Scientists disagree about what life on other planets even means. Would we know it when we saw it?

What explains the rise of noise complaints and get-off-my-lawn violence in America? Research points to one intriguing possibility.

Outbreaks of disease may have had a greater effect on the course of events than the actions and plans of humans.

Meet the Americans who are exploring new frontiers in hallucinogenic research through a nascent technology known as extended-state DMT.

This spring, a virulent strain of bird flu ripped through U.S. farms. The public hardly noticed. That we could ignore the disease shows just how little we’ve learned about the origin of new viruses.

In the 1960s, a British researcher launched one of the largest ever studies of people who believed they could see the future.

A major paper debunking the “serotonin hypothesis” has a lot of people agitated. But leaving more room for nuance in our discussions about mental health is the right idea.

A survey of the world’s worst nuclear disasters highlights the catastrophic consequences of technical hubris.

Scientists have found toxic levels of the chemical at large. And some groups are making the case to produce even more.

The full report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we need to stop burning fossil fuels right now. But that reality was excluded from a summary for the people who need to hear it most: policymakers.

The father of game theory helped develop the atom bomb—and thought he could calculate when to use it.

Test your knowledge of politics and “30 Rock.” Telling these quotes apart is harder than it seems...

The long lobbying campaign of a handful of UFO obsessives and crank pseudoscientists is finally paying off.

Can meat grown in a laboratory help save the planet? And if it can, what’s standing in our way?

Their tweets said they were concerned. Their actions said otherwise.

The great discoveries of the age captivated his imagination. He almost always misunderstood them.

Helen Scales’s fascinating book about life in the deepest parts of the ocean carries a powerful warning.

A collection of well-funded UFO obsessives are using their Capitol Hill connections to launder some outré, and potentially dangerous, ideas.

Why we must do everything differently to ensure the planet’s survival

Two new books shed light on the different ways we view the business of existing.