Artemis II nears its finale
After looping around the moon, the Artemis II crew — and their capsule’s heat shield — are preparing for the mission’s fina…
Crossword: Traveling Light
Solve the crossword from our May 2026 issue, in which we expand the way we see the universe.Solve the crossword from our May 2026 i…
Seeing and imagining activate some of the same brain cells
By recording brain activity directly, scientists showed that imagining an object can revive parts of the neural pattern used to see…
Emperor penguins are marching toward extinction. Antarctica fur seals too
Conservationists now list the penguins and seals as “Endangered.” Climate change in Antarctica has led to plunging populations.…
Even before splashdown, Artemis II is delivering a scientific treasure trove
The Artemis II moon flyby may be over, but the hunt for scientific treasures in the trove of data collected is just starting.The Ar…
Hawaii is turning ocean plastic into roads to fight pollution
The ocean plastic that washes up on Hawaii’s beaches is recycled into asphalt to pave roads. The roads are then tested for microp…
Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe
A cave preserved two animals’ rib cages, cartilage and even traces of protein, revealing a flexible breathing apparatus like that…
The ‘oldest fossil octopus’ is probably another animal
In 2000, researchers thought they found the oldest fossil octopus, which lived over 300 million years ago. But it may just be a hal…
The first-ever ‘Earthset’ image marks another Artemis II milestone
As NASA’s Orion spacecraft slipped behind the farside of the moon, the astronauts captured the crescent of Earth setting over the…
A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom
In The Creatures Guide to Caring, science journalist Elizabeth Preston looks to the animal kingdom to explore what it mean…