Two scientists in a hot air balloon

When Victorian Scientists Caught Ballomania

Lick Observatory

The Women Who Made Male Astronomers’ Ambitions Possible

Fire Blazes At Iconic National Museum of Brazil

Brazil’s Museu Nacional Was More Than Just a Museum

Brazil's oldest natural history museum has burned down. The institution played a crucial part in creating Brazil's identity as a country.
Atom earth

Atoms for… Peace?

Iran's nuclear program is in the news, again. But what's the backstory on how the country went nuclear in the first place?
Portrait of Sir Thomas Browne

Sir Thomas Browne’s Vulgar Errors

If you're suffering from exhaustion, hallucination, or a coma, then you have Sir Thomas Browne, dead 335 years now, to thank.
Periodic elements

The Ever-Evolving Periodic Table of Elements

Four new elements--113, 115, 117, and 118--have been added to the periodic table. But the search for new elements hasn't always been so systematic.