Curious Kids^[1] is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[2]. Is it possible to make a phone through which we can smell, like we can hear and see? – Muneeba K, 10, Pakistan Imagine this: You pick up your phone for a video call with a

As any avid gardener will tell you, plants with sharp thorns and prickles can leave you looking like you’ve had a run-in with an angry cat. Wouldn’t it be nice to rid plants of their prickles entirely but keep the tasty fruits and beautiful flowers?

I’m a geneticist^[1] who, along with my colleagues, recently discovered the gene that...

Kids born in 2020 worldwide will experience twice the number of wildfires^[1] during their lifetimes compared with those born in 1960. In California and other western states, frequent wildfires have become as much a part of summer and fall as popsicles and Halloween candy.

Wildfires produce fine particulate matter, or PM₂.₅^[2], that chokes...