It’s a wonderful world — and universe — out there.

Explainers

Background pieces for a deeper dive into a broad range of pivotal topics

Physics
Explainer: Understanding meteors and meteor showers

By Matthew CappucciDecember 13, 2019
Chemistry
Explainer: What are acids and bases?

By Lida TunesiNovember 13, 2019
Earth
Explainer: Earth — layer by layer

By Beth GeigerNovember 11, 2019
Genetics
Explainer: How DNA testing works

By Tina Hesman Saey and Bethany BrookshireOctober 24, 2019
Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is ultrasound?

By Silke SchmidtOctober 1, 2019
Chemistry
Explainer: The bacteria behind your B.O.

By Bethany BrookshireAugust 22, 2019
Climate
Explainer: Why some clouds glow in the dark

By Matthew CappucciAugust 2, 2019
Climate
Explainer: What is attribution science?

By Stephen OrnesJuly 30, 2019

Health & Medicine
By the numbers: How infectious measles and other diseases spread

By Helen ThompsonJuly 8, 2019
Earth
Explainer: Understanding geologic time

By Beth GeigerJune 13, 2019
Climate
Explainer: How heat kills

By Aimee CunninghamMay 2, 2019
Health & Medicine
Explainer: Vaccines are not linked to autism

By Kathiann Kowalski and Stephen OrnesApril 4, 2019