On the Horizon: The Booming eDNA Marketplace
As supporters lobby for regulatory acceptance, a group of large consulting companies and eDNA specialists see...
A Weak Spot in Carbon Sequestration: Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells
A new report highlights the risk that 120,000 abandoned oil and gas wells pose to underground...
The Allure and Dangers of Experimenting With Brain-Dead Bodies
Surging interest in xenotransplantation, the implanting of non-human animal parts into human bodies, has cast a...
Book Excerpt: How Robots Have Become Trusted Surgical Assistants
Despite what we see in science fiction movies, intelligent machines cannot perform surgeries alone. But highly...
Ukrainian Scientific Collections Need Protection During War
Scientific collections housed in museums, archives, and libraries are part of a country’s cultural heritage. During...
To Mars and Back: Will NASA’s Ambitious Endeavor Be Worth It?
A complex mission to retrieve samples from the red planet is in the works. But while...
In Wisconsin, Satellites Spotlight Illegal Manure Spreading
A group of scientists are analyzing satellite images to teach computers to recognize when farmers butter...
New Genetic Tools Have Dramatically Changed Wildlife Conservation
In the rapidly growing field of eDNA, technological innovation has been key to surveying biodiversity. And...
Book Excerpt: In Animals, the Thin Line Between Play and Dreaming
Psychologists and cognitive scientists are probing the mysteries of play and dreaming among animals, which may...
Reduce the Use of Incubators to Address Infant Mortality
The World Health Organization recommends that all preterm infants receive at least 8 hours of skin-to-skin...
In Gaza, Satellites Show 157,200 Damaged or Destroyed Buildings
The Decentralized Damage Mapping Group, an ad hoc association of about 18 researchers worldwide, came together...
It’s Time to Reinvent the Rape Kit
While other forensic tools have leapt into the digital age, the rape kit — a ubiquitous...
People Hate Daylight Saving. Science Tells Us Why.
Time researchers make this point, and research results and public opinion polls reflect it: Something is...
Paul M. Sutter Thinks We're Doing Science (and Journalism) Wrong
In a spirited conversation centered on his new book, astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter has a lot...
Climate Scientists’ Claims Deserve More Scrutiny from the Media
Journalists need to put the claims of climate scientists under the same scrutiny they would give...
Your Child's Medicine Probably Wasn't Fully Vetted. Here's Why.
The vast majority of drugs prescribed for children appear to be safe, but a lack of...
Book Review: The Mysteries and Quirks of Human Memory
Memory does not work like a recording device, Charan Ranganath writes in “Why We Remember.” In...
Psychiatrists Raise Concerns Over an Uptick in School Referrals
Many psychiatrists have been seeing more children wind up in their offices and emergency rooms, pushed...
Institutional Ethics Committees Move Too Slowly, Critics Say
Although Institutional Review Boards play an important role in protecting trial participants, critics say that the...
Book Review: Reflections on a Life Suffused With Science
Nell Greenfieldboyce deftly weaves science and memoir in a collection of deeply personal essays, breaking out...
Ambivalence Over AI: We Are All Prometheus Now
The film “Oppenheimer” portrays the nuclear physicist’s ambivalence toward the weapon he helped create — an...
Are Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Health Incompatible?
Over the past 30 years, evidence-based medicine has transformed the practice of medicine worldwide. Whether it...
The Growing Environmental Footprint Of Generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence uses massive amounts of energy for computation and data storage and millions of...
For Captured Carbon, Scientists Plot a Sub-Ocean Tomb
Researchers are exploring the possibility of injecting excess carbon dioxide into the ocean floor to remove...
Interview: Confronting the Riddle of Geoengineering
According to climate expert Rob Bellamy, large-scale technological interventions like solar geoengineering that seek to change...
Why Doctors Avoid Talking With Patients About Gun Safety
Gun violence in the U.S. is a public health crisis, according to many medical associations. But...
The Uncharted World of Emerging Pathogens
The pandemic catalyzed a push for new technologies to help track viruses. Now, scientists around the...
The Revolution of Environmental DNA
In a six-part series, Undark explores the origins of environmental DNA collection. With new applications on...
Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis
Some 12 million U.S. adults are misdiagnosed every year, resulting in ICU admissions and deaths. But...
Environmental DNA Is Everywhere. Scientists Are Gathering It All.
By sampling eDNA, or mixtures of genetic material, in water, soil, ice cores, cotton swabs, dead...
Anorexia Should Never Be Considered a Terminal Illness
Less than half of those diagnosed with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa fully recover. Now, some...
Building Durable Basketball Players, From the Ground Up (Way Up)
Elite basketball puts a lot of strain on the body, and in the NBA, injuries are...
Police Turn to AI to Review Bodycam Footage
Body cameras were pitched by law enforcement authorities as a tool for building public trust between...
Rise of the Lone Star Tick Brings New Disease Threats
The lone star tick is expanding northward, bringing novel maladies, from a meat allergy to the...
Book Review: Decoding the Reign of the Algorithm
In “Filterworld,” Kyle Chayka explores the many ways in which algorithm-driven online content has reshaped our...
Lawyers and Legal Reformers are Keeping a Close Eye on AI
Legal professionals are already using generative AI to help review documents and automate parts of their...
The Hidden Racial Bias in U.S. Lung Cancer Screening Policy
Preventive lung cancer screening is seen as a key first line of defense against a disease...
For India's Millions of Farm Workers, a 'Drone Revolution' Looms
Despite the steep price, some Indian landowners are turning to drones to spray their fields. The...
When Addiction Treatment Fails, Can a Brain Implant Succeed?
Some neurosurgeons have begun to offer deep brain stimulation, which uses implanted electrodes to tamp down...
Book Review: How to Confront the Fear of Cancer
In “Curing Cancerphobia,” risk expert David Ropeik takes a deep dive into the world of cancer...
Treating Displaced Gazans' Trauma Will Require Cultural Respect
The Israeli bombardment has displaced many of Gaza’s citizens. In the past, programs to alleviate stress...
How the World’s Deadliest Crises Go Unseen
A study suggests the world’s deadliest humanitarian crisis in 2022 was not in Afghanistan, Ukraine, or...
Bring Science to Policy by Forging Connections
Researchers want real-world impact. Lawmakers want programs that work. The public wants to benefit from taxpayer-funded...
The Burgeoning Science of Search and Rescue
In a field where minutes can mean the difference between life and death, researchers have attempted...
Book Review: The Secrets of Earth’s ‘Silvery Sister’
In “Our Moon,” a sweeping survey of lunar science and lore, journalist Rebecca Boyle makes a...
Embracing Uncertainty When Searching for Life Beyond Earth
Does alien life exist? The many unknowns about detecting biological signatures of life on Mars and...
The Unseen Barriers Around Bathroom Breaks in the Field
Taboos around toilet care can make fieldwork uncomfortable and even dangerous, some scientists say. And a...
For Narcolepsy Patients, Drug Shortage and Stigma Restrict Care
An estimated 160,000 people in the United States live with narcolepsy, which impairs the ability to...
The Cost of Freeing Drinking Water from ‘Forever Chemicals’
Persistent pollutants known as PFAS contaminate air, soil, and water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is...
Book Excerpt: Can Robots Make Us More Emotionally Intelligent?
Chatbots, avatars, and other emerging forms of AI are being designed to serve as virtual therapists...