All Stories
- Psychology
No, cheese is not just like crack
Recent news reports claimed that a study shows cheese is addictive. But the facts behind the research show cheese and crack have little in common.
- Science & Society
Happy Birthday to Boole, with 11001000 binary candles
George Boole’s 200th birthday is occasion to celebrate the 1s and 0s of computer language.
- Oceans
Rising temperatures complicate efforts to manage cod fishery
Higher water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine could play a role in Atlantic cod crashes.
- Neuroscience
Itch-busting nerve cells could block urge to scratch
A group of nerve cells in the spinal cord keep mechanical itch in check.
- Anthropology
Petite primate fossil could upend ideas about ape evolution
Ancient fossils suggest modern apes descended from a small, gibbonlike creature.
- Neuroscience
1960s dog brain transplant was not followed by human studies
A pioneering study to transplant a dog’s brain led to later work on a monkey, but ethical considerations and technical know-how have prevented further work.
- Animals
Wildfires are an unexpected threat to California condors
Lead poisoning remains a threat to California condors, but a new review finds that wildfires may also be a danger to the big birds.
- Science & Society
Unreliable science impairs its ability to serve society
Science’s reproducibility problem impairs the ability of basic research to inform the search for better medicinal drugs.
- Planetary Science
Oxygen leaking from comet surprises astronomers
The Rosetta spacecraft detected oxygen molecules coming out of comet 67P that might have been buried since the formation of the solar system.
- Life
How electric eels put more zip in their zap
With feisty prey, an electric eel curls its tail to intensify shocks and exhaust prey.
- Anthropology
Synchronized dancing boosts pain tolerance
Dancing in sync to high energy routines increase pain tolerance and helps people bond as a group, a study suggests.
- Life
Rare reptile holds clue to penis evolution
Preserved Victorian specimens reveal budding embryonic penis that disappears before adulthood.
