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Science

News and updates from the science team. Topics include genetics, infectious disease, psychology, and more.

The self-inflicted death of American science has already begun
Future Perfect

Trump’s crackdown on foreign students and scientists will do irreparable harm to the country.

By Bryan Walsh
The self-inflicted death of American science has already begun
Future Perfect

Trump’s crackdown on foreign students and scientists will do irreparable harm to the country.

By Bryan Walsh
Could this $10 weightlifting supplement be a depression treatment?Could this $10 weightlifting supplement be a depression treatment?
Health

Swole of body, swole of mind.

By Dylan Scott
The real quest for fake bloodThe real quest for fake blood
Podcast
Unexplainable

Lab-grown blood could save tens of thousands of lives. Is it possible?

By Noam Hassenfeld
We’re on the verge of a universal allergy cureWe’re on the verge of a universal allergy cure
Health

The one allergy treatment to rule them all, explained.

By Dylan Scott

The latest in Science

These fluffy white wolves explain everything wrong with bringing back extinct animalsThese fluffy white wolves explain everything wrong with bringing back extinct animals
Future Perfect

Don’t buy the hype about “de-extinction.”

By Marina Bolotnikova
Why RFK Jr. wants to ban fluoride in waterWhy RFK Jr. wants to ban fluoride in water
Health

Kennedy is targeting our best defense against the dentist.

By Dylan Scott
Are repressed memories real? A hit memoir clashes with the science.Are repressed memories real? A hit memoir clashes with the science.
Culture

Are repressed memories for real? The Tell thinks so.

By Aja Romano
Could an inexpensive vaccine help stave off dementia?Could an inexpensive vaccine help stave off dementia?
Future Perfect

Dementia has long resisted treatment. But one answer could be surprisingly simple.

By Bryan Walsh
The extraordinary reason why scientists are collecting sea turtle tearsThe extraordinary reason why scientists are collecting sea turtle tears
Down to Earth

Researchers are hoping they may unlock one of animal biology’s greatest mysteries.

By Benji Jones
Are vitamins a scam?Are vitamins a scam?
Explain It to Me

The unregulated morass of vitamins and supplements makes it hard to know what’s legitimate. We can help.

By Dylan Scott
The harrowing lives of animal researchersThe harrowing lives of animal researchers
Future Perfect

Science depends on animal testing. But the work comes at a steep, hidden cost.

By Celia Ford
Measles is back — and more dangerous than you think. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself.Measles is back — and more dangerous than you think. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself.
Health

The troubling ripple effects of more measles outbreaks, explained.

By Dylan Scott
Trump’s attacks on higher ed could provide a chance to reimagine the universityTrump’s attacks on higher ed could provide a chance to reimagine the university
Future Perfect

Academia runs on underpaid, overworked PhD students. It doesn’t have to.

By Celia Ford
Is “moderate” drinking really that bad for you?Is “moderate” drinking really that bad for you?
Health

The confusing guidance about alcohol, simplified.

By Dylan Scott
Trump is running from his biggest health care successTrump is running from his biggest health care success
Health

Five years later, the Covid-19 pandemic has turned people against a cutting-edge medical technology.

By Dylan Scott
The case for using your brain — even if AI can think for youThe case for using your brain — even if AI can think for you
Future Perfect

Digital dependence is reshaping our brains. But we can fight it.

By Celia Ford
Humanity isn’t asteroid-proof yet. But we’re getting closer.Humanity isn’t asteroid-proof yet. But we’re getting closer.
Future Perfect

How a new asteroid showed Earth’s planetary defense system at work.

By Bryan Walsh
What RFK Jr. has said about the ongoing measles outbreakWhat RFK Jr. has said about the ongoing measles outbreak
Health

The new Health and Human Services secretary is facing one of his first public health crises. Will he blow up the typical protocol?

By Dylan Scott
Can you still get measles even if you’ve been vaccinated?Can you still get measles even if you’ve been vaccinated?
Health

Some vaccinated people got measles in Texas. Here’s how to check your immunity.

By Dylan Scott
Elon Musk is trying to make sleep deprivation cool againElon Musk is trying to make sleep deprivation cool again
Health

DOGE, please go to sleep. For your health.

By Dylan Scott
Is our sleep getting worse?Is our sleep getting worse?
Explain It to Me

And your other urgent sleep questions, answered.

