Simchat Torah celebrations in Netanya, Israel, in 2013.

Simchat Torah: A Jewish holiday of reading, renewal and resilience

Oct. 14, 2022

Simchat Torah is about more than beginning to read the Torah all over again. It’s about the need to reexamine what we think we know, over and over again.

temple sun

Saltbush evolved to filter dust from wind to form mounds

Sept. 28, 2022

The wind that sculpts the stones also conspires with plants to transform a valley floor to a landscape of mounds with embedded plants.

abbey

Westminster Abbey has seen a millennium of British history, but many rituals, like those at royal funerals, aren’t so old

Sept. 20, 2022

Despite their emphasis upon tradition, royal ceremonies have always been somewhat fluid and reflective of the politics of their day.

fitweed

Fitweed nectar attracts pollinators and nectar robbers

Sept. 14, 2022

Surprisingly, the robbers might have little to no effect on fitweed and might even benefit the plant.

NASA is going back to the Moon

NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to the Moon sets the stage for routine space exploration beyond Earth’s orbit—here’s what to expect and why it’s important

Aug. 31, 2022

When the Orion Crew Capsule orbits the Moon there will be no one on board. But the mission will mark a key step in bringing humans back to Earth’s dusty sidekick.

moth

Caterpillars resembling bird defecations take wing as Weidemeyer's admirals

Aug. 24, 2022

Like the homely, warty toad transformed by a kiss to an enchanting prince, embarrassing excremental smears and lumps of who-knows-what metamorphose into delicate and lovely butterflies.

moth

Achemon sphinx moths' range is shrinking

Aug. 9, 2022

No doubt about it, sphinx moths are extraordinary; extinction is forever, and it would be tragic to lose such a remarkable group of moths.

paintbrush

Downy paintedcup adapts to changes in pollinators and root hosts across its range

July 8, 2022

The communities of pollinators and potential root hosts respond to climate change and the ever-increasing impact of humans on natural habitats.

Ukrainian funeral

Ukraine: most people refuse to compromise on territory, but willingness to make peace depends on their war experiences—new survey

June 30, 2022

Survey shows that Ukrainians’ attitudes about a peace settlement and any territorial concessions to the Russians differs depending on their experience of war.

Demonstrators stand outside the Supreme Court

There is no one ‘religious view’ on abortion: A scholar of religion, gender and sexuality explains

June 24, 2022

Views on abortion differ not only among major religious traditions, but within each one.

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