science | The Walrus

A photograph of a woman in a workout top sweating

Science

Smell You Later: The Weird Science of How Sweat Attracts

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021 - by Sarah Everts

Smell is often dismissed as the least important sense. But it’s the funk that draws us together

A needle surrounded by slivers of women's faces

Health

Same Vaccine, Different Effects: Why Women Are Feeling Worse after the Jab

June 29, 2021June 29, 2021 - by Laura Hensley

For decades, researchers have been conducting flawed clinical trials. The COVID-19 vaccine was no different

Illustration of a child looking out of a window

Science

Affected Development: Will Kids Ever Recover from Isolation?

June 8, 2021July 25, 2021 - by Skyler Ash

For many children, our panicked pandemic lives are the only lives they’ve ever known

Illustration of the human brain in neon pink and teal against a black background

Health / June 2021

What Happens to Our Brains When We Get Depressed?

May 19, 2021June 8, 2021 - by Simon Lewsen

The human brain, in all its complexity, is nearly impossible to model. One neuroscientist is trying anyway

A photo of a smiling woman standing in a forest, leaning on a log.

Environment / June 2021

If a Tree Talks in the Forest, Does It Make a Sound?

May 4, 2021June 8, 2021 - by Suzanne Simard

Ecologist Suzanne Simard uncovers the hidden connections beneath the forest floor

A woman sitting alone on a desert island, looking at the clouds

Science

Blah Blah Blah: The Lack of Small Talk Is Breaking Our Brains

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 - by Hannah Seo

Chit-chat is often dismissed as mindless and boring. But its absence over the past year is affecting you more than you think

A photo of a woman working on various electronics

Society

Housebound and Bored? Turn Yourself into a Human Guinea Pig

March 22, 2021March 26, 2021 - by Bruce Grierson

During a time of endless lockdowns, self-discovery sometimes means self-experimentation

A photograph of skydivers waiting at the edge of an open helicopter door before making the jump.

Society

What’s More Dangerous than Leaping Out of a Plane?

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 - by Timothy Caulfield

Most things, it turns out. But science rarely shapes our decision making the way fear does

Illustration of several satellites facing the cosmos. Illuminated by their signal is a colourful ribbon of galactic swirls and stars.

In Other Worlds: A Space Exploration

Discovering the Universe through the World’s Largest Telescope

August 10, 2020September 28, 2020 - by Viviane Fairbank

The ALMA array is our most powerful tool for witnessing the birth of new planets

A hand holding a yellow watering can is watering indoor plants on a windowsill.

Science

Are Plants Listening to Us? It Depends Who You Ask

April 9, 2020February 24, 2021 - by Michael Rancic

A controversial 1970s book claimed that plants can hear. It turns out its authors might not have been entirely wrong