Stories by Meghan Bartels

Scientists estimate there are about 4,000 species of native bees in the U.S.—and they’re both cooler and ecologically more important than honeybees

The commercial astronauts onboard SpaceX’s Fram2 mission are flying closer to Earth’s poles than anyone has before, offering an intriguing opportunity for auroral science

Measles is not a disease to take lightly—but it is also very preventable with vaccines

President Donald Trump is threatening steep tariffs on virtually all imports. Here’s what that means and what economics research suggests would be the impact

A tiny, woolly flower found hiding in Texas’s Big Bend National Park shows the intriguing strangeness of sunflowers

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lunar lander snapped incredible photographs of the March 13–14 total lunar eclipse, as seen from the moon

In the U.S. 42 species of birds have low and steeply declining populations that put them on the brink of disaster, scientists say

No new human cases of avian influenza have been reported, and poultry infections are low so far in March. But infections in cats are continuing, and new research is raising concerns about the virus

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