CATEGORIES
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
WHO OWNS THE MOON?
INDIA LANDED AN UNCREWED SPACECRAFT ON THE MOON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST 2023. Japan just reached the Moon for the first time with a robotic spacecraft in January. And in 2026, the United States is set to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in more than half a century with its Artemis III mission.
INVESTIGATING ICY MOONS
The Search for Hidden Oceans-and Extra-Terrestrial Life
EDWARD ASHTON
ASTRONOMER
New Moons of Saturn
A NEW DISCOVERY IS CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THE MOONS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
The Truth About Pluto
THEN ONE DAY IT WASN'T A PLANET. THE END.
THE POWER OF TIDES
THE PUSH AND PULL OF MOONS WITH THEIR HOST PLANETS
JUSTIN DARNALL
AEROSPACE ENGINEER
To the Moon-and Beyond!
NASA'S ARTEMIS PROGRAM IS SET TO RETURN HUMANS TO THE MOON AFTER MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.
(Don't) Fly Me to the Moon
WAS IT A CONSPIRACY? NOPE. BUT NO-MOONIES ARE SKEPTICAL ANYWAY.
Ready, Set, Eclipse!
AN OBSERVER'S GUIDE TO THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON APRIL 8, 2024
Envisioning the Future
Albert Robida had a fun but clear-eyed view of the future. Writing and illustrating at the end of the 1800s, he imagined what the year 2000 would look like. Who could picture the world more than a century in the future?
Do You Really Want a Flying Car?
Close your eyes and imagine the future. Are flying cars whizzing through the air?
No Flights of Fancy
Animal-inspired innovations for airplanes
Balloons on a Mission
When scientists need to do research at the very edge of space, they skip the rocket ship and send a balloon instead.
Are plants aware of themselves?
Sure, scientists noticed one of my special skills. But most people are still overlooking my epic poetry.
THE TROUBLE WITH TRANSPORTERS
Quantum teleportation has been achieved. But can it work for people?
The QUEST for QUIET, QUICK PLANES
Supersonic Flight Could Be Making a Comeback
THE FORMULA FOR FLYING
Want to fly? Then you must balance these four forces.
PTERO-SOAR
Tomorrow's High-Tech Aircraft May Use Secrets From the Days of the Dinosaurs!
PLANES Made of PLANTS
Scientists are looking for creative ways to reduce airplanes' carbon footprints by making them fly more efficiently and developing sustainable fuels. But what about the materials in the planes themselves?