All Stories
- Neuroscience
Sarcasm looks the same in the brain whether it’s words or emoji
Sarcasm via winking emoji affects the brain like verbal irony does.
- Astronomy
Supermassive black hole gets kicked to the galactic curb
Gravitational waves may have given a supermassive black hole a big kick, with enough energy to send it flying toward the edges of its host galaxy.
- Health & Medicine
Spray-on mosquito repellents are more effective than other devices
To avoid mosquito bites, stick with spray-on repellents and skip the bracelets and citronella candles, a new study says.
- Health & Medicine
Don’t put greasy Q-tips up your kid’s nose, and other nosebleed advice
Nosebleeds in children are common and usually nothing to fret about.
- Neuroscience
Math-anxious brains tackle simple problems differently
An fMRI study found more variable brain activity in people who get nervous about math problems.
- Archaeology
Palace remains in Mexico point to ancient rise of centralized power
An ancient royal structure gets new life in southern Mexico.
By Bruce Bower - Quantum Physics
Millions of atoms entangled in record-breaking quantum tests
Scientists make advance in the quest to take quantum effects to larger scales.
- Science & Society
Most Americans like science — and are willing to pay for it
Americans drastically overestimate how much the government spends on science. But when correctly informed, they want the government to spend more.
- Archaeology
Ancient Romans may have been cozier with Huns than they let on
Nomadic Huns and Roman farmers shared ways of life on the Roman Empire’s fifth century frontier.
By Bruce Bower - Earth
Deadly New Zealand quake hopscotched across faults
The Nov. 14, 2016, earthquake in New Zealand was much larger than thought possible at the time, prompting a rethink of hazard assessments.
- Health & Medicine
Dengue fever spreads in a neighborly way
Individual strains of dengue spread locally, and new infections cluster near the home of the first person affected.
- Health & Medicine
Random mutations play large role in cancer, study finds
Mistakes made while copying DNA account for more mutations in cancer cells than environment or inheritance do.