Why is cotton in everything? | Michael R. Stiff

A new virus emerges and spreads like wildfire. In order to contain it, researchers must first collect data about who's been infected. Two main viral testing techniques are critical: one tells you if y...

18 Mai 20204min

For almost a decade, scientists chased the source of a deadly new virus through China's tallest mountains and most isolated caverns. They finally found it in the bats of Shitou Cave. The virus in ques...

14 Mai 20204min

The midwife Xoquauhtli has a difficult choice to make. She owes a debt to her patron Teteoinnan, the female warrior goddess at the center of the Aztec seasonal festival, who must be kept happy or she ...

12 Mai 20204min

In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so di...

8 Mai 20208min

Your hands, up close, are anything but smooth. With peaks and valleys, folds and rifts, there are plenty of hiding places for a virus to stick. If you then touch your face, the virus can infect you. B...

5 Mai 20205min

You've been accused of a crime you did not commit. It's impossible to prove your innocence. If you insist that you're innocent anyway, you'll likely be found guilty and executed. But if you confess, a...

4 Mai 20205min

By 2050, it's estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful...

24 Apr 20205min

Australians call them "runners." The British know them as "trainers." Americans refer to them as "sneakers." Whatever you call them, these casual shoes are worn by billions of people around the world....

23 Apr 20205min