All Science
Science NotebookA fond farewell to 鈥榯he little rover that could鈥�NASA's Opportunity rover has provided scientists with 15 years worth of data. But more than that,聽鈥淥ppy became a beloved and uniting symbol of human tenacity, curiosity, endeavour.鈥�
Animal behavior: A purr-fect fitAs pet lovers know well, cats love nestling into boxes. No one know for sure why, but scientists think it has something to do with the way it feels.
Confronting 鈥榠ntergroup anxiety鈥�: Can you try too hard to be fair?Sometimes efforts to avoid bias can backfire聽in ways that actually deepen social divides. But that can be overcome, experts say, by focusing on the values and motivations behind the desire to appear fair.
Have you heard the buzz? Honeybees can count.New research suggests that honeybees are capable of performing simple addition and subtraction on the fly. But is that really math?
Cuddly foxes show the 鈥榮ofter side鈥� of evolutionThis year marks the 60th anniversary of an experiment at Russia鈥檚 Institute of Cytology and Genetics that is shedding light not just on the origins of dogs, but perhaps even on modern humans.
Russia鈥檚 GMO debate looks a lot like America鈥檚 鈥� with more geopoliticsRussians tend to be just as concerned as their Western peers about how genetic modification might affect food products. But Russia's bans on GMOs have become a bone of East-West ideological contention.
To the moon and beyond: Why China is aiming for the starsFor Beijing, Thursday's historic lunar landing is as much about cementing global-power status on Earth as it is a foray into the cosmos.
Science NotebookA cosmic shift in our perspectiveThis year marked two big anniversaries for American space exploration and changed how we see ourselves.
Forget New Year鈥檚 resolutions. This art prompts thinking in 鈥榙eep time.鈥�Between daily meetings and weekly appointments, long-term thinking often falls by the wayside. These artists aim to foster appreciation for the 鈥榣ong now.鈥�
Chasing darkness: One reporter's journey into the nightIllumination has come to signify societal progress. But some communities are starting to find new value in darkness.聽On this darkest night of the year, our reporter reflects on a quest to find true darkness 鈥� and to restore her connection to the cosmos.
How early people conquered the 鈥楻oof of the World鈥�What does it mean to be human? Our species has set itself apart by colonizing the farthest reaches of the globe. A discovery of 30,000-year-old stone tools on the Tibetan Plateau underscores our adaptability.
First LookChina orders medical team to stop gene-editing projectResearcher He Jiankui claims to have altered the DNA of twin girls born earlier this month, a move that many scientists condemned as premature.聽On Nov. 29, China ordered Mr. He's team to stop its gene-editing experiment, with a top official calling the project "shocking and unacceptable."聽
First LookAs spacecraft nears Mars, NASA scientists hold their breathOn Nov. 26, the Insight lander is scheduled to touch down on Mars.聽NASA last attempted a Mars landing 鈥� full of risks, tricky conditions, and delayed communication 鈥� six years ago. If it goes smoothly, the spacecraft will spend two years gathering data on the red planet.聽
Convection: Currents you can seeConvection, the transfer of heat via the movement of fluids, is one of the major processes that drive the weather. But if you want to visualize how it works, you might want to try using water instead of air.
Open SESAME: Jordan鈥檚 particle accelerator breaks down atoms 鈥� and barriersThe Middle East is often portrayed as a region locked in perpetual turmoil. But聽in the foothills of western Jordan, scientists from all over the region are setting aside national politics to work together.
Galactic collision ripples across eons to shape our view of the cosmosLooking up at the heavens from below, it can be easy to think of the universe as a fixed constellation of stars. But, as a new study illustrates this week, the cosmos is ever changing 鈥� as is our understanding.
Why tsunamis are so difficult to predictIn the wake of Indonesia's devastating tsunami, questions have arisen about what could more have been done to save lives. But natural disaster detection and preparedness takes more than technological know-how.
First LookDisinterred and flown home: the remains of lost US soldiers increasingly identifiedThrough advances in technology and new government funding, more and more remains of soldiers killed since World War II are being identified. The process is bringing closure to families who have been wondering for more than 70 years what happened to their loved ones.聽
Science NotebookFinally, women see some science recognitionThe 2018 Nobel Prize will forever stand as a historic marker in the evolution of scientific recognition.
Wild Sound: A Q & A with Laura KrantzVeteran broadcast journalist Laura Krantz is the creator of聽鈥淲ild Thing,鈥澛燼 nine-episode podcast about Bigfoot and the people who search for him.聽