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History and Society
Like witchcraft, "racecraft" refers to a kind of magical thinking — one that treats race as if it were scientifically meaningful.
In the night sky for March of 2022, only stars and the Moon, not planets, will greet you. The real show, however, arrives just before dawn.
A famous explorer's doomed ship is finally found 107 years after it was lost to the Antarctic deep.
Gigantic ranges called "supermountains" formed twice in Earth's history, and they may have had a profound influence on evolutionary history.
In the shadow of the Shard, the mosaics help paint a picture of Roman London.
Do the health risks outweigh the benefits?
Despite all that we've learned about the Universe, there remain unanswered, and possibly unanswerable, questions. Could "God" be the answer?
Any dataset that can be quantified over time can be turned into a contest that is both exciting and (a little bit) enlightening.
From a desert oasis to the Rocky Mountains, being filled with awe makes me a better scientist.
If dark matter exists in a large halo in our galaxy, made up of particles, then it's passing through us constantly. But how much?
Recent geopolitical turning points, like Brexit and the 2016 U.S. presidential election, were chapters in a story that extends decades back in world history.
Researchers speculate the famous monument was one of the world’s first solar calendars, possibly inspired by trade with ancient Egyptians.
“What am I missing?” is a question that journalist Mónica Guzmán thinks more people should start asking.
When we look out at the Universe, even with Hubble, we're only seeing the closest, biggest, brightest galaxies. Here's where the rest are.
As always, aDNA research raises as many questions as answers.
Some economists predict China's economy will overtake the U.S. economy by 2028.
There's a limit to how large planets can be, and it's only about double the radius of Jupiter. At least, so far.
A gigantic bacterium evolved differently than fundamental models of biology would have predicted. Simply put, these bacteria shouldn't exist.
Russia's cyberattacks against Ukraine have been prolific and ongoing for several years. The future of war may begin in cyberspace.
The rhetorical fallout is greater than the radioactive fallout.
An ancient continent called Balkanatolia rose and fell in the area in and around what is now the eastern Mediterranean.
Investments in public libraries are a long-term investment in children and communities.
Vladimir Putin adores Fyodor Dostoevsky. A close reading of the legendary author’s texts reveals the feeling might have been mutual.
Human organs don't always show up where doctors expect.
Despite being the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury "only" reaches 800 °F at its hottest. Venus is always hotter, even at night.
George Washington, for example, was quite happy to engage in deception, if that deception would help protect the United States.
Socrates lived during a time when people did not strive to separate fact from fiction. So how much of what we know about Socrates is true?
Planet Earth has been around for over 4.5 billion years, but humans? For 99.998% of our planet's history, humans were nowhere to be found.
In "Off the Edge", journalist Kelly Weill dives down the strange rabbit hole of the flat-Earther community.
Professional astronomy images are the gold standard. But this Large Magellanic Cloud composite is the amateur community's best image ever.