Grants for bold research and a name for an ancient amphibian

This week highlights how science connects people, from today to the distant past. Twenty scientists and artists received major grants for their work, and two students gave a name to an animal that lived 309 million years ago. Both stories show that attention and care, whether applied to people or fossils, lead to beautiful discoveries. The MacArthur Foundation announced this week the winners of its annual fellowship, also known as the 'genius grant' [1]. The twenty laureates each receive $800,000, with no strings attached. Among them are climate scientists, a sociologist, a historian, and artists such as Christine Sun Kim...