Science & Health

News and updates from the health and science team. Topics include genetics, infectious disease, psychology, and more.

Climate disasters hit poor people hardest. There’s an obvious solution to that.

New experiments show the power of giving cash right before extreme weather strikes.

By Sigal Samuel

Palm oil is actually not that bad (anymore)

Palm oil once destroyed orangutan-filled rainforests in Southeast Asia. Now, the industry is cleaning up its act.

By Benji Jones

The 747 is out. Green airplanes are in.

By Adam Clark Estes February 2

Avian flu is really bad for birds. What about for us?

By Keren Landman and Benji Jones February 1

What should be kept off-limits in a virology lab?

By Kelsey Piper February 1

Insulin is way too expensive. California has a solution: Make its own.

By Dylan Scott February 1

What can the world learn from China’s “zero-Covid” lockdown?

By Rachel DuRose January 31

Clean energy is taking over the Texas grid. State officials are trying to stop it.

By Umair Irfan January 30

Gas stoves and the problematic politics of sacrifice

By Kelsey Piper January 25

We pulled pandas back from the brink of extinction. Meanwhile, the rest of nature collapsed.

By Benji Jones January 25

The Federal Reserve is starting a climate experiment

By Umair Irfan January 23

The “zombie” fungus in The Last of Us, explained by a biologist

By Benji Jones January 21

5 myths about gas stoves, the latest culture war clash

By Rebecca Leber January 20

Were bivalent boosters worth it?

By Keren Landman January 20

How scientists discovered the universe is really freaking huge

By Brian Resnick, Byrd Pinkerton, and 1 more January 19

Honey bees are not in peril. These bees are.

By Benji Jones January 19

How torrential downpours make it harder for California to save up water

By Umair Irfan January 17

The biggest animal welfare crisis you’ve never heard of

By Sophie Kevany January 16

Welcome to the era of weather whiplash

By Benji Jones January 11

The gas stove regulation uproar, explained

By Rebecca Leber January 11

The US was poised to pass the biggest environmental law in a generation. What went wrong?

By Benji Jones January 11

Why is science slowing down?

By Kelsey Piper January 11

The mystery of the mimic plant

By Benji Jones January 11

Why your gas bill might be way higher this winter

By Rebecca Leber January 11

Travel is almost back to pre-Covid levels. So are carbon dioxide emissions.

By Umair Irfan January 10

Elon Musk’s Starlink is only the beginning

By Rebecca Heilweil January 10

Coming soon: Beef, coffee, and chocolate, without a side of environmental destruction

By Benji Jones January 10

Big Meat just can’t quit antibiotics

By Kenny Torrella January 8

The FDA could soon approve a new Alzheimer’s drug. Does this one actually work?

By Dylan Scott January 6

How the latest Covid-19 variant is shaping the course of the pandemic

By Umair Irfan January 6

California’s deadly floods won’t break the megadrought

By Neel Dhanesha January 6

The bitter civil war dividing American veterinarians

By Marina Bolotnikova January 4

How an NFL hit could stop a heart

By Keren Landman January 3

How you can take advantage of tax breaks in the Inflation Reduction Act

By Rebecca Leber January 3

23 things we think will happen in 2023

By Dylan Matthews, Sigal Samuel, and 2 more January 2

22 predictions we made in 2022, and the 6 we got wrong

By Dylan Matthews, Kelsey Piper, and 2 more December 31, 2022

5 ways the US can fight climate change in 2023

By Rebecca Leber December 30, 2022

Winter storms put the US power grid to the test. It failed.

By Rebecca Leber December 27, 2022

Great news for germs

By Keren Landman December 23, 2022

Why are American lives getting shorter?

By Siobhan McDonough December 22, 2022

The tricky business of putting a dollar value on a human life

By Dylan Matthews December 22, 2022

Can capitalism and nature coexist?

By Benji Jones December 21, 2022