News
- Life
Evolutionarily, grandmas are good for grandkids — up to a point
Women may live past their reproductive years because they help their grandchildren survive, but there are limits to that benefit.
- Climate
2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record, and it’s getting even hotter
Record-level rains and temperatures struck different regions of the world in 2018, the fourth warmest year on record.
- Climate
Collapsing ice cliffs may not contribute to sea level rise
Scientists debate a controversial hypothesis that suggests that massive crumbling ice cliffs could speed up future sea level rise.
- Health & Medicine
Why some children may get strep throat more often than others
Kids with recurrent strep throat appear to have a defective immune response to the bacteria that cause the infections, a study finds.
- Genetics
What FamilyTreeDNA sharing genetic data with police means for you
Law enforcement can now use one company’s private DNA database to investigate rapes and murders.
- Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is learning not to be so literal
Artificial intelligence is learning how to take things not so literally.
- Astronomy
A space rock collision may explain how this exoplanet was born
Simulations suggest a planet roughly 2,000 light-years away formed when two space rocks collided, supporting the idea that such events are universal.
- Humans
Why it’s key to identify preschoolers with anxiety and depression
With mounting evidence that very young children can experience anxiety and depression, efforts are underway to identify and treat them early.
- Humans
Here’s what makes satire so funny, according to science
Analysis of headlines from the satirical newspaper The Onion could help you — or a computer — write humorous news headlines.
- Physics
Lasers could send messages right to a listener’s ear
Communication in noisy environments or dangerous situations could one day rely on lasers.
- Planetary Science
Titan’s oddly thick atmosphere may come from cooked organic compounds
Saturn’s moon Titan might get some of its hazy atmosphere by baking organic molecules in a warm core.
- Climate
Climate change might not slow ocean circulation as much as thought
New measurements may call for a rethink of what controls ocean circulation in the North Atlantic.
