Citizens Of The World's Edge

Not everyone believes our planet is a sphere. Welcome to flat Earth.

The Bold Man And The Sea

Inside the ambitious quest to reach the bottom of each ocean and change the landscape of exploration

Sm​​​​​all Stunts Can Do A Big Number On Your Brain

The science behind the impossible room.

Dirty Little Secret 

Meet the wee, multilegged chefs behind the world’s most sought-after loaves.

The Microscope That Wants To See Europa

The microscope that could look for life on Jupiter’s moon.

A Campsite In a Backpack

When you’re climbing a steep, rocky trail on the side of a mountain, a bulky pack catching on branches or scraping against boulders will slow your ascent.

The Masterpiece On A Slate Gray Day In

In 1970, Bruce Kirby created the perfect single-person sailboat. What made the laser so unbeatable?

What You Take With You

Death might be life’s natural and unavoidable conclusion, but humans have ensured that what happens to our bodies afterward is anything but.

An Ecologist Maps Trees From 7,000 Feet

On the big island of Hawaii, a fungus called ceratocystis is murdering ‘ohii‘a trees—at least 1 million in the past eight years.

The Blame Changer

ACCORDING TO A RECENT YALE SURVEY, 7 IN 10  Americans believe global warming is real and happening. And 6 in 10 believe it is affecting U.S. weather. But only 1 in 3 say they’ve personally felt its effects. That disconnect stuck with Heidi Cullen. “You’re never going to think of it as an issue that’s urgent unless you recognize the fact that you’re already being impacted,” says Cullen, chief scientist for the nonprofit Climate Central. Now in its ninth year, Climate Central is part research hub and part journalism outfit—an unusual hybrid that tries to connect climate change to people’s lives. 

Head Trip

WRONG WAY : upside down lightning

Can Your Genes Make You Kill?

 Science’s search for the roots of violence.

Ayah Bdeir

On Prepping Students for the Jobs of the Future.

Fukushima: Five Years Later

Japan is still cleaning up one of the worst nuclear disasters the world has ever seen. Steve Featherstone went there to see how much they have accomplished and how far they have to go.

The Man Who Would Kill Your Holidays

STEVE HANKE IS AGITATED. AN INFLUENTIAL ECONOMIST given to sonorous talks on troubled currencies, he sits in a book-jammed office, jabbing his finger at an offending email printout.

Where Did It All Begin?

A new geological finding stirs questions—and controversy—about where and when earliest life emerged.

The Future-Proofing Engine

Oil won’t last forever, and Dubai’s government knows it. To stay prosperous, the city-state bets big on science and technology.

Get Dirty, Stay Healthy

We live in fear of the microbes that inhabit our homes and buildings. But our health may depend on preserving theirs

Will Uber Be The Next Robotic Superpower?

The car-service startup has a brazen plan to become a robotic superpower. Should we be excited or afraid?

10 Brain Myths Busted

It's going to take more than 10 percent of your brain to read this story.

The Last Fighter Pilot

The new F-35 fighter jet is so sophisticated, so automated, so connected, it's fueling a debate: do pilots still need to fly?

This Glider Will Fly 90,000 Feet Higher Than Most Aircraft

With a hit TV show, a killer voice, and membership in Taylor Swift's squad, Serayah is absolutely unstoppable. 

President Barack Obama on How To Win the Future

Along with running the free world, President Barack Obama has spent the past seven years guiding U.S. science and technology policy. The initiatives and goals he puts in place - in clean energy, space, medicine, education, nanotechnology, and more - help direct research, which in turn directs the future. With one year left in the Oval Office, the president talks about what he’s achieved, what’s left to do (a lot), and why being a nerd is one of the best ways to serve your country.

Can this Billionaire Create a Life for Humans in Space?

Can Robert Bigelow create a life for humans in space?

Werner Herzog

On the Intersection of Humanity and Artificial Intelligence.

How Science Is Fighting Wilder Wildfires Than Ever Before

In the midst of a nightmarish wildfire season, scientists are often the only barrier between life and death.

Body,Heal Thyself

Science Is Looking Inward for New Fixes to What Ails Us

The Enforcer

Jodi Holeman Tries a New Weapon as She Fights That Blood Sucking, Zika Spreading Invader, Aedes Aegypti

Sand

A tale of innovation, war, and glory.

The Winding, Heated, And Absurdly Technical Oral History Of The Ginger Emoji

In November 2014, a tech-industry consortium announced a new set of emoji that would diversify the physical appearance of the pictograms.EMMA KELLY, editor and founder of the site Ginger Parrot: I checked and saw that redheads were just not on there. I wondered, has no one brought this up? Is there no one at Apple with red hair? Has everyone forgotten about Ed Sheeran?