All Stories
- Earth
Leap second helps us with the reality of time
A leap second will be inserted at the end of the day on June 30.
- Science & Society
No matter the language, disease risk is hard to communicate
Reassuring messages about MERS might seem designed to stop panic. But in reality, people need to hear the truth, even if it’s uncertain.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum dots get a second chance to shine
Quantum dots, semiconductor particles that can emit a rainbow of colors, have been put to work observing living cells, with possible benefits for medical diagnosis.
- Psychology
Music to just about everyone’s ears
Common elements of music worldwide point to its central role in group cohesion.
- Neuroscience
Pain may come in his and hers
Males and females rely on different kinds of cells to carry pain signals, a mouse study suggests.
- Science & Society
‘Faith vs. Fact’ takes aim at religion
Jerry Coyne’s ‘Faith vs. Fact’ argues that science is the best – perhaps only – way of learning about the world.
- Tech
New app creates a searchable network of species worldwide
A free new app compiles millions of records of species worldwide and allows users to add sightings.
- Physics
‘The Science of TV’s the Big Bang Theory’ educates as it entertains
A science book inspired by fictional scientists helps readers understand everything from particle physics to potato electricity.
- Life
Alison Jolly’s last book chronicles efforts to save lemurs
In ‘Thank You, Madagascar,’ primatologist Alison Jolly, who spent decades studying lemurs, provides an insider’s account of the struggles that conservationists face.
- Animals
For dwarf mongooses, handstands aren’t just good fun
Dwarf mongooses may use marks laid down in handstand positions to gather information on rivals, a new study shows.
- Astronomy
Super-Earths are not a good place for plate tectonics
The intense pressures inside super-Earths make plate tectonics less likely, new research suggests.
- Environment
Oil-munching microbes cleaning up Gulf marshes faster than expected
Microbes in some of Louisiana’s marshes are breaking down oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill faster than expected.