By Jonquilyn Hill
Why do we twitch in our sleep?Why do we twitch in our sleep?
Podcast
Unexplainable

A seemingly small question has shifted how scientists understand the relationship between the brain and the body.

By Noam Hassenfeld and Thomas Lu
Is it time to worry about bird flu?Is it time to worry about bird flu?
Explainers

There’s more to bird flu than expensive eggs.

By Kim Mas and Sean Collins
We can see factory farm pollution all the way from spaceWe can see factory farm pollution all the way from space
Future Perfect

But communities of color face the worst ammonia pollution on the ground, a new study reveals.

By Sam Delgado
How safe is donating your eggs?How safe is donating your eggs?
Health

Egg donation is common. How well do we understand the risks?

By Anna North
Should I throw out my kid’s Froot Loops?Should I throw out my kid’s Froot Loops?
Life

Food dyes and kids, explained.

By Anna North
The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explainedThe Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained
Climate

8 things you should know about the number that measures bad air.

By Rebecca Leber
Animal rights advocates are ready for Trump’s war on scienceAnimal rights advocates are ready for Trump’s war on science
Future Perfect

Cuts to science spending may save lab animals — at a cost.

By Celia Ford
A whole new thing that could end the worldA whole new thing that could end the world
Future Perfect

Why we won’t cause a mirror bacteria apocalypse — thanks to science.

By Kelsey Piper
Wait, should I bother using antibacterial soap?Wait, should I bother using antibacterial soap?
Health

It turns out cleaning your hands is more complicated than killing germs.

By Keren Landman, MD
Why did we think Neanderthals weren’t smart?Why did we think Neanderthals weren’t smart?
Podcast
Unexplainable

Our earliest studies of Neanderthals were fundamentally flawed.

By Byrd Pinkerton
The world’s most mysterious psychedelic is already inside your brain
The Highlight

DMT, “the nuclear bomb of the psychedelic family,” explained.

By Oshan Jarow
Why do so many young people suddenly have cancer?Why do so many young people suddenly have cancer?
Explain It to Me

When you were born is actually an important risk factor for cancer.

By Dylan Scott
I got malaria on purpose and so can youI got malaria on purpose and so can you
Future Perfect

We need new malaria drugs — so I spent a year as a guinea pig.

By Dylan Matthews
Should we put pig organs in humans? We asked an ethicist.
Podcast
Future Perfect

Xenotransplantation raises major moral questions — and not just about the pigs.

By Mandy Nguyen
Giving thanks may make your brain more altruisticGiving thanks may make your brain more altruistic
Future Perfect

Neuroscience is revealing a fascinating link between gratitude and generosity.

By Sigal Samuel
Only 1 percent of neuroscience faculty is Black. Kaela Singleton hopes to change that.
Future Perfect

Whatever you do, don’t call the Black in Neuro founder “resilient.”

By Celia Ford
America’s fractured trust in science, explained in 3 chartsAmerica’s fractured trust in science, explained in 3 charts
Future Perfect

Science should be bipartisan. Why is our confidence split down party lines?

By Celia Ford
43 lab monkeys escaped in South Carolina. They have a legal claim to freedom.
Future Perfect

Who owns the escaped monkeys now? It’s more complicated than you might think.

By Angela Fernandez and Justin Marceau
Why the Pentagon just can’t quit Elon MuskWhy the Pentagon just can’t quit Elon Musk
Defense & Security

How Musk’s SpaceX became too big to fail for US national security.

By Joshua Keating
Why do we love to scare ourselves?
Podcast
Unexplainable

This research group is studying our love for haunted houses ... at a haunted house.

By Byrd Pinkerton
DNA from wild organisms could save your life — but there’s a catchDNA from wild organisms could save your life — but there’s a catch
Down to Earth

Inside the extremely messy, profoundly confusing fight over who should profit from non-human DNA.

By Benji Jones
Is climate change really making hurricanes worse?Is climate change really making hurricanes worse?
Climate

What we know — and don’t know — about how global warming influences tropical storms.

By Umair Irfan
Colonial solutions to climate change aren’t workingColonial solutions to climate change aren’t working
Climate

What Indigenous knowledge could mean in the fight to curb global warming.

By Paige Vega and Joseph Lee
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