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<p>The wasps that tamed viruses</p>
Living World

The wasps that tamed viruses

By Nala Rogers

To protect and rear their young, some insects have transformed wild viruses into tiny biological weapons

<p>From toxic fungus to soy sauce superstar</p>
Food & Environment

From toxic fungus to soy sauce superstar

By Rachel Ehrenberg

Today the koji mold is a master fermenter, but it has a checkered past

<p>The tender art of tadpole parenting</p>
Living World

The tender art of tadpole parenting

By Tim Vernimmen

From poison frogs to worm-like caecilians, some amphibians are hardworking and surprisingly creative caregivers

<p>When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?</p>
Society

When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?

By Elise Hansen

A researcher weighs in on who’s accountable, when and why, in the eyes of the law — and whether the measures work as intended

<p>They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders</p>
Living World

They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders

By Amber Dance

Some make nests inside seashells, others tote bubbles of air on their backs. The spiders that went back to water evolved lots of slick survival strategies.

Technology

How next-gen data analytics is changing American football

At the NFL’s Big Data Bowl, scientists compete to develop new stats that better capture player performance

By Dana Mackenzie
Health & Disease

Should you take vitamin D? Here’s the science

Some people take too much, and too many get too little. Experts explain who needs D supplements, and why.

By Katarina Zimmer
<p>What’s next in the Ozempic era?</p>
Health & Disease

What’s next in the Ozempic era?

By Matías A. Loewy

Diabetes, weight loss and now heart health: A new family of drugs is changing the way scientists are thinking about obesity — and more uses are on the horizon

<p>Geothermal power heats up</p>
Technology

Geothermal power heats up

By Katarina Zimmer

Long confined to regions with volcanic activity, geothermal promises to become a much more versatile energy source thanks to new technologies

<p>Why do some people always get lost?</p>
Society

Why do some people always get lost?

By Bob Holmes

Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction

<p>Why are there so many beetle species?</p>
Living World

Why are there so many beetle species?

By Lesley Evans Ogden

Diet played a key role in the evolution of the vast beetle family tree

<p>How to control chronic wasting disease</p>
Living World

How to control chronic wasting disease

By James Gaines

A prion sickness similar to mad cow is spreading rapidly through North America’s deer and elk populations. A veterinary microbiologist discusses the options for keeping it in check.

Multimedia

<p>Inching toward a global treaty on plastic pollution</p>
Food & Environment

Inching toward a global treaty on plastic pollution

By Nicola Jones

Delegates from 175 nations are working on an international agreement that would tackle the vast amounts of plastic waste in the environment. A marine scientist specializing in plastic pollution discusses the problem and her hopes for the proceedings.

<p>Why isn’t dental health considered primary medical care?</p>
Health & Disease

Why isn’t dental health considered primary medical care?

By Lola Butcher

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed.

<p>Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world</p>
Food & Environment

Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world

By Nicola Jones

Is nuclear power a necessary part of the energy transition away from fossil fuels? As the debate rages on, new technologies and smaller reactors may be shifting the balance.

<p>Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?</p>
Society

Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?

By Ben Seal

The push to legalize magic mushrooms, MDMA, LSD and other hallucinogens is likely to heighten tensions between state and federal law, drug law expert Robert Mikos says

<p>How to overcome political polarization on climate change</p>
Food & Environment

How to overcome political polarization on climate change

By Ula Chrobak

Conversations — in real life — can help bridge the partisan divide, but the trick is to have some structure to the discussion, says a human ecologist

Living World

Hunting sky islands for genetic clues to climate resilience

OPINION: Isolated mountaintops are hotbeds of evolutionary adaptation and great places to study how climate change affects ecosystems

By Sarah J. Love and Joe Bailey
Food & Environment

Moving trees north to save the forests

As the world warms, trees in forests such as those in Minnesota will no longer be adapted to their local climates. That’s where assisted migration comes in.

By John H. Tibbetts
<p>The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer</p>
Society

The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer

By KC Cole

A rift in thinking about who should control powerful new technologies sent the brothers on diverging paths. For one, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public.

<p>A big boost to Europe’s climate change goals</p>
Food & Environment

A big boost to Europe’s climate change goals

By Elise Hansen

The bloc aims to become the first carbon-neutral continent. A new policy called CBAM will assist its ambitions — and may persuade other countries to follow in its footsteps.

<p>Toward truly compostable plastic</p>
Technology

Toward truly compostable plastic

By Boyce Upholt

Materials scientists are cooking up environmentally friendly polymers from natural sources like silk, plant fibers and whole algae. Economics and acceptance remain hurdles.

<p>Losing the connection between the Andes and the Amazon: A price of peace in Colombia</p>
Food & Environment

Losing the connection between the Andes and the Amazon: A price of peace in Colombia

By Pablo Correa

The South American country, where the biodiversity of the Andes meets that of the Amazon, is losing the great natural wealth of some 1,500 square kilometers of forest each year, mainly in areas formerly under guerrilla control

<p>Why probation and parole don’t work as advertised</p>
Society

Why probation and parole don’t work as advertised

By Lola Butcher

The current system of supervised release in lieu of imprisonment may do more harm than good, some experts say. How can society do a better job of rehabilitating law-breakers while keeping them from re-offending?

Health & Disease

All about cholesterol

The latest science on how blood levels of HDL, LDL and more relate to cardiovascular health

By Amber Dance
Society

A new look at our linguistic roots

Linguists and archaeologists have argued for decades about where, and when, the first Indo-European languages were spoken, and what kind of lives those first speakers led. A controversial new analytic technique offers a fresh answer.

By Kurt Kleiner

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