All Stories
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Climate
Arctic sea ice hits record wintertime low
Warm temperatures and heat waves reduced sea ice extent in the Arctic to its smallest maximum extent ever seen.
- Planetary Science
It’s time to redefine what qualifies as a planet, scientists propose
Astronomers can have their definition of a planet, but some planetary scientists plan to stick to the long-held meaning of the word.
- Genetics
In 1967, LSD was briefly labeled a breaker of chromosomes
Claims that the hallucinogenic drug damaged DNA were quickly rejected. But questions remain about how LSD works.
- Animals
Female guppies with bigger brains pick more attractive guys
A larger-brained female guppy may pick primo males, but all that mental machinery costs her in other ways.
