A rare, nearly complete fossil of an extinct North American porcupine helped me and my colleagues solve a decades-long debate^[1] about how the modern North American porcupine^[2] evolved from its ancestors.

Published in Current Biology, our paper argues that North American porcupine ancestors may well date back 10 million years, but they...

When we walked with a colleague into an aspen forest near Madison, Wisconsin, in the early spring of 2021, we expected to finalize our plans for a research project on several species of insects that live and feed on the trees. Instead, we found a forest laden with fuzzy, brown egg masses.

These masses, belonging to an invasive species...

Warm sun on your face, a gentle salty breeze, the sound of ocean waves. Your friend earnestly suggests surfing lessons, and you both laugh as you imagine the two of you gracelessly tumbling through the water.

Could imagining this beachside road trip together bring you closer, before you even pack your bags? Is imagining a shared future...