Physicist Chien-Shung Wu at the Smith College physics lab with an electrostatic generator AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives In the 1960s, a group of physicists and historians began a massive project meant to catalogue and record the history of quantum physics. It was called Sources for History of Quantum Physics (SHQP). As part of it,…
In the 1910s, a relatively unknown cancer researcher named Maud Slye announced the first results of a study with the loftiest ambitions: to identify what causes cancer. To answer that question, the University of Chicago pathologist had bred tens of thousands of mice, enough to fill a three-story building. She carefully documented their ancestry and…
Tests of chimps’ intelligence often take place in labs, not in the wild or in sanctuaries like this one PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images The Arrogant ApeChristine Webb, Abacus, UK; Avery, US IN THE beginning, God made man in his image, granting him dominion over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Most people…
November 13, 2025 2 min read Jeffrey Epstein E-mails Reveal Depth of Ties to High-Profile Scientists A trove of e-mails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released by a congressional committee on Wednesday By Dan Vergano edited by Claire Cameron A protester holds a sign related to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case…
“The US government is depriving universities of billions in federal funding…” ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images In 1907, US historian Henry Adams first started circulating a memoir that would go on to be a smash hit in 1919: The Education of Henry Adams. Given Adams’s illustrious family – both his grandfather and great-grandfather were presidents…
November 13, 2025 2 min read Dog Skull Analysis Rewrites Evolution of Humanity’s Best Friend A surprising diversity of dog shapes and sizes evolved long before the Victorians began making modern breeds By Kate Wong edited by Clara Moskowitz MirasWonderland/Getty Images Modern dog breeds come in a mind-boggling array of shapes and sizes—from Chihuahua to…
Selfishness is an uncomfortably common biological phenomenon. Recent research showing how genetic mutations accumulate in sperm in middle and older age highlights this. Stem cells that emerge over time make it much more likely that sperm will have disease-causing mutations in older fathers – possibly up to 5 per cent of gametes by age 70,…
November 13, 2025 3 min read Are Turkeys at Risk of Bird Flu This Thanksgiving? Nearly two million U.S. turkeys have died from bird flu in recent months. An agricultural economist explains what ongoing outbreaks could mean for Thanksgiving meals By Meghan Bartels edited by Lauren J. Young Avian influenza has felled dozens of poultry…
Francis Crick (right) and James Watson in 1953 as they modelled DNA A. BARRINGTON BROWN, GONVILLE & CAIUS COLLEGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Crick: A mind in motion – from DNA to the brainMatthew Cobb, Profile Books, UK; Basic Books, US Francis Crick missed a crucial seminar in 1951, probably because he was seeing a lover. James…
November 13, 2025 2 min read Blue Origin’s NASA Launch to Mars Is a Shot across the Bow for SpaceX After delays, Jeff Bezos’ rocket company successfully launched a NASA mission to study Mars on Thursday. By Claire Cameron edited by Lee Billings CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images Blue Origin successfully launched — and partially…
