Category: 1. Edi-Choice

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

• Why sunspots are able to last so long has been a mystery for millenia, but a new observation technique revealed their secret.

• The equilibrium between magnetic fields and pressure allows the…

On a molecular level, life as we know it has a surprising bias. The building blocks of life — DNA, RNA, and proteins — have a “handedness,” like our left and right hands. For reasons still…

In March, observers in Chile were treated to an especially spectacular sight, as the night sky lit up with orange and green hues. To top it off, the moon was in a full lunar eclipse.

What is it?

The two telescopes seen in this image are the U.S….

Last month, the parachutes on Hélène Huby’s small spacecraft failed to deploy, and the vehicle and its cargo crashed into the ocean on Earth.

It was both a success and a failure.

The…

Gazelle prepared “a la Amud,” or “a la Kebara”?

Neanderthals at Kebara had pretty broad tastes in meat. The butchered bones found in the cave were mostly an even mix of small ungulates (largely gazelle) and…

The Chinese AI company DeepSeek released a chatbot earlier this year called R1, which drew a huge amount of attention. Most of it focused on the fact that a relatively small and unknown company said it had built a chatbot that rivaled the…

Each week, Prudence asks readers for their thoughts on the letters she’s received. Her reply will be available every Friday only for Slate Plus members.

Hey Prudence,

Re That Was Weird: Maybe the letter writer’s friend had…

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here.

Dear Care and Feeding,

My wife, “Judy” and I have two boys, ages 7 and 9, and they want me to build them a…

Pain is subjective, and although most stings are a real nuisance, there are very few that can stop you eye-wateringly in your tracks, cursing loudly, and gritting your teeth, says Richard Jones.

What is a sting?

A sting is not just a passive jab…