Opinion
Latest Opinion

How much of your disease risk is genetic? It's complicated.
By Arun Durvasula published
Opinion Environmental factors such as lifestyle and the medications you take influence the effects your genes have on your body — and can clarify how diseases develop.

Does light lose energy as it crosses the universe?
By Jarred Roberts published
The speed of light is the fastest anything can travel. What happens to a photon from a galaxy 25 million light years away on its journey toward Earth?

There's 90,000 tons of nuclear waste in the US. How and where is it stored?
By Gerald Frankel published
The decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste will continue, probably for many years to come.

Colossal's de-extinction campaign is built on a semantic house of cards with shoddy foundations — and the consequences are dire
By Vincent J. Lynch published
Opinion "Dire wolves" created by Colossal Biosciences were pegged as "the first animals in history to be brought back from extinction." But that all depends on your definition of de-extinction — and Colossal's definition isn't the same as everyone else's.

Viking Age women may have wielded weapons when pregnant, sagas and ancient artifacts hint
By Marianne Hem Eriksen published
Opinion Despite its central role in human history, pregnancy has often been overlooked in archaeology.

Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference
By John K. Murray published
Opinion With a little guidance and a lot of practice, even you can make stone tools the way our oldest ancestors did — and learn to recognize the signs of a deliberately made tool.

'Murder prediction' algorithms echo some of Stalin's most horrific policies — governments are treading a very dangerous line in pursuing them
By Akhil Bhardwaj published
Opinion The U.K. government is developing a program that seeks to identify murderers before they commit the ultimate crime. The real-world application of this type of tool will have devastating consequences.

What does it take for people to flourish?
By Victor Counted, Byron R. Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele published
OPINION A global study seeks insights into what helps people feel happy, healthy and satisfied — and what holds them back.

Climate wars are approaching — and they will redefine global conflict
By Topher McDougal published
Opinion Climate change's profound reshaping of conflict dynamics is already underway. The question facing humanity now is not whether we will confront these pressures, but how we will choose to do so.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.