A Debate Over Cosmic Inflation (and Editing at Scientific American) Gets Heated
A heated debate over a theory of the young universe has jumped from academic journals into the pages of Scientific American. The dispute revolves around a widely-accepted theory of how the universe...
View ArticleAbstracts: Bird Flu, Albatross, Robots, and More
A wave of bird flu is sweeping through China. In the event of a global pandemic, only one U.S. manufacturer can be counted on to make a human vaccine, which requires eggs. Scientists track albatross on...
View ArticleBig-Data Policing Is Inherently Biased. Here’s Why.
Any attempt to curb the alarming rate of urban homicides is laudable. But recent research suggests that predictive policing tools help to reinforce, rather than reimagine, existing police practices....
View ArticleMeet the Weed Seed Pulverizing Machine
Known by a name seemingly out of a superhero comic book, the Harrington Seed Destructor is a mechanical beast, and it takes aim at the tiniest of enemies: little seeds from crop-destroying weeds, which...
View ArticleTipping the Scales on Climate Change
In its physical, political, and ethical dimensions, climate change is a mind-boggling challenge — and perhaps more complex than any humanity has faced. With that in mind, the Knight Science Journalism...
View ArticleAbstracts: Whales, Wolves, and More
A 36-million-year-old fossil found in Peru could fill a gap in our understanding of whale evolution. A rare white wolf in Yellowstone National Park was illegally shot and killed. Trump is expected to...
View ArticleFacial Recognition Technology Is Both Biased and Understudied
The facial recognition software used by police isn't always accurate — particularly if you happen to be non-white, and even more particularly if you are African-American. But the bigger surprise is...
View ArticleAn Unbalanced Plate of Food Policy
Even as young as 8 months, babies should be eating fruit and vegetables, experts advise. A new study finds a surprisingly high number who don't, especially among minorities. Stronger national and local...
View ArticleMouthful of Shame: The Scandalous State of U.S. Dental Care
Tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic health problem in America. It’s a tale with familiar villains: class divide, officials allergic to social medicine, and Americans themselves, helpless at the...
View ArticleAbstracts: Blood, Zika Vaccines, Wi-Fi, and More
A team of hackers tested Wi-Fi networks in locations frequented by President Trump, exposing outdated encryption. Scientists may be close to perfecting the recipe for primordial blood cells that can...
View ArticleTaking the Pulse of the Planet
Biologists are teaming up with geographers and earth scientists to create phenological maps of the planet, drawing on everything from the nature journals of long-dead men to satellite photographs...
View ArticleThe Truth About Domestic Violence and the Impacts of ‘Trumpcare’
Dan Heyman became famous for chasing down Thomas E. Price, the Trump administration's Secretary for Health and Human Services, and demanding to know whether it was right for pending health care...
View ArticleWhen Artificial Intelligence Gets Too Clever by Half
Suppose we develop a superintelligent system tasked with making as many paper clips as possible. It might simply convert everything, humanity included, into paper clips. Even a modestly capable AI...
View ArticleThe Virus Hunters
If scientists can detail the places where lethal viruses simmer in wait, they can head off a swelling pandemic and better manage outbreaks while they are still small and local. But finding out where...
View ArticleHow Insurers Take Advantage of ‘Medicare Advantage’
Recent lawsuits allege fraudulent payments to a major insurer for a Medicare program that covers millions of seniors. But even legitimate practices could drive up costs by nearly $200 billion within...
View ArticleTesting the Waters
Bottled water has surpassed soft drinks as the top-selling beverage in the U.S.; we’re drinking to our health, eight glasses a day. Increasingly, the water comes from municipal supplies, which have...
View ArticleFive Questions for Tom Steyer
Steyer’s interest in pushing for dramatic action on climate change has not waned, and he says he's baffled that the issue remains so politically polarizing in the United States. “There’s this sense,"...
View ArticleThe Fascist History of De-Extinction
Two brothers spearheaded efforts in Nazi-era Germany to resurrect the wild aurochs, an extinct species of wild cattle that they saw as both crucial to National Socialism, and integral to recreating the...
View ArticleThe Measure of a Fog: Finale
Cheney doesn't pretend to offer answers or specific solutions; he only seeks to shine a light into the fog, to look for shapes and patterns, and ultimately to explore the many reasons why the problem...
View ArticleUndark Podcast #15: The Virus Hunters
Our podcast host, David Corcoran, discusses Undark’s latest Case Study on the worldwide effort to find emerging viruses with writer Jeffrey Marlow. Also: Seth Mnookin on the success of new science...
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