Why Dumping Seawater on Blazes Isn’t the Answer to California’s Wildfire Problem
Firefighting planes are dumping water from the ocean on the Los Angeles fires, but using saltwater is typically a last resort.
Influencers Are Hawking Wellness Products in Response to the LA Fires
Essential oils, detox regimens, parasite cleanses, and raw milk have entered the disaster economy.
Can You Get Rich Using a Raspberry Pi to Mine Cryptocurrency?
The profit margin on crypto mining is all about the physics of computers and energy conversion.
See 6 Planets Align on January 21
Alignments of five or more planets are rare—there will be two more featuring five or more planets this year, but after that the ne...
An Entire Book Was Written in DNA—and You Can Buy It for $60
What may be the first commercially available book saved in DNA is the latest example of how consumers might use molecular data sto...
Check Out These Extraordinary New Images of Mercury
New photos of Mercury taken during the joint European and Japanese BepiColombo mission reveal fascinating details of the small roc...
Why It’s So Confusing to Determine Air Quality in Los Angeles Right Now
Calculating air pollution from wildfires and other events has become more complicated. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily more acc...
Los Angeles Needs to Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses
After the devastation of the Los Angeles fires, officials are ready to rebuild. But defending against future fires requires thinki...
Pooping on the Moon Is a Messy Business
If humans are to return to the moon, space agencies and governments need to figure out the legal, ethical, and practical dimension...
Boring Architecture Is Starving Your Brain
Thomas Heatherwick believes architecture has a “nutritional value” to society—and that the public desperately deserve a better off...
Revolutionary Alzheimer’s Treatments Can’t Help Patients Who Go Undiagnosed
It’s a question of when, not if, highly effective treatments become available, says the CEO of Alzheimer’s Research UK. But that d...
Post-Pandemic Recovery Isn’t Guaranteed
The aftermath of a disaster like Covid can be divided into roughly three stages: the honeymoon, the slump, and the uptick. The aim...
Starliner Faces an Indefinite Wait in Space While NASA Investigates Its Faults
The space agency has pushed back the spacecraft’s return to an unspecified date in July, to give it more time to look into the pro...
What Came Before the Big Bang?
By studying the geometry of model space-times, researchers offer alternative views of the universe’s first moments.
Recluse Spider Season Is a Myth
The venom of recluse spiders can be dangerous, but the idea of there being a “season” when these arachnids invade homes and bite i...
How to Exercise Safely During a Heat Wave
An expert in heat-related illnesses outlines the dos and don'ts for when you're exercising or working outside this summer.
Everything’s About to Get a Hell of a Lot More Expensive Due to Climate Change
Intensifying hurricanes, floods, and heat waves are wreaking havoc across the country—and on all of our bank accounts.
Science Is Full of Errors. Bounty Hunters Are Here to Find Them
A new project is paying researchers to find errors in other scientists’ work. The only problem? Even error hunters make mistakes.
