“How a mild-mannered scientist named Roxie Laybourne created the field of forensic ornithology.”
science
Posted inReading List
Science Cheats: A Reading List on Unscrupulous Scientists
Six stories on the shady side of scholarship.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Unmasking the Sea Star Killer
“After a decade of carnage, we finally know what’s devastating sea stars along North America’s West Coast. Does that mean scientists can save them?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
For the Living of These Days
“Every summer, locals reenact the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, where Prosecutor William Jennings Bryan remains something of a hero. I wanted to see for myself why this story still resonates.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Pain of Perfectionism
“It’s the fault people humblebrag about in job interviews, but psychologists are discovering more and more about the real harm it causes.”
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
Why One Geologist Thinks We Should All Pay More Attention to Rocks
“Professor Marcia Bjornerud urges us to understand rocks as records of earlier versions of the planet—and as a call to protect its future.”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Alyssa Roenigk, Rachel Monroe, Brad Rassler, Will Bahr, and Zachary B. Hancock.
Posted inEditor's Pick
I Tested My Blood for Microplastics. The Results Weren’t What I Expected.
What can a $150 home test kit really tell you?
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.”