Before its catastrophic end, Pompeii was full of life
In “The Lost Voices of Pompeii,” ordinary people live their lives and seek to be remembered in the turbulent years before Mt. Vesuvius erupts.
Tiny wasps emerge from a caterpillar, and reveal a hidden world
In “Hidden Creatures,” a young entomologist discovers the miraculous world of parasites when cocoons sprout from a caterpillar.
Learning to trust the night sky, one star at a time
In “The Wild Dark,” a young Craig Childs finds himself alone in a dark wilderness. As the Milky Way comes into focus, fear turns to wonder.
Our evolutionary path to parenting—and sharing the load
“The Creatures’ Guide to Caring” explores how communal child-rearing allowed animals from wasps to humans to evolve and thrive.
How the financial industry has curbed drug development
“Pharma Monopoly” shows how the financial industry’s influence over pharmaceutical decision-making means fewer new drugs and higher prices.
In a never-ending stream of data, a nonhuman voice emerges
In “Hole in the Sky,” a threat forecaster confined to a bunker deciphers a mysterious code. One day, a new kind of voice comes through.
Backyard birds have a deep dino history
In “The Story of Birds,” the familiar creatures in our skies and backyards are reintroduced as the last surviving dinosaurs.
Why does life exist? Follow the energy
In “Why Do We Exist?” Hakeem Oluseyi explores how life may have emerged to move energy through matter—and why Earth is the perfect setting.
Humans have always been composting
In “Compost after Reading,” a history of how humans have managed the decomposition process to replenish soil through the ages.
The journey to ‘poophoria’ starts with a conversation
A gastroenterologist was surprised to find that so many of her patients struggled with pooping—and they didn’t know how to talk about it.