Technology
How to Reduce (but Not Eliminate) Covid Risk at Gatherings
With a surge in cases, there is no safe way to travel or gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas. But if you must, here are some ways...
These Rare Seeds Escaped Syria's War—to Help Feed the World
Conflict forced scientists to abandon a gene bank, but not before duplicating their last remnants of essential crops in the Svalbard...
How NASA Finds the Mass of the Dirt Grabbed From an Asteroid
Just how much material did OSIRIS-REx collect from Bennu? The method relies on something called the moment of inertia, and you can...
Ancient Dog DNA Reveals Their Enduring Connection With...
Genetic material from prehistoric dogs shows how early humans may have migrated with, bred, and cared for their canine companions.
Computer Scientists Achieve the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Cryptography
For years, a master tool called indistinguishability obfuscation seemed too good to be true. Three researchers have figured out that...
Wilderness Rescuers Brace for a Rough Covid-19 Winter
The popularity of outdoor recreation has skyrocketed during the pandemic. But now snow is on the way—and recovery missions are on...
A Covid Vaccine Nears, Biden Gets to Work, and More News
Catch up on the most important updates from this week.
SpaceX Is Ready to Launch Its First Official Crewed Mission
Saturday’s SpaceX launch will mark the return of regular crewed launches in the US after nearly a decade hiatus.
We’ll Need More Than One Vaccine to Beat the Pandemic
All the Covid vaccine candidates work in different ways, and none will be perfect for everyone. It’ll take a slate of options to help...
The Vulnerable Can Wait. Vaccinate the Covid Super-Spreaders...
Who gets priority when Covid-19 shots are in short supply? Network theorists have a counterintuitive answer: Start with the social...
