneath the Kamb Ice Stream, a West Antarctic glacier, and may be supplying nutrients necessary for life.

    By Douglas Fox
  12. A photo of the Great Salt Lake with the dried gray ground and a bright blue sky in the background.
    Earth

    The Great Salt Lake is shrinking. What can we do to stop it?

    A dropping lake level affects agriculture, public health and the environment — but water conservation can halt the decline.

    By Brianna Randall