Climate
‘Our Fragile Moment’ finds modern lessons in Earth’s history of climate
Michael Mann’s latest book, Our Fragile Moment, looks through Earth’s history to understand the current climate crisis.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
How brain implants are treating depression
This six-part series follows people whose lives have been changed by an experimental treatment called deep brain stimulation.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Astronomy
This extreme star might have huge tidal waves
Gravitational forces between two orbiting stars might be creating huge waves of plasma on one of the stars that break and crash to the surface.
Notebook
Genetics
A new look at Ötzi the Iceman’s DNA reveals new ancestry and other surprises
Ötzi had genetic variants for male-pattern baldness and dark skin, and he also had an unusual amount of early farmer ancestry, a new DNA analysis finds.
Features
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These researchers are reimagining animal behavior through a feminist lens
Ambika Kamath and Melina Packer are working to overturn biased, outdated views in biology.
More Stories from the September 23, 2023 issue
- Health & Medicine
What we still don’t know about Wegovy’s effect on strokes and heart attacks
A clinical trial suggests that semaglutide, a drug used to treat obesity and diabetes, may protect cardiovascular health in a broad group of people.
- Health & Medicine
Health risks can persist at least 2 years after COVID-19, new data suggest
U.S. veterans who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 remain at higher risk for many long COVID conditions, from heart disease to gastrointestinal issues.
- Climate
Some leaves in tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis
Climate change may be forcing some tropical leaves to stop photosynthesis and die. It’s still unclear what effect this will have on entire forests.
- Climate
Emperor penguins lost thousands of chicks to melting ice last year
In 2022, groups of emperor penguins in western Antarctica lost almost all their chicks to receding sea ice, signaling the threat of climate change.
- Animals
Adult corals have been safely frozen and revived for the first time
Chunks of living corals could be frozen for safekeeping and revived later to restore reef ecosystems that are withering in warming seas.
- Astronomy
Active supermassive black holes may be rarer than previously thought
A dearth of rapidly growing black holes in new James Webb telescope data raises questions about how these behemoths grow and influence their galaxies.
- Archaeology
Pre-Inca people stomped salutes to their thunder god on a special dance floor
Excavation of a drumlike platform in the Andes turned up a structure seemingly designed to absorb shocks and emit resonant sounds when stomped upon.
- Psychology
An apology to Indigenous communities sparks a mental health rethink
The leading U.S. psychological association pledged to embrace Indigenous approaches to healing, which requires rethinking how to address mental health.
- Physics
50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion
In the 1970s, lasers that could initiate nuclear fusion were a distant dream. Now, scientists are using such lasers to achieve fusion “ignition.”
- Artificial Intelligence
How artificial intelligence sharpens blurry thermal vision images
A thermal imaging technique uses a special camera and AI to create clear images and accurately gauge distances of objects, even in pitch-blackness
- Physics
How to run a marathon in under two hours
Running between other people reduces air resistance. A new study identifies optimal positioning of such drafting formations. Watch out, marathon records.
- Space
Recoiling black holes could move at nearly one-tenth the speed of light
Knowing black holes’ speed after being kicked by gravitational waves can reveal how much energy converging black holes can release.
