Entertainment
Earth’s Smells Are Disappearing Because of Climate Change, and It’s a Vast Cultural Loss
A triple threat of pollution, extinction and warming temperatures is altering the way the planet smells. Scientists are only beginning to understand the stakes for humans Serena Jampel April...
The La Brea Tar Pits Have Been Sucking in Visitors for Millennia. Paleontologists Are Still Finding Out What Lies Within the Ooze
In Los Angeles, scientists are delighted to decode one of the richest fossil records on Earth By Richard Conniff Photographs by Michael Christopher Brown April/May 2026 A visitor gazes...
The Endangered Proboscis Monkey Is Easily Identifiable By One Physical Trait: Its Supersized Schnoz
When you see this primate’s nose, you know you’re in Borneo, where efforts are underway to restore its habitat By Alex Fox Photograph by Roberto García-Roa April/May 2026 Some...
Purple Martins Rely on Human ‘Landlords’ to Provide Nest Boxes Each Spring. Can That Dynamic Last?
The large swallows have nested alongside human settlements for centuries. Now, the birds’ breeding success depends on caretakers who are beginning to age out of the role Brian Payton,...
Spectators Flocked to the Artemis 2 Launch to Witness History Being Made. One Awed Viewer Called It ‘the Best Thing Ever’
Wednesday evening, a human mission to the moon lifted off for the first time in more than 50 years. These 13 photographs capture what it was like to experience...
Cascade Red Foxes Are Notoriously Reclusive. So How Did This Photographer Capture These Stunning Images of the Endangered Species?
Even the scientists who study the animals rarely see them except on camera. But Gretchen Kay Stuart spent a season documenting them up close The adult female fox, Shadow,...
Was Spinosaurus Really a ‘Hell Heron’? Digging Into the Star of Netflix’s ‘The Dinosaurs’
With an incredible sail and heavy bones that might have acted as ballast, Spinosaurus seems primed for snatching fish. The creature has long captivated the public, from its early...
Fish Traps Have Been Banned on the Columbia River for Nearly a Century. Could Bringing Them Back Help Save Salmon?
A new experiment is testing the commercial success of fish traps in Washington and Oregon. Even as some conservationists embrace the technique, its return has reopened old wounds among...
How a Small Winter Flower Has Attracted Droves of Admirers—and Offers a Symbol of Resilience
The snowdrop, or Galanthus, blooms when the world is still frozen. Gardeners enamored with the plant gather each year in Pennsylvania to celebrate its subtleties and endurance Margo Rabb...
Alien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here’s How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water
Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s “habitable zone,” often considered the gold standard of potential...
These Sea Slugs Can ‘Eat’ Sunlight—but They’re No Astrophage. Here’s How the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Antagonist Has a Real-Life Analogue in Earth’s Oceans
By snatching chloroplasts from algae, animals called sacoglossans produce their own energy through photosynthesis Niamh Ordner March 18, 2026 Like Astrophage, the solar-radiation-eating microbes in Andy Weir’s novel Project...
These Charcoal-Eating Fungi Flourish After Fires. Uncovering Their Genetic Secrets Could Help Rebuild Burned Ecosystems
Mycologists cultivated fungi they found in post-wildfire landscapes to understand the evolutionary traits behind their ability to thrive in the wake of flames Kunjal Bastola | Editorial Intern March...