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.

A golden eagle is tasked with finding her handler 1.5 miles away, putting her keen eyesight to the test.

Eagles dominate the skies. But what makes these predators so special? Researchers study one special bird—and stunning up-close footage reveals her exceptional strength, eyesight, and flying skills. With intimate access to a new bald eagle family, NOVA takes you into the nest to witness the drama of chicks struggling to survive.

In Iowa, bald eagle parents work hard to raise their first two chicks.

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has upended life as we know it in a matter of mere months. At the same time, an unprecedented global effort to understand and contain the virus—and find a treatment for the disease it causes—is underway. Join doctors on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 as they strategize to stop the spread, and meet the researchers racing to develop treatments and vaccines.

Discover how it works in bacterial cells and how it can be applied to other forms of life—including humans.