News Feature in 2016

In the fierce debate about CRISPR gene editing, it’s time to give patients a voice.

Astronomers are beginning to glimpse what exoplanets orbiting distant suns are actually like.

An evolutionary burst 540 million years ago filled the seas with an astonishing diversity of animals. The trigger behind that revolution is finally coming into focus.

Scientists are becoming increasingly frustrated by the time it takes to publish a paper. Something has to change, they say.

The semiconductor industry will soon abandon its pursuit of Moore's law. Now things could get a lot more interesting.

Rigid robots step aside — a new generation of squishy, stretchy machines is wiggling our way.

As Earth's dry zones shift rapidly polewards, researchers are scrambling to figure out the cause — and consequences.

It may not be sexy, but quality assurance is becoming a crucial part of lab life.

Songbirds are a culinary delicacy in Cyprus — but catching and eating them is illegal. Even so, the practice is on the rise and could be threatening rare species.

The feral chickens of Kauai provide a unique opportunity to study what happens when domesticated animals escape and evolve.

The United States has invested in a grand ecological observatory, but the project has been dogged by budget overruns and delays.

Rapid changes in Tibetan grasslands are threatening Asia's main water supply and the livelihood of nomads.

Implicated in everything from traumatic brain injury to learning ability, boredom has become extremely interesting to scientists.

From flocking birds to swarming molecules, physicists are seeking to understand 'active matter' — and looking for a fundamental theory of the living world.