Almost all the letters of the Latin alphabet are derived from the hieroglyphs that the Canaanites of Serabit chose to represent the sounds of their tongue.

For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal culture has been handed down orally through song and poetry without the need to write anything down.

Meet COVID-19 patients who lost their sense of smell and doctors working to determine whether the condition, called anosmia, is permanent.

Writing shaped our world and the rise of human knowledge, from the trading of goods to tales of ancient goddesses and kings. Follow the evolution of the written word, from 4,000-year-old carvings in an Egyptian turquoise mine to modern-day alphabets.

The gas phosphine, made on Earth by microbial life forms, was found in Venus' atmosphere.

When presented with a buffet of custards with varying ratios of protein to sugar, slime mold selects its optimal food source.

Meet the charismatic slime mold Physarum—which can learn, make decisions, and go through mazes without a brain—and the researchers studying it.

Scientists investigate the bizarre “intelligence” of slime molds, which appear to learn and make decisions—without a brain. These cunning, single-celled blobs can navigate mazes and create efficient networks. Can they also redefine cognition?

In October 2020, a NASA spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx attempts to reach out and grab a piece of an asteroid named Bennu to bring it back to Earth. The OSIRIS-REx team has just three chances to extend its spacecraft’s specialized arm, touch down for five seconds, and collect material from the surface of Bennu.

With an extraordinary new technology called CRISPR, we can now edit DNA—including human DNA. But how far should we go? Gene-editing promises to eliminate certain genetic disorders like sickle cell disease. But the applications quickly raise ethical questions. Is it wrong to engineer soldiers to feel no pain, or to resurrect an extinct species?

Gene-edited babies could be free of sickle cell anemia. David Sanchez, a teen with the disease, shares his thoughts on living with sickle cell—and a possible future without it.

Bacteria use CRISPR to defend themselves from viruses. Here's how researchers have used it to benefit yogurt cultures since 2007.

With an extraordinary new technology called CRISPR, we can now edit DNA—including human DNA. But how far should we go? Gene-editing promises to eliminate certain genetic disorders like sickle cell disease. But the applications quickly raise ethical questions. Is it wrong to engineer soldiers to feel no pain, or to resurrect an extinct species?

In May 2020, Chris Cooper was birding at The Ramble in New York City’s Central Park. He recounts the incident that garnered national attention and offers his perspective on diversity in the outdoors.

Discover how geoengineering solutions—from techniques as natural as planting trees, to vacuuming CO2 out of the air, to science-fiction alternatives like blocking sunlight—can help humanity turn the tide on climate change, and why these approaches are controversial.

Most experts agree that the key to avoiding worsening effects from a changing climate is to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero. Explore how scientists approach the challenge, and discover the technologies that can help get us there.