Scicurious

A peek behind the science curtain

  1. Psychology

    Running is contagious among those with the competitive bug

    Can behaviors really be contagious? Runners log more miles when their friends do — especially if they want to stay leader of the pack, a new study finds.

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  2. Archaeology

    How the house mouse tamed itself

    When people began to settle down, animals followed. Some made successful auditions as our domesticated species. Others — like mice — became our vermin, a new study shows.

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  3. 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.

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  4. Science & Society

    Scientists may work to prevent bias, but they don’t always say so

    Scientists may do the work to prevent bias in their experiments — but they aren’t telling other scientists about it, two new studies show.

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  5. Science & Society

    Analysis finds gender bias in peer-reviewer picks

    The peer-review process aims to avoid bias, but it turns out there’s gender bias in who is picked to review the papers.

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  6. Neuroscience

    How scientists are hunting for a safer opioid painkiller

    Scientists are sorting through chemical structures, twisting and turning known drugs and exploring new ways to ease pain.

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  7. Science & Society

    Why people don’t vote, and what to do about it

    The United States has terrible voter turnout. Political scientists have studied why people don’t vote and some effective ways to improve voter participation.

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  8. Science & Society

    Blame bad incentives for bad science

    Scientists have to publish a constant stream of new results to succeed. But in the process, their success may lead to science’s failure, two new studies warn.

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  9. Genetics

    How gene editing is changing what a lab animal looks like

    What makes a good animal model? New techniques bring opportunities and challenges to model organisms.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Exercise helps you get in shape for old age

    Exercise can fend off the effects of aging on the body and brain.

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  11. Science & Society

    Empathy for animals is all about us

    We extend our feelings to what we think animals are feeling. Often, we’re wrong. But anthropomorphizing isn’t about them. It’s about us.

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  12. Life

    Women in sports are often underrepresented in science

    More and more women are taking up recreational and competitive sports. But when it comes to exercise science, the studies don’t reflect that trend.

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