All Stories
- Microbes
Vaccines and gut microbes join forces to fight flu
Losing gut microbes weakens the protective ability of the flu vaccine in mice.
By Nsikan Akpan - Neuroscience
Our brains sort words as we sleep
Even after nodding off, a person’s brain correctly sorts words into categories, adding to the achievements of the sleeping brain.
- Earth
Warming alone triggered Antarctic ice shelf collapse
Warming surface temperatures, not an unstable foundation, probably doomed Antarctica’s Larsen B ice shelf.
- Health & Medicine
Experimental herpes drug outperforms first-line med
An experimental treatment for genital herpes suppresses the viral infection better than the standard drug, but animal tests raise concerns about side effects.
By Nathan Seppa - Paleontology
Lost-and-found dinosaur thrived in water
Fossils pieced together through ridiculous luck reveal Spinosaurus to be the only known dinosaur adapted for regular ventures into water.
By Susan Milius - Life
Superslow sloths may have once evolved superfast
Sloths may evolved some of the fastest rates of body growth reported to date for mammals.
- Health & Medicine
Clinical trial reanalyses may alter who should get treated
Reanalyses of clinical trial data sometimes lead to different treatment suggestions.
- Paleontology
Fossils push back origins of modern mammals
Fossils of three newly identified early mammals from China suggest that the common ancestor of today’s mammals lived over 200 million years ago.
By Meghan Rosen - Health & Medicine
The (almost non-existent) science of potty training
When it comes to toilet training your child, science will offer you almost no help whatsoever.
- Microbes
Speedy test could improve treatment of urinary tract infections
A new test for drug-resistant bacteria may speed the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections.
By Nsikan Akpan - Animals
Strong social bonds help lady baboons live longer
Wild, female baboons with stronger social connections with both female and male baboons live longer than females with weaker ties, a new study shows.
- Life
North American bird update finds a little good news
Conservation measures have succeeded in improving the plight of certain North American bird species, but overall the national report card says “needs improvement.”
By Susan Milius