Skip to content
1932
<p>Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns</p>
Living World

Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns

By Amber Dance

More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model — and adding new twists — to gain a deeper understanding of animal markings.

<p>The hornet has landed: Scientists combat new honeybee killer in US</p>
Food & Environment

The hornet has landed: Scientists combat new honeybee killer in US

By Hannah Hoag

An invasive yellow-legged wasp has been decimating beehives in Europe — and bedeviling Georgia since last summer. Researchers are working nest by nest to limit the threat while developing better eradication methods.

<p>Time for half-year resolutions?</p>
The Mind

Time for half-year resolutions?

By Tim Vernimmen

If your good intentions from a few months ago haven’t led to much, take note. A psychologist tells us what we can learn from studies on willpower.

<p>Fit for a dog? The latest science on CBD for pets</p>
Health & Disease

Fit for a dog? The latest science on CBD for pets

By Ula Chrobak

Though studies are still mixed, and products often inconsistent, many scientists have hope that cannabidiol can help canines and other furry patients suffering from arthritis, allergies and anxiety

<p>In defense of wild meat’s place at the table</p>
Food & Environment

In defense of wild meat’s place at the table

By Tim Vernimmen

Sustainable and safe consumption of wildlife is possible, and important for those who depend on it, says a conservation researcher

Living World

The wasps that tamed viruses

To protect and rear their young, some insects have transformed wild viruses into tiny biological weapons

By Nala Rogers
Food & Environment

From toxic fungus to soy sauce superstar

Today the koji mold is a master fermenter, but it has a checkered past

By Rachel Ehrenberg
<p>The tender art of tadpole parenting</p>
Living World

The tender art of tadpole parenting

By Tim Vernimmen

From poison frogs to worm-like caecilians, some amphibians are hardworking and surprisingly creative caregivers

<p>When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?</p>
Society

When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?

By Elise Hansen

A researcher weighs in on who’s accountable, when and why, in the eyes of the law — and whether the measures work as intended

<p>They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders</p>
Living World

They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders

By Amber Dance

Some make nests inside seashells, others tote bubbles of air on their backs. The spiders that went back to water evolved lots of slick survival strategies.

<p>How next-gen data analytics is changing American football</p>
Technology

How next-gen data analytics is changing American football

By Dana Mackenzie

At the NFL’s Big Data Bowl, scientists compete to develop new stats that better capture player performance

<p>Should you take vitamin D? Here’s the science</p>
Health & Disease

Should you take vitamin D? Here’s the science

By Katarina Zimmer

Some people take too much, and too many get too little. Experts explain who needs D supplements, and why.

Multimedia

<p>What’s next in the Ozempic era?</p>
Health & Disease

What’s next in the Ozempic era?

By Matías A. Loewy

Diabetes, weight loss and now heart health: A new family of drugs is changing the way scientists are thinking about obesity — and more uses are on the horizon

<p>Geothermal power heats up</p>
Technology

Geothermal power heats up

By Katarina Zimmer

Long confined to regions with volcanic activity, geothermal promises to become a much more versatile energy source thanks to new technologies

<p>Why do some people always get lost?</p>
Society

Why do some people always get lost?

By Bob Holmes

Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction

<p>Why are there so many beetle species?</p>
Living World

Why are there so many beetle species?

By Lesley Evans Ogden

Diet played a key role in the evolution of the vast beetle family tree

<p>How to control chronic wasting disease</p>
Living World

How to control chronic wasting disease

By James Gaines

A prion sickness similar to mad cow is spreading rapidly through North America’s deer and elk populations. A veterinary microbiologist discusses the options for keeping it in check.

Food & Environment

Inching toward a global treaty on plastic pollution

Delegates from 175 nations are working on an international agreement that would tackle the vast amounts of plastic waste in the environment. A marine scientist specializing in plastic pollution discusses the problem and her hopes for the proceedings.

By Nicola Jones
Health & Disease

Why isn’t dental health considered primary medical care?

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed.

By Lola Butcher
<p>Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world</p>
Food & Environment

Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world

By Nicola Jones

Is nuclear power a necessary part of the energy transition away from fossil fuels? As the debate rages on, new technologies and smaller reactors may be shifting the balance.

<p>Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?</p>
Society

Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?

By Ben Seal

The push to legalize magic mushrooms, MDMA, LSD and other hallucinogens is likely to heighten tensions between state and federal law, drug law expert Robert Mikos says

<p>How to overcome political polarization on climate change</p>
Food & Environment

How to overcome political polarization on climate change

By Ula Chrobak

Conversations — in real life — can help bridge the partisan divide, but the trick is to have some structure to the discussion, says a human ecologist

<p>Hunting sky islands for genetic clues to climate resilience</p>
Living World

Hunting sky islands for genetic clues to climate resilience

By Sarah J. Love and Joe Bailey

OPINION: Isolated mountaintops are hotbeds of evolutionary adaptation and great places to study how climate change affects ecosystems

<p>Moving trees north to save the forests</p>
Food & Environment

Moving trees north to save the forests

By John H. Tibbetts

As the world warms, trees in forests such as those in Minnesota will no longer be adapted to their local climates. That’s where assisted migration comes in.

Society

The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer

A rift in thinking about who should control powerful new technologies sent the brothers on diverging paths. For one, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public.

By KC Cole
Food & Environment

A big boost to Europe’s climate change goals

The bloc aims to become the first carbon-neutral continent. A new policy called CBAM will assist its ambitions — and may persuade other countries to follow in its footsteps.

By Elise Hansen

Support Knowable Magazine

Help us make scientific knowledge accessible to all

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error