U.S. science always suffers during government shutdowns. Funding lapses send government scientists home without pay[1]. Federal agencies suspend[2] new grant opportunities, place expert review panels on hold, and stop collecting and analyzing critical public datasets[3] that tell us about the economy[4], the environment[5] and public health[6].
In...
When I asked Manisha to describe her gender identity, she gave a simple answer: “Meh.”
“I don’t have a gender identity,” Manisha explained. “I get that other people look at me and see a woman but, for myself, there’s a blank space where my gender ‘should’ be. My gender is ‘none.’”
Manisha’s response didn’t shock me....
Opening my social media feed, I’m often confronted with a jarring contrast: intense, diametrically opposed perspectives from different friends. The comments can be laced with insult, character attack and invective.
I’m certainly not the only one noticing this kind of vitriolic polarization. Recent polling suggests a majority of Americans...
A newly discovered protein[1] from Earth’s toughest animal is inspiring breakthrough therapies for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are microscopic creatures that can survive just about anything[2]: boiling heat, freezing cold and crushing pressure. In fact, tardigrades are the only known...