Stories by Meghan Bartels

The “quarantine fatigue” of 2020 became an ongoing “pandemic fatigue,” a complex set of emotions that continues to affect the nation

NASA’s twin Voyager probes, which launched in 1977, are the longest-running missions to send data home. But as their power supplies wane, scientists are saying goodbye to one instrument on each spacecraft

NASA’s SPHEREx mission will survey the entire sky in 102 different “colors” of light, offering scientists an unprecedented look at the earliest days of the universe and much more

Amid President Donald Trump’s attacks on government scientists and science funding, researchers are arranging rallies to “Stand Up for Science” in Washington, D.C., and nationwide on March 7

An explanation of the science behind news fatigue, plus expert advice to take control and protect your well-being while staying engaged

Bird flu headlines include three new human cases, millions of dead birds in poultry flocks and new personnel moves from the Trump administration

Norovirus infection rates are extremely high this year, raising the question: Why can’t a vaccine protect us from the stomach bug?

A “ghost particle” discovered by a detector in the Mediterranean carried 30 times more energy than any neutrino observed to date

From space weather to science missions, there’s a lot to be excited about in heliophysics this year.

The Los Angeles area is expecting rain increasing the risk of debris slides in the wildfire-scarred landscape

H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread amid commercial and backyard poultry, and additional cases have been reported in domestic cats

Snow’s appeal is more than just a fond nostalgia for childhood days away from school

Just as people often yawn or scratch themselves when they see someone else do so, for chimpanzees, peeing is contagious

Vast weather patterns can carry blasts of frigid air far from the polar regions—here’s how it works

Arctic shipping routes and burgeoning mining opportunities may be part of Greenland’s appeal to President-elect Donald Trump, but each comes with challenges as well

The science of the sun and its effects on the solar system is a sprawling discipline that expects a very exciting 2025

Will still more auroras ring out 2024, a year marked by the celestial displays?

Learn which molecules are responsible for giving Christmas trees their distinct, crisp-yet-spicy scent

See the year’s most striking images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, NASA’s Mars rover and the best sky watching on offer

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, where’s your instruction manual? Here’s how to make the most of your Christmas tree

For two decades now, the iconic twin Voyager spacecraft have been quietly overturning everything we thought we knew about the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space

Mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and New York State are underscoring the high number of these vehicles in the U.S.

It’s been a fascinating year in earth science—from mysterious “dark oxygen” to an “unidentified seismic object,” here are some incredible things we’ve learned about our planet in 2024

When Roe v. Wade fell, interest in long-acting and permanent birth control rose. Here’s what to know as Trump returns to office