What If There Is Life on Venus?
The surprising scientific discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Earth’s closest neighboring planet is reanimating questions about humanity’s place in the cosmos.
Environment
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The Green Woods of Resilience
An anthropologist unwinds the complex threads of forest conservation, revealing how Rwanda’s Gishwati Forest has emerged as a place of hope after decades of turmoil.
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Do Black Lives Matter in Outer Space?
Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, is ramping up its efforts to inhabit Mars, raising crucial questions about who gets left out of fantasies of space colonization.
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How COVID-19 Is Changing People’s Relationships With Houseplants
An anthropologist digs into what the current “botanic boom” reveals about people’s interactions with nature and with one another.
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Wildfire Archaeology and the Burning American West
Archaeologists in New Mexico are pioneering surprising research methods—involving tree rings, pottery, and blasts of light—to explain why wildfire suppression doesn’t work.
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Communities Grapple With Exposure to “Forever Chemicals”
Toxic chemicals known as PFAS pollute the water at more than 2,000 sites across the U.S.—and reside in the bodies of most Americans. How do residents cope with contamination?