Philip G. Zimbardo, a towering figure in social psychology who explored how good people turn evil in the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, which devolved into chaos after college students acting as guards started abusing other students acting as prisoners, died on Oct. 14 at his home in San Francisco. He …

Wildfires aren’t just tearing through larger swaths of the American West. They’re spreading more quickly, too. A team of researchers looked at NASA satellite data on 60,000 wildfires in the contiguous United States between 2001 and 2020. After classifying each blaze by the most it grew in a single day, …

With the push of a red button, a milky-colored liquid sprayed onto a load of corn seed at a warehouse in central Missouri. It was a hint of a revolution underway in American agriculture, driven by a desire to combat climate change while still feeding and fueling the world. Inside …

More than 80 American Nobel Prize winners in physics, chemistry, medicine and economics have signed an open letter endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “This is the most consequential presidential election in a long time, perhaps ever, for the future of science and the United States,” reads the letter, …

“Math is power” is the tag line of a new documentary, “Counted Out,” currently making the rounds at festivals and community screenings. (It will have a limited theatrical release next year.) The film explores the intersection of mathematics, civil rights and democracy. And it delves into how an understanding of …

Grizzly bear 399, one of the best known bears in the world and the oldest recorded reproducing female grizzly in the greater Yellowstone area, was struck by a car and died Tuesday south of Jackson, Wyo. She was 28. Nicknamed “399,” she was adored by millions as she lumbered along …

Some 1,350 light-years from Earth, astronomers detected strange pairs of unexplained objects orbiting in the Orion Nebula. Since then, about 12 months ago, other scientists have proposed a new potential explanation for these apparitions, while other researchers wonder whether they exist at all. “There’s a bit less confidence they exist,” …

For Formula 1 cars racing in Mexico City, the normal rules don’t apply. When speeding down a straight that is almost a mile long, teams would usually need to race a car with as sleek a body shape as possible to cut through the air and hit top speeds quickly. …

Patti McGee, whose thrill-seeking activities as a teenager included surfing off the coast of San Diego and skateboarding on the city’s streets, and who ultimately became skating’s first female national champion, died on Oct. 16 at her home in Brea, Calif., in northern Orange County. She was 79. Her daughter, …

A sweeping onion recall linked to an E. coli outbreak involving McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has prompted several other major fast-food chains to remove raw onions from their menu offerings. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King have stopped adding fresh onions to their signature items at certain locations. A …