In February 2020, people all over the world watched with mounting anxiety as a novel coronavirus, then referred to as 2019-nCoV, began its unyielding spread across the globe. What at first seemed, to western eyes, like a worrying but well-contained viral outbreak on the other side of the world, had suddenly appeared in northern Italy and was crushing...

Dear Massive Readers, We're taking a break from publishing on www.massivesci.com. It's been a long pandemic, and it's time for us as an organization to reconsider how we serve our many audiences: writers and journalists, partners, readers and our staff. We've always appreciated the levels of support and enthusiasm you, our readers, have given us over...

If I placed before you an atom with one proton and one electron, you would be forced to admit it was a hydrogen atom. One proton paired with one electron is hydrogen. It can’t be helium, or lithium, or anything else. Nothing like this occurs in biology. The way life thrives on Earth is by breaking rules; it must by definition defy definitions. Divisions...

The last decade has seen genetics and evolution grapple with its history; one composed of figures who laid the foundations of their field while also promoting vile racist, sexist, and eugenicist beliefs. In her new book, The Genetic Lottery, Kathryn Paige Harden, professor of psychology at University of Texas at Austin, attempts the seemingly impossible...

Many countries with agricultural-based economies are experiencing rapid urbanization as they transition to market-based economies. On top of the the broad societal changes experienced in these countries, research is studying the significant health consequences that this rapid urbanization can cause. Many of the health changes associated with urbanization...

Most of the Earth’s biosphere is permanently cold and contains environments below 0° C,  known as the cryosphere. Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi call the cryosphere home, despite the seemingly inhospitable conditions. Some can even stick around in the ice for thousands of years. To make this happen, microorganisms have evolved adaptations that...