Scicurious

A peek behind the science curtain

  1. Life

    Uncertainty is stressful, but that’s not always a bad thing

    Life is full of stressful, ambiguous situations. But a new study shows that the ones we can predict stress us out less, and may even help us learn.

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  2. Tech

    A storm of tweets followed Superstorm Sandy’s path

    When storms hit, people hunker down and tweet. Their social media activity tracks natural disasters and their damage, a new study shows.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Here’s how dust mites give dermatitis sufferers the itch

    Dust mites can make people with eczema truly miserable. Now, scientists have figured out why they make some people scratch, and resolved a dermatological debate.

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  4. Science & Society

    Sometimes busting myths can backfire

    When Neil deGrasse Tyson busted the flat-Earth myth on Twitter, he got the world’s attention. But did the myth-busting work? Or did it backfire?

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  5. Psychology

    There’s a sour side to serotonin

    Serotonin has a sour side. The chemical messenger helps mice to taste sour, a new study shows.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Low-fiber diets make gut microbes poop out

    A low-fiber diet makes for low bacterial diversity in mice. A new study shows those mice can then pass a denuded microbiome on to their offspring.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    High-intensity interval training has great gains — and pain

    Intense spurts of activity followed by brief rest can improve heart health, blood glucose and muscle endurance. But some question if the pain of HIIT workouts will impede the popularity.

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  8. Science & Society

    In science, a lack of replication shouldn’t kill your reputation

    The proof is science is when a study is replicated. When it’s not, do scientists suffer? A new study says researchers may overestimate the negative effects.

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  9. Psychology

    Caffeine gives cocaine an addictive boost

    Not only is it popular to “cut” cocaine with caffeine, the combination might be more addictive.

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  10. 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.

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  11. Psychology

    Views on bias can be biased

    When presented with a study showing bias against women, male scientists are more inclined to nitpick the results. But a little intervention can go a long way toward gender equality in science.

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  12. Neuroscience

    That familiar feeling comes from deep in the brain

    Knowing what’s new and what we’ve seen before is at the base of memory. A new study shows that with a flash of light, scientists can change the firing of brain cells, and make the old new again.

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