A Portrait of a Coal Town on the Brink of Death

A failing coal industry has left many residents of West Virginia with few options: move away, die, or try to scrape out a future in an unforgiving economic climate. By Jacob S. Knabb.

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Did Harvard Scientists Secretly Discuss Making a Human from Scratch?

What does it mean for researchers, journalists and the public when secrecy surrounds science? By Jeff Bessen. (May 24, ’16)

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Yoga May Be Good for the Brain

A weekly routine of yoga and meditation may help to stave off aging-related mental decline, according to a study of older adults with memory problems.

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The Voyager Golden Records and the Trouble With Time Capsules

A close examination of the Voyager Golden Records reveals the one flaw behind all attempts to bottle history: humans. By Cara Giaimo.

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How Europe exported the Black Death

DNA suggests that that the Asia-borne pathogen lingered in Europe, then spread eastward. By Andrew Lawler.

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Brighter LEDs, Thanks to Firefly Butts.

Fireflies, or lightning bugs, are undoubtedly one of the many joys of summer. Children chase and catch them, temporarily distracting the insects from their important mission of finding love.

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How Do Animals Keep from Getting Lost?

Every three years, the Royal Institute of Navigation organizes a conference focussed solely on animals. This April, the event was held southwest of London, at Royal Holloway College, whose ornate Victorian-era campus has appeared in “Downton Abbey.” For several days, the world’s foremost animal-navigation researchers presented their data and findings in a small amphitheatre. Most of the talks dealt with magnetoreception—the ability to sense Earth’s weak but ever-present magnetic field—in organisms as varied as mice, salmon, pigeons, frogs, and cockroaches.

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