Stories by Rachel Feltman

We’re closing out the year with a roundup of the science stories that stood out to our editors in 2024.

There are so many species facing extinction—but today we’re telling stories about the animals making a comeback and the conservationists working hard to help.

Modern conservationists are finding new ways to protect wildlife.

Conservationists have access to massive amounts of data on wildlife—and machine learning is helping them make meaning out of them.

Though it may seem paradoxical, zoos can play a big role in modern conservation efforts.

Translating complex information into captivating podcasts is no simple task. Is AI up to the challenge?

A mysterious outbreak occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and researchers find evidence that exposure to leaded gasoline was linked to increases in mental illness. Plus, we discuss orcas wearing salmon as hats.

Underdiagnosed iron deficiency and anemia could be leaving people without affordable fixes for their concerns.

“America’s Doctor” says that our common enemy is the danger posed by viruses, not each other.

Holiday deals are designed to be irresistible. A consumer psychologist explains how to avoid overconsumption and shop sustainably.

RFK, Jr., could restructure the CDC, FDA and NIH in pursuit of his flawed vision of public health. Plus, we discuss chimpanzees at play and the first-ever close-up image of a star.

Social psychologists could turn artificial-intelligence-powered tools like ChatGPT on to writings from past cultures. Will this help us study ancient civilizations?

A study of births in New Jersey reveals a troubling disparity between unscheduled C-sections for Black people.

A serious bird flu infection in Canada, a troubling projection of future plastic waste and dispatches from a global climate convention.

On the 50th anniversary of the “Arecibo message,” we present a reflection on humankind’s first attempt to send a transmission to intelligent life in the cosmos.

Violins, the ink on the Declaration of Independence and other ways that insects shaped human history

Droughts in 48 of 50 U.S. states, evidence of microplastics mucking up wastewater recycling and the science of a baseball mud bath in this week’s news roundup.

Focusing on size in health care might be doing more harm than good.

In medieval times, astrology was considered a serious science, a branch of astronomy. Curator Larisa Grollemond of the Getty Museum, walks us through the medieval zodiac and how someone’s sign decided their day-to-day life.

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could set the climate agenda, reshape public education and shift the dynamics of global science collaboration.

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could reshape policies from health care at home to nuclear proliferation abroad

Host Rachel Feltman and behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner explore our fascination with fear and what drives our obsession with all things spooky.

We cover a 3.26-billion-year-old meteorite impact, the spread of bird flu and a scurvy case study that serves as a cautionary tale in this week’s news roundup.

An open body of water can be particularly eerie. It’s part of what led creator and author Geo Rutherford to make her viral videos on Spooky Lakes.