Technology
Is It Better to Plant Trees or Let Forests Regrow Naturally?
Nations are pledging to plant billions of trees. But a new study shows that we've underestimated the power of natural forest regrowth...
A Holiday Season Covid Surge, Outbreaks in Swing States,...
Catch up on the most important updates from this week.
Why Are Lines at Polling Places So Long? Math
It’s a resource allocation problem, a tough challenge in “queueing theory.” It’s also racism.
How Humanity Spent Its First 20 Years in Orbit Aboard the...
Two decades ago, three explorers arrived at the International Space Station and marked the beginning of a permanent human presence...
In Embryos, Crispr Can Cut Out Whole Chromosomes—That's...
The DNA-cutting tool has been hailed as a way to fix genetic glitches. But a new study suggests it can remove more than scientists...
How Octopuses Use Their Suction Cups to Taste Through Touch
A new study reveals that the invertebrates use a novel kind of receptor embedded in their suckers to explore their ocean habitats.
A New Way to Plug a Human Brain into a Computer: via Veins
Electrodes threaded through the blood vessels that feed the brain let people control gadgets with their minds.
What to Wear When Battling the Venomous Asian Giant Hornet
The suits worn by Washington state entomologists aren't "official" hornet-fighting armor. But they were affordable—and came up in...
What to Wear When You’re Battling Giant, Venomous Hornets
The suits worn by Washington state entomologists aren't "official" hornet-fighting armor. But they were affordable—and came up in...
What Did Pterosaurs Eat? Look Very Closely at Their Teeth
An “infinite focus microscope” reveals characteristic patterns on the flying reptiles’ chompers, showing in new detail how they lived—and...
