“We are on track to see what might be the three biggest I.P.O.s of all time.”

A mysterious low-frequency sound known as The Hum has been reported around the world for decades, leaving researchers searching for its source. Imagine lying in bed late at night and hearing a faint engine-like drone that seems to come from somewhere outside. You check the windows, listen for traffic, and search for a nearby machine. [...]

The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that monitors marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change.

The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that monitors marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change.

© National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative

The claim that their loved ones’ deaths and disappearances are linked is almost certainly false — but the loss remains real.

The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research.

The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research.

© Rebecca Travis/WHOI

Confronting the weirdness of a Waymo future.