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Stories from REPRINT AUTHOR PLACEHOLDER

Throughout time, women and children have processed food on a daily basis, playing a central role in the story of human survival and evolution.

Through Much of Human History, Women Have Shaped Evolution Through Food Processing

An anthropologist highlights the revolutionary role of the practice, which was often led by women, and was just as crucial to surviving and thriving as hunting

Only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries—roughly 2 percent—are currently monitored by observers, meaning the vast majority of fishing activity, including the bycatch of protected species, happens without oversight.

Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?

New A.I. analysis systems aim to count fish and identify species, streamlining the time-intensive process of recording commercial fishing activity

New light microscopy techniques can distinguish objects down to less than ten nanometers. 

These Super-Resolution Microscopes Are Revealing the Inner Lives of Cells

Advanced light microscopy techniques are giving scientists a new understanding of human biology and what goes wrong in diseases

The Stolen Kiss, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1787

These Salacious Artworks Chronicle the History of Adultery, From Biblical Punishments to Royal Mistresses

Artists such as Rembrandt, the Pre-Raphaelites and Georgian caricaturists used their craft to examine the morality and ramifications of adulterous affairs

Until recently, jokes were thought to be beyond the reach of A.I.

Can Artificial Intelligence Learn the Nuances of Human Humor?

As people turn to A.I. for therapy and companionship, some say the models still leave something to be desired

Feral cats have made their home on Fire Island.

Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Cats

In New York’s only federal wilderness area, the loss of a key predator has led to the rise of a new one—with dire consequences for the island’s native birds

Breakthroughs in tagging technology are opening a window into the lives of smelt and other small swimmers—a shift some scientists say could transform our understanding of the underwater world’s more minute creatures.

A New Generation of Tiny Tracking Tags Offers a Fresh Look at the Lives of Little Fish

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a tag the size of a grain of rice that can also work underwater

As our companions, dogs are often exposed to the same carcinogens as us.

How Cancer Research for Dogs Is Helping Improve Treatment for Pets and Humans Alike

Canine and human cancers bear many similarities, and studies on dogs are helping advance care for our furry friends and for us

A dark cloud of starlings shapeshifts over Rome.

A Closer Look at the Kestrels, Hedgehogs and Other Wild Animals That Inhabit Rome

From antiquity to modern times, the city has been rife with creatures that creep, slither, scurry and nest among its pillars and palaces

A Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba) flies from its roost.

Ten Stunning Nature Photos From the BigPicture 2025

From the beautiful to the bizarre, this annual photographic showcase shines a light on some of our planet’s most breathtaking species and places

The vision is to use the gate to create extended elephant migration routes that cut across South Africa, connecting green areas with navigation corridors that bypass cities and the rehabilitated gold mine dumps that ring Johannesburg.

In South Africa, a Smart Gate Could Help Connect Elephants’ Fragmented Habitat

An unlikely quartet’s clever contraption may allow the pachyderms to make better use of their range

A giant Yemeni flag waves at the historic 12th-century citadel of al-Qahira in Taiz, in 2021, ahead of celebrations of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. 

Yemen’s Al-Qahira Castle Survived Centuries of War and Neglect. Can It Survive Its Own Restoration?

With funding for preserving the historic site in jeopardy, local officials are wondering what will come next for the 800-year-old structure

A computer illustration details dog roundworm (Toxocara canis). Humans can pick up the parasite when coming into contact with infected soil or feces.

How Worm-Inspired Treatments Are Inching Their Way Toward the Clinic

Infection by certain wrigglers may reduce inflammation and fight obesity and diabetes. Scientists are working to turn the findings into therapies

Studying foraminiferan fossils can help us understand how the climate may change in the future.

These Tiny, Beautiful Fossils Detail the History of the Ocean

Bountiful remains of foraminifera reveal how organisms responded to climate disturbances of the past

Water may have arisen as early as 100 million years after the universe began.

Did Water Form in the Earliest Years of the Universe?

A recent study suggests huge volumes of the molecule emerged during the cosmic dawn

A 17th-century still life featuring a plate of oysters

From Peasant Fodder to Fine Dining, Feast on the Tasty History of How Snails and Oysters Became Luxury Foods

Humans have eaten mollusks for millennia, but they weren’t always viewed as elite treats

A grizzly bear walks along a road in Lake Louise, Alberta. 

To Reduce Human and Grizzly Bear Conflicts, Both Species Must Change Their Behavior

Rural Alaskan and Canadian communities are trying to get along with the large mammals

New research is revealing how climate change is impacting our eyes.

Climate Change Is Threatening Eye Health in Disturbing Ways

Cataracts, pinkeye and other ocular disorders are linked to heat, air pollution and higher UV exposure

Sea cucumbers come in a multitude of colors.

Welcome to the Weird and Wondrous World of Sea Cucumbers

These spiny or slimy ocean creatures display an astonishing diversity of appearances, behaviors and lifestyles—and many are increasingly threatened

Scientists are working to unravel the best ways to save many types of seeds.

To Safeguard Threatened Plants, Scientists Must Master the Tricky Art of Seed Banking

Researchers are working to unravel the hidden biology of often-persnickety seeds as they age, sleep and awaken

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