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What an evolutionary biologist got wrong about cats

Sep 7, 2023
Jonathan Losos, author or "The Cat's Meow," shares an insight that will have cat owners purring in agreement.
Jonathan Losos with his cat, Nelson.

Superconductor breakthrough claims draw interest and skepticism

Aug 2, 2023
Claims of a room-temperature superconductor have gone viral, but others' earlier claims to have achieved this have been debunked.
A superconductor chilled to a very cold temperature levitates under magnets. It's called the Meissner effect.
iStock/Getty Images

More wildfires mean worsening air quality. How do we adapt?

Jun 8, 2023
Some pandemic-related tools get a second life, while investors look at more high-tech solutions.
A person wears a face mask as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets Manhattan on June 7, 2023 in New York City.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

El Niño could return this year to crank global temperatures even higher

Apr 24, 2023
The next two years could end up being the hottest on record.
View of the dried lake of La Sabana Metropolitan Park in San Jose, Costa Rica. The lake was affected by droughts caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images

Could a recent scientific breakthrough in electric conductivity transform tech?

Researchers at the University of Rochester created a material that could make superconducting possible at room temperature.
C
Jens Schlueter/AFP via Getty Images

Genetically modified trees arrive in U.S. forests

The idea is that they'll be able to pull more carbon dioxide from the air than regular trees.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

United launches $100 million green jet fuel fund

Feb 22, 2023
The airline will invest in startups developing sustainable jet fuels leveraging money from the Inflation Reduction Act.
United's investment fund will work to fund early-stage companies that are working toward greener jet fuel.
Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

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Biotech sector still hot despite cooling economy

Dec 27, 2022
The pandemic led to an explosion of interest in and funding of biotech. That continues even as many sectors slow and recession fears grow.
A sign on Oyster Point Boulevard calls South San Francisco the birthplace of biotech.
Beth LaBerge/KQED

What's happened so far at the UN's COP27 climate summit?

Nov 15, 2022
The Economist's Vijay Vaitheeswaran says that delegates have discussed issues like reparations and other aid for developing countries.
This year's UN climate summit has brought attention to issues like climate reparations for developing countries, says Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at The Economist.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

To boost diversity in clinical trials, NIH takes to the road to collect DNA from underrepresented groups

Aug 9, 2022
During the pandemic, the effort suspended in-person recruiting and lost momentum.
The All of Us bus helps the program connect with potential drug trial participants and collect biospecimens.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News