Posts by Sophie Clearwater
The La Brea Tar Pits Have Been Sucking in Visitors for Millennia. Paleontologists Are Still Finding Out What Lies Within the Ooze
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[ad_1] In Los Angeles, scientists are delighted to decode one of the richest fossil records on Earth By Richard Conniff Photographs by Michael Christopher Brown April/May 2026 A visitor gazes at a statue of a giant short-faced bear. At around 11 feet tall, the Ice Age animal was the largest carnivorous mammal ever to roam…
Read MoreThe Endangered Proboscis Monkey Is Easily Identifiable By One Physical Trait: Its Supersized Schnoz
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[ad_1] When you see this primate’s nose, you know you’re in Borneo, where efforts are underway to restore its habitat By Alex Fox Photograph by Roberto García-Roa April/May 2026 Some 150 proboscis monkeys like this one make their home in Bako National Park, a protected area on the northwestern coast of Borneo. Roberto García-Roa If…
Read MorePurple Martins Rely on Human ‘Landlords’ to Provide Nest Boxes Each Spring. Can That Dynamic Last?
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[ad_1] The large swallows have nested alongside human settlements for centuries. Now, the birds’ breeding success depends on caretakers who are beginning to age out of the role Brian Payton, bioGraphic April 3, 2026 Purple martins are long-distance migrants that nest in human-provided boxes across North America. Claudio Contreras / Nature Picture Library We’re in…
Read MoreSpectators Flocked to the Artemis 2 Launch to Witness History Being Made. One Awed Viewer Called It ‘the Best Thing Ever’
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[ad_1] Wednesday evening, a human mission to the moon lifted off for the first time in more than 50 years. These 13 photographs capture what it was like to experience the moment Jay Bennett | Former Associate Web Editor, Science April 2, 2026 Onlookers capture photos and videos as the Space Launch System rocket carrying…
Read MoreCascade Red Foxes Are Notoriously Reclusive. So How Did This Photographer Capture These Stunning Images of the Endangered Species?
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[ad_1] Even the scientists who study the animals rarely see them except on camera. But Gretchen Kay Stuart spent a season documenting them up close The adult female fox, Shadow, was around 5 months old when Stuart first documented and named her in 2022. Gretchen Kay Stuart You never forget your first glimpse of a Cascade…
Read MoreWas Spinosaurus Really a ‘Hell Heron’? Digging Into the Star of Netflix’s ‘The Dinosaurs’
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[ad_1] With an incredible sail and heavy bones that might have acted as ballast, Spinosaurus seems primed for snatching fish. The creature has long captivated the public, from its early mysteries to the recent discovery of a new species Riley Black | Science Correspondent March 30, 2026 Spinosaurus was the largest and most aquatic of…
Read MoreFish Traps Have Been Banned on the Columbia River for Nearly a Century. Could Bringing Them Back Help Save Salmon?
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[ad_1] A new experiment is testing the commercial success of fish traps in Washington and Oregon. Even as some conservationists embrace the technique, its return has reopened old wounds among local fishers Zach Theiler March 27, 2026 Modern fish traps require pilings that are driven into the riverbed and netting that reaches across part of…
Read MoreHow a Small Winter Flower Has Attracted Droves of Admirers—and Offers a Symbol of Resilience
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[ad_1] The snowdrop, or Galanthus, blooms when the world is still frozen. Gardeners enamored with the plant gather each year in Pennsylvania to celebrate its subtleties and endurance Margo Rabb March 25, 2026 Snowdrops can push through snow and icy ground to bloom in winter, bringing their blossoms to the largely dormant landscape. Andrew Hart…
Read MoreAlien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here’s How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water
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[ad_1] Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s “habitable zone,” often considered the gold standard of potential livability McKenzie Prillaman | Assistant Digital Editor, Science & Innovation March 20, 2026 An artist’s illustration of the exoplanet HD 219134 b, a rocky world…
Read MoreThese Sea Slugs Can ‘Eat’ Sunlight—but They’re No Astrophage. Here’s How the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Antagonist Has a Real-Life Analogue in Earth’s Oceans
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[ad_1] By snatching chloroplasts from algae, animals called sacoglossans produce their own energy through photosynthesis Niamh Ordner March 18, 2026 Like Astrophage, the solar-radiation-eating microbes in Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary, some sea slugs can derive energy from sunlight. Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz / Images via the Florida Museum Invertebrate Zoology Collection and public…
Read MoreThese Charcoal-Eating Fungi Flourish After Fires. Uncovering Their Genetic Secrets Could Help Rebuild Burned Ecosystems
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[ad_1] Mycologists cultivated fungi they found in post-wildfire landscapes to understand the evolutionary traits behind their ability to thrive in the wake of flames Kunjal Bastola | Editorial Intern March 13, 2026 The fire-loving fungus Geopyxis, seen here in 2022, after California’s Caldor Fire, has distinctive brown cups with white rims. Monika Fischer / UBC…
Read MoreVenomous Snakes Represent a Serious Public Health Problem. Scientists Are Biting Back With a Groundbreaking Antidote
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[ad_1] There’s More to That A Smithsonian magazine special report Researchers around the world are attempting to create a safer and more effective treatment in hopes of saving hundreds of thousands of lives Ari Daniel | Host, “There’s More to That” March 12, 2026 Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz / Images from Paul Starosta via Getty…
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