For Eons, Human Evolution Barely Budged—Then It Exploded. Now Scientists Know Why.
A hidden force let humans smash a barrier that had trapped our ancestors for millions of years.

© Overearth
A hidden force let humans smash a barrier that had trapped our ancestors for millions of years.

© Overearth
The Roman-era longhouses were built along a popular trade route from the time in an area where most people lived on isolated farmsteads.

© picture alliance
We mine more sand every year than any other solid material, and scientists warn that we’re taking more than the planet can replenish.

© MARKO PERKOV
Our editor-tested and researched portable and whole-home options keep appliances and other essentials running during an emergency—no matter what.

© Trevor Raab
Amazon is dipping into the denim-verse.

© Tim Kohut
Gas-powered mowers still rate, but it’s hard to beat the clean and quiet operation of battery power.

© Thomas Hengge
One of Earth’s oldest plants appears to pass electrical messages through its dense green mats.

© Oleg Breslavtsev
The Colorado River is approaching thresholds its dams were never meant to cross. What happens next could transform how water and electricity move across the American Southwest.

One highlight was a massive cannon from the Ming dynasty.
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Inside the lab, they searched for faint traces that might connect it to the aviator’s lost Electra.
© Bettmann
A single missing gene hints that the eyeless fish spent eons deep in the aquifer below.

© weisschr