Science & Society

  1. Psychology

    Learning will change with COVID-19’s social distancing

    As COVID-19 has shuttered schools to foster social distancing, the way kids learn is changing. Here are tips from some of the first sidelined classrooms.

    By Rachel Kehoe
  2. Science & Society

    Before working on spacecraft, this engineer overcame self-doubt

    Tiera Fletcher once dreamed of working on spacecraft. Gaining confidence helped her become an engineer who designs vehicles for moon or Mars travel.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  3. Earth

    Laundry tweaks can help clothes last longer and pollute less

    Clothes washed in cooler water and for less time shed less dye and fewer fibers, a new study finds. That’s better for clothes — and the environment.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  4. Environment

    Greener than burial? Turning human bodies into worm food

    Composting human bodies yielded good results — and good soil — in one small study. It could become an alternative to burial or cremation in one state.

    By Laura Sanders
  5. Animals

    Conservation is going to the dogs

    Scientists are now training dogs to help track rare, elusive — and sometimes invasive — plants and animals.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  6. Plants

    Let’s learn about the future of food

    Technology and a warming world will change what you eat and how it gets to your plate.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  7. Earth

    Desert trails and microbial life excite this soil scientist

    To help her desert community, Lydia Jennings focuses her research on how mining affects soil microbes.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  8. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19: When will it be safe to go out again?

    No one yet knows when social distancing can end. Experts explain we need 'herd immunity,' which won't be easy and may come at a horrific cost.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  9. Psychology

    How to cope as COVID-19 imposes social distancing

    As schools close in an effort to curtail the new coronavirus pandemic, we know how you feel and what you’re missing. Here are some tips for coping.

    By Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
  10. Science & Society

    Here are some free resources for kids (and parents) now learning at home

    From a weekly word to a new learning series, here’s how Science News Explores can help young science learners while schools are closed.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  11. Health & Medicine

    This scientist wants to know how racial discrimination gets ‘under the skin’

    Racism could have derailed Leticia Márquez-Magaña’s path to science. Now she studies the biological impact of stress faced by underrepresented groups.

    By Esther Landhuis
  12. Earth

    Weight lifting is this planetary scientist’s pastime

    Beck Strauss uses magnetic fields to explore the makeup of Earth and other planets.

    By Bryn Nelson