JOURNALISM HIGHLIGHTS
Untangling Race From Hair
One anthropologist has made it her mission to remove racial prejudices from the study of hair and find the evolutionary roots of hair diversity.
SAPIENS
Extinction obituary: the sudden, sad disappearance of the Christmas Island forest skink
Gump was the last lizard of her kind when she died in 2014, and her demise should be ‘a scar on our conscience’
The Guardian
Essay: Does Making Predictions Impede the Formation of Memories?
When your brain is presented with a scenario, it makes a decision: Does it file this moment away as a unique event, or slot the information into an existing pattern?
Catapult
The ups and downs of a great vertical migration
Many water dwellers – from plankton to large fish – commute daily from the depths to the surface. Researchers are starting to shed light on this still poorly understood phenomenon.
Knowable Magazine; Republished in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, and Inverse
The US falls behind most of the world in plastic pollution legislation
One of the world's biggest contributors to the plastic crisis has yet to pass meaningful federal regulation on plastic pollution, but a new bill may change that.
Environmental Health News
Blah Blah Blah: The Lack of Small Talk Is Breaking Our Brains
Chit-chat is often dismissed as mindless and boring. But its absence over the past year is affecting you more than you think
The Walrus
The Colorful, Costly World of Custom Keyboard Enthusiasts
Hobbyists spend hours building their own personalized rigs, while others drop thousands of dollars on a bespoke board. The hype is only getting bigger.
WIRED
What Happens to Caves When Wildfires Scorch the Surface?
Ecologists are finding unexpected changes in the delicate ecosystems below Lava Beds National Monument.
Atlas Obscura
Indigenous harvest rights still under attack in the upper Great Lakes
Tribal leaders say racism and harassment persist as members exercise treaty rights
Environmental Health News
The Mysterious Coral Cousin Swarming the Palmyra Atoll
Little is known about pesky corallimorphs, except that they seem to thrive when reefs are damaged.
Atlas Obscura
Unplugged: Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane
The Gulf of Mexico is littered with tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, and toothless regulation leaves climate warming gas emissions unchecked
Environmental Health News
FORECAST OR REMEMBER: THE BRAIN MUST CHOOSE ONE
Trying to predict a situation impedes memory formation
Scientific American
THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT: CAN SCIENCE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HIKERS?
Nine Russian hikers died mysteriously in the mountains more than 60 years ago. New research suggests that an avalanche may have sealed their fate
Discover Magazine
FISH FARMING HAS A PLASTIC PROBLEM
Microplastics in fishmeal are contaminating farmed fish—impacting their health, the nutrition they provide, and leaving consumers potentially exposed
Environmental Health News
CLIMATE CHANGE WILL CONTINUE TO WIDEN GAPS IN FOOD SECURITY, NEW STUDY FINDS
Countries already struggling with low crop yields will be hurt most by a warming climate
Environmental Health News
CITIZENS OF MAURITIUS ARE CLEANING UP A MAJOR OIL SPILL THEMSELVES
Authorities have been slow to act, and locals are picking up the slack
Popular Science
THESE ULTRA-BLACK FISH CAMOUFLAGE WITH THE DARKNESS OF THE DEEP SEA
They can almost vanish—escaping predators and sneaking up on prey
Popular Science
SOLVING THE MEDICAL MYSTERY OF THE BRAIN THAT SEES NUMBERS AS SPAGHETTI
The condition could help us better understand perception
Popular Science
MEET THE YOUNG DOCTOR LEADING NEPAL'S
COVID-19 TESTING PROGRAM
A 31-year-old Nepali infectious disease specialist is playing a key role in the country’s efforts to contain COVID-19
Medscape
TEAR GAS DURING COVID-19 IS A PUBLIC HEALTH DISASTER
Case studies on the crowd-control weapon show just how dangerous it can be for the lungs
Popular Science
THESE ANIMALS BUILD PALACES OUT OF THEIR OWN SNOT
Using lasers, scientists digitally reconstructed these delicate, squishy houses
Popular Science
RADAR-EQUIPPED SEABIRDS WON'T STOP ILLEGAL FISHING
Thwarting illegal fishing boats in the open ocean will take more than technology alone
Scienceline
TETRIS FIEDS REVEAL HOW TO MAKE BETTER SPLIT-SECOND DECISIONS
Neuroscientists explore the nature of expertise by studying players of the classic game, and the sky’s the limit
Scienceline
THE “BLACKEST BLACK” – FOR SCIENCE AND ART
A record-breaking engineered material leaves no room for vanity
Scienceline