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Science & Health

Climate change policy can be overwhelming. Here’s a guide to the ideas that work.

By David Roberts

Northern California now has the worst air quality in the world, thanks to wildfire smoke

By Brian Resnick

California’s newly homeless fire victims face the state’s severe housing shortage

By Umair Irfan

The Paradise fire is catastrophic. And the wildfire threat to California is only growing.

By Umair Irfan

Mercury retrograde, explained without astrology

By Joss Fong and Gina Barton

Who are period-tracking apps really built for?

By Kaitlyn Tiffany

Healthy options — or soda taxes? How two cities are tackling obesity.

By Sarah Kliff, Byrd Pinkerton, and 2 others

Does cutting carbs really help keep weight off? The big new diet study, explained.

By Julia Belluz

The world just redefined the kilogram

By Brian Resnick

A new study further undermines the myth of the “savage” Neanderthal

By Brian Resnick

Photos: what California’s lethal wildfires look like on the ground

By Eliza Barclay and Diana Elbasha

California’s wildfires are hardly “natural” — humans made them worse at every step

By Umair Irfan

The FDA cracks down on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars

By Julia Belluz

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already pressuring Nancy Pelosi on climate change

By David Roberts

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s incredible ability to bounce back

By Julia Belluz

An outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis, the polio-like illness, is affecting kids

By Julia Belluz

New York’s Orthodox Jewish community is battling measles outbreaks. Vaccine deniers are to blame.

By Julia Belluz

Why Michelle Obama’s revelation that she had a miscarriage and did IVF matters

By Julia Belluz

I got my dream job and had my baby the same week. So I brought my baby to work.

By Rebecca Kelly Slaughter

Criminal profiling doesn’t work. TV shows should maybe stop celebrating it.

By Dylan Matthews

I'm a woman who fought wildfires for 7 years. Climate change is absolutely making them worse.

By Anastasia Selby

Millions of Americans take vitamin D. Most should just stop.

By Julia Belluz

US climate politics just got even more polarized. Here’s how Democrats can move forward.

By David Roberts

The growth of yoga and meditation in the US since 2012 is remarkable

By Eliza Barclay and Julia Belluz

Fossil fuel money crushed clean energy ballot initiatives across the country

By David Roberts

Nutrition research is deeply biased by food companies. A new book explains why.

By Julia Belluz

New Delhi is once again the most polluted city on Earth

By Umair Irfan

The brutal mirror: what the psychedelic drug ayahuasca showed me about my life

4 trips in 4 days was the best — and worst — thing I’ve ever done.

By Sean Illing

Why do people hate vegans so much?

By Abigail Higgins

Does stress eating actually make you less stressed?

By Rachel Sugar

Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s deceptive tactic to stop soda taxes worked in Washington state

By Julia Belluz

California voters reject the tyranny of daylight saving clock changes

By Brian Resnick

Utah votes to legalize medical marijuana with Proposition 2

By German Lopez

Missouri votes to legalize medical marijuana

By German Lopez

Florida passed this year’s weirdest ballot initiative: a ban on vaping and offshore drilling

By Julia Belluz

Oumuamua is the only interstellar object we’ve ever seen in our solar system. What is it?

By Brian Resnick

Washington votes no on a carbon tax — again

By David Roberts

The midterm elections will give some voters a chance to legalize marijuana

By German Lopez

Most images of black holes are illustrations. Here’s what our telescopes actually capture.

By Brian Resnick

8 lessons from psychology that explain Trump’s caravan fearmongering

By Brian Resnick

Why science can’t replace religion

By Sean Illing

Big Oil is using brute financial force to kill 2 state sustainability initiatives

By David Roberts
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