“How a mild-mannered scientist named Roxie Laybourne created the field of forensic ornithology.”
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Posted inEditor's Pick
What Happens Once We Spot the Asteroid That Will Hit Earth?
“This year, the alert system for defending the planet against incoming space rocks was activated for the first time. It won’t be the last.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Bright, Built World
“A reflection on how the poets Richard Siken and Anne Carson responded to losing their language.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Emi Nietfeld, Brendan Borrell, Boyce Upholt, Fernando Pinho, and Vann R. Newkirk II.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Animals as Chemical Factories
“Horses bled for antivenom, crabs drained for endotoxin tests, and silkworms boiled for silk. Science can now replace these practices with synthetic alternatives — but we need to find ways to scale them.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Geoengineering Could Alter Global Climate. Should It?
“Scientists and companies increasingly support blocking some sunlight to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Baby-Making on Mars
“In the depths of the Cold War, scientists from the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. joined forces to answer a still-urgent question: Can mammals reproduce in space?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Quest to Turn Human Waste Into Medicine
“After success in early stage trials, MaaT Pharma is on the verge of becoming the first company to have an approved microbiome-related product for cancer care.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Picture This: A Tectonic Revolution
“With one map, Marie Tharp revealed the raw, rifted depths of the Atlantic—and changed what we thought we knew about the Earth.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Grave Mistakes: The History and Future of Chile’s ‘Disappeared’
“A brutal regime hid hundreds of people’s remains. Can new forensic science help find them—and regain public trust?”
