When it comes to midterm elections most of the conversation so far has been focused on party politics and whether the president's involvement would help or hurt certain candidates. But there is something unusual about this round of elections -- an unprecedented number of candidates who are scientists. There have been 60 at the federal level this year.

There’s a bit of good news when it comes to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Only one dead whale has been found in 2018, as opposed to the 17 that were found last year. One possible source of improvement were the closures of the snow crab fishery in Canada and the reduction of ship speeds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the whales were seen in large numbers last year.

Religion has been part of the human experience for as long as anyone can figure out. Religious behavior, in general, has declined in many parts of the world, but it tends to bounce back when there is a tragedy of some sort. And recent computer models suggest that religious beliefs are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. What else could computers tell us about this deeply human phenomenon?

Over the past decade, as climate change has been driving increasingly extreme weather around the globe, the political debate in Washington has also grown more extreme. Republicans, in general, have moved further from the scientific consensus and in their opposition to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. But a growing number of conservatives are moving back in the opposite direction, embracing the science of climate change and proposing free-market solutions.

This summer has brought intense heat to much of the Northern Hemisphere and severe wildfires – not only to the American West, but to places like Sweden. Heat waves, droughts and wildfires are all events that climate scientists say are becoming more frequent and severe as a result of human-caused global warming.

The words "knitting" and "high-tech" may not sound like they go together, but the latest generation of knitting machines is enabling some pretty futuristic stuff. It’s a new world of wearable technology that we might actually want to wear.

Later this week, NASA is expected to launch the Parker Solar Probe on a mission to touch the sun . Well, almost touch the sun.

Each month, we speak to our colleagues at the Journal Nature to hear about the stories they are following. Our guide this time around is Adam Levy, multi-media editor and host of the Nature Podcast.

Earlier this month, the Israeli government passed a law declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people. The move was seen by many as putting the country’s Jewish identity above its democratic one.

Cape Cod is known for beaches, not rivers. But rivers are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding and addressing coastal water quality issues. And it turns out that the Cape’s rivers have been relatively neglected by scientists as well as the public. Not so anymore.