The abandonment of villages in Japan is changing ecosystems. Studies are finding that biodiversity has declined in places that people have left behind.Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg/Getty The idea that humanity is separate from the rest of the planet is deep-rooted, but wrong. Indeed, for most of human history, this has not been the case1. Many landscapes
To improve women’s health and quality of life, more research is needed on conditions that exclusively or disproportionately affect women.Credit: Good Brigade/Getty The five-year survival rate for breast cancer in the United States rose from 76% in 1975 to 94% in 2023. This was no accident; it was the result of sustained investment in research,
The predawn hours brought clear skies over much of the eastern United States on October 18, 2026. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station seized the opportunity to capture this wide-angle photo at 4:54 a.m. Central Daylight Time (09:54 Universal Time), with illuminated cities large and small arrayed across the darkened landscape. The U.S. Midwest’s
Explanation: “I see” IC 342, the Hidden Galaxy! Today’s image peers through the plane of the Milky Way, through all its gas, dust and stars, to unveil this spiral galaxy. IC 342 (or Caldwell 5) is one of the brightest members of the IC 342/Maffei group of galaxies. Located about 10 million light years away,
In early September, pharmaceutical giant Novartis issued a press release that sent shock waves through the cardiology community. A drug called pelacarsen, once expected to be a potential blockbuster, had failed to reduce the risk of heart problems and stroke in people with underlying cardiovascular disease. More muscle, less belly fat: mutations to a gene
If you are of a certain age, you might remember an innocent time when the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) took over the internet. Viral videos showing the feisty mammals that “don’t care” and punching above their weight made the honey badger a poster species for fearlessness. That same spirit appears to be alive and well