The Story of Abortion Pills and How They Work

Mifepristone and misoprostol are a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy, but many people around the world still don’t know these drugs exist.

3h

Researchers Made Ultracold Quantum Bubbles on the Space Station

NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory runs super-low-temperature experiments in near-zero gravity that would be impossible to accomplish on Earth.

10h

The Mystery of Monkeypox’s Global Spread

Initial genomic sequencing suggests the virus hasn’t mutated to become more transmissible. So what explains its unprecedented rise across the world?

1d

Undersea Cables Are the Latest Tools for Earthquake Detection

Rumbles and tides create tiny, detectable disturbances in fiber optics. The world’s cables could form a vast network for detecting earthquakes and tsunamis.

1d

Patients May Not Receive Miscarriage Care in a Post-Roe America

Doctors will be cautious about offering any treatment that could be regarded as an illegal termination—forcing patients to seek out-of-state care.

2d

The Wetlands Are Drowning

A long-term study of a marsh was meant to ask whether rising levels of CO2 could help wetlands thrive despite rising seas. The plants aren’t keeping up.

2d

A Puzzling Quantum Scenario Appears to Violate a Law of Physics

By resolving a paradox about light in a box, researchers hope to clarify the concept of energy in quantum theory.

3d

What the World’s Largest Organism Reveals About Fires and Forests

In Oregon, the tree-killing Humongous Fungus never would have gotten so large without the accidental help of modern fire suppression tactics.

4d

Nuclear Fusion Is Already Facing a Fuel Crisis

It doesn’t even work yet, but nuclear fusion has encountered a shortage of tritium, the key fuel source for the most prominent experimental reactors.

5d

The Online Spider Market Is Massive—and Crawling With Issues

A new study shows the enormous extent of the global arachnid trade, one that might be undermining wild populations.

6d