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This Simple Strategy Might Be the Key to Advancing Science Faster
The incentives in science don’t always encourage openness—but being wrong might just be the key to getting it right.
A Golden Age of Renewables Is Beginning, and California Is Leading the Way
California has hit record-breaking milestones in renewable electricity generation, showing that wind, water and solar are ready to cover our electricity needs
Glow-in-the-Dark Animals May Have Been Around for 540 Million Years
Ancestors of so-called soft corals may have developed bioluminescence in the earliest days of deep-ocean living
New Interactive Map Shows Where Extreme Heat Threatens Health
People in the U.S. will be able to see where extreme heat is a threat to health with a new interactive tool created by the National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
An Epitaph for Daniel Dennett, Philosopher of Consciousness
Is consciousness nothing more than an illusion? That idea defined the work of Daniel Dennett (1942–2024)
Is There a Human Hiding behind That Robot or AI? A Brief History of Automatons That Were Actually People
When human labor is hidden under the veneer of a robot or AI tool, that’s “fauxtomation”
How Ugandan Tobacco Farmers Inadvertently Spread Bat-Borne Viruses
By cutting trees in response to international demand for tobacco, farmers induced wildlife to start eating virus-laden bat guano
After Months of Gibberish, Voyager 1 Is Communicating Well Again
NASA scientists spent months coaxing the 46-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft back into healthy communication
Biden Kicks Off Earth Week with Solar Funding, Expanding Climate Corps
The Biden administration is marking Earth Week with announcements of solar power funding for lower-income communities, an expansion of the Climate Corps and Clean Air Act rules
Time Slows Down When We See Something Memorable
New research shows that looking at memorable images can warp our perception of time
Quantum Computers Can Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain
The influential AI design that makes chatbots tick now runs on quantum computers
Experimental Ovarian Cryopreservation Could Delay Menopause, but Experts Are Weighing the Risks
Extracting, freezing and retransplanting slices of hormone-producing ovarian tissue could postpone menopause, but some experts say it’s not effective enough—or necessary
Low-Earth Orbit Faces a Spiraling Debris Threat
Millions of human-made objects travel at high speeds in low-Earth orbit, polluting space and increasing the chance of collision with satellites and other spacecraft
How a Cloned Ferret Inspired a DNA Bank for Endangered Species
The birth of a cloned black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann, and her two new sisters, has sparked a new pilot program to preserve the tissues of hundreds of endangered species “just in case”
Will the Amazon Rain Forest Help Save the Planet?
Years in the making, a project in the Amazon rain forest is finally set to determine whether a rise in carbon dioxide could save one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.
The U.S. Spends a Fortune on Beach Sand That Storms Just Wash Away
The U.S. is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to replenish storm-ravaged beaches in a losing battle against rising seas and erosion
New Minecraft ‘Heat Dragon’ Quest Has Gamers Fight Climate Villain
A new video game puts climate solution tools in the hands of up to 80 million Minecraft players
Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple
Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests
Early Humans Sheltered in This Lava Tube 10,000 Years Ago—And It’s Still in Use Today
Fossils and stone tools show that a cave in Saudi Arabia has been used as shelter by humans for millennia, up to the present day
Abortion Bans in Arizona and Florida Will Face Voters in November
The state supreme courts in Florida and Arizona both recently ruled that strict abortion bans could go into effect. But ballot measures may give voters a chance to weigh in