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Public Health

Wegovy Slashes the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in a Landmark Trial

The drug semaglutide is already widely used for weight loss. Now its maker is presenting new evidence that it can reduce cardiovascular illnesses and deaths.
Warming Trend

Scientists Have Been Freezing Corals for Decades. Now They're Learning How to Wake Them Up

Climate Change

Skiing Is Getting Riskier

Health

The Long Quest for a Universal Flu Vaccine Finally Takes Its First Steps

The search for a shot that could protect us against many strains—and maybe a pandemic—is notching achievements at last. But the flu’s endless mutation and our own biology stand in the way.

The World’s Broken Food System Costs $12.7 Trillion a Year

The hidden costs of the global food system are equivalent to 10 percent of global GDP, according to new analysis from the United Nations.

Why You Can’t Stop Reading About Daylight Saving Time

In the US, Daylight Saving Time ends and the clocks go back one hour on November 5. You know this. Google knows this. But here we all are. Again.

As Extreme Heat Increases, Heart Attacks Will Rise

Dangerously hot days are becoming more common. That will trigger heart attacks and strokes in people made vulnerable by age, race, and the layout of cities.

Space

How a Scientist and Cartoonist Envision Living on the Moon and Mars

In A City on Mars, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith imagine what it would really be like to live in space: thrilling and absolutely grueling.

The Euclid Space Telescope’s Spectacular First Photos of Distant and Hidden Galaxies

Images from the European Space Agency’s newest telescope show the power of instruments that will create 3D surveys of a third of the sky, covering 10 billion years of cosmic history.

The JWST Has Spotted Giant Black Holes All Over the Early Universe

Giant black holes were supposed to be bit players in the early cosmic story. But James Webb Space Telescope observations are finding an unexpected abundance of the beasts.

Scientists Have Finally Found the Origins of a Mysterious Asteroid

Astronomers show how a 50-meter space rock orbiting near Earth isn’t a typical asteroid: It probably blasted off the moon millions of years ago.

Environment

The Vampire Bat Is Moving Closer to the US. That’s a Problem

As the climate changes, the bloodthirsty creatures are moving north from Latin America, bringing the threat of rabies with them.

Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest

Scientists use microphones and AI to automatically detect species by their chirps and croaks. This bioacoustics research could be critical for protecting ecosystems on a warming planet.

Abandoned Farms Are a Hidden Resource for Restoring Biodiversity

A billion acres of old farmland—an area half the size of Australia—has fallen out of use. Ecologists say the lands and degraded forests are neglected resources for rewilding and for capturing carbon.

In Defense of the Rat

Rats are less pestilent and more lovable than you might think. Can humans learn to live with them?

Climate

The First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant in the US Died Before It Could Live

Six nuclear reactors just 9 feet across planned for Idaho were supposed to prove out the dream of cheap, small-scale nuclear energy. Now the project has been canceled.

The Surprising Reason Sea Creatures Are Getting Hungrier

As ocean temperatures climb, so do animals’ metabolisms. If extra food isn’t available, they’ll starve.

A Major Alarm Is Flashing Under Greenland’s Ice

Greenland’s northern ice shelves have lost more than a third of their volume since 1978, new research finds.

The Fight Against the Smallmouth Bass Invasion of the Grand Canyon

As Lake Powell shrinks, thanks to chronic drought, smallmouth bass are heading downriver, threatening a haven for native species.

Energy

It's Time to Buy Rechargeable Batteries for All Your Household Gadgets

Panasonic’s Eneloop rechargeable batteries are a great alternative to wasteful disposables.

EV Batteries Have a Dirty Secret. This Company Has a Plan to Clean Them Up

European manufacturer Northvolt has plans to distribute a low-carbon, sustainable battery-manufacturing process across the world.

How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!

Step one: Trick or treat. Step two: Get out your bomb calorimeter. (Yes, that is a real thing.)

Here’s the Truth Behind the Biggest (and Dumbest) Battery Myths

Yes, charging your phone overnight is bad for its battery. And no, you don’t need to turn off your device to give the battery a break. Here’s why.

Physics and Math

Could a Cockroach Survive a Fall From Space?

If you’re resorting to more, uh, unconventional pest control methods, you’ll want to read this first.

Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking

Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but they help reveal the limits of algorithms.

The Physics of Faraday Cages

You can't block electromagnetic waves, but there's still a way to keep electronic devices like cell phones in stealth mode.

Magnetic Minerals May Have Given Life Its Molecular Asymmetry

The preferred “handedness” of biomolecules could have emerged from interactions between electrons and magnetic surfaces on primordial Earth, new research suggests.

Biotech

The FDA Approves Weight Loss Drug Zepbound, a Wegovy and Ozempic Rival

Eli Lilly is about to release Zepbound, a new entrant in the superheated competition for blockbuster weight loss drugs.

New Jersey Keeps Newborn DNA for 23 Years. Parents Are Suing

All US states take pinpricks of blood from newborns to test for diseases. New Jersey stores them for decades and may allow them to be used in police investigations.

The Second Person to Get a Pig Heart Transplant Just Died

Lawrence Faucette died six weeks after undergoing the experimental procedure involving a genetically engineered pig organ.

These Plants Can Sound the Alarm in a Toxic World

Genetically engineering plants to change colors when they encounter a contaminant could help scientists better understand their needs—and the environment.

Robots

Meet the Next Generation of Doctors—and Their Surgical Robots

Don't worry, your next surgeon will definitely be a human. But just as medical students are training to use a scalpel, they're also training to use robots designed to make surgeries easier.

AI Is Building Highly Effective Antibodies That Humans Can’t Even Imagine

Robots, computers, and algorithms are hunting for potential new therapies in ways humans can’t—by processing huge volumes of data and building previously unimagined molecules.

This Artificial Muscle Moves Stuff on Its Own

Actuators inspired by cucumber plants could make robots move more naturally in response to their environments, or be used for devices in inhospitable places.

Get Ready for 3D-Printed Organs and a Knife That ‘Smells’ Tumors

Hospitals are evolving at warp speed, and autonomous surgical robots are just the beginning.

Psychology and Neuroscience

How Cinematherapy Helped Me Through a Midlife Crisis

Yes, there is a therapeutic basis for “watching movies to heal,” but only if you do it the right way. Here's how.

Everyone Was Wrong About Why Cats Purr

Cats purr when they’re happy and kittens purr so their mothers can find them. But it turns out purring may be more like a snore than a smile.

A Personalized Brain Implant Curbed a Woman’s OCD

A device in her brain delivers jolts of electricity when it detects abnormal neural activity associated with obsessive thoughts.

Why Antidepressants Take So Long to Work

A clinical trial reveals the first evidence of how the brain restructures physically in the first month on SSRIs—and the link between neuroplasticity and depression.