Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
To tame traffic, go with the flow
Lights should respond to cars, a study concludes, not the other way around.
- Psychology
Why cell phone talkers are annoys-makers
Overhearing half of a conversation is so aggravating at least in part because it inordinately distracts a listener from tasks at hand.
- Life
Streetlights turn young duds into studs
Nocturnal illumination starts youthful male blue tits chirping earlier in the morning, tempting the mates of their still-snoozing elders.
- Health & Medicine
Scottish kids’ asthma declined after smoking ban
Hospitals report a drop in asthma emergencies among children since a law prohibiting lighting up in public buildings went into effect in 2006.
- Life
Environmental DNA modifications tied to obesity
Chemical changes that affect gene activity could underlie many common conditions, a new study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
DNA-damaging disinfection by-products found in pool water
A study detects subtle changes in swimmers’ cells after 40 minutes of laps.
- Psychology
Video mayhem enlivens decision making
People who play action-oriented video games show improved ability to make quick decisions based on what they see and hear.
- Health & Medicine
Defining normal in the brain
A new growth curve paves way for scans to be used to spot early signs of autism, schizophrenia or other disorders.
- Health & Medicine
A cellular secret to long life
Longevity may depend in part on histones, proteins that keep DNA neatly spooled in the cell’s nucleus and help regulate gene activity.
- Ecosystems
Climate’s link to plague
Scientists have correlated changes in long-term Pacific Ocean temperature patterns with the incidence of a deadly bacterial pestilence, one spread by fleas living on and around mice and other rodents.
- Computing
Most influential media Twitter feeds
Computer scientists find surprises when they rank top 100.
- Health & Medicine
Mutated gene cited in some ovarian cancers
The finding may help researchers devise a way to screen women with endometriosis for cancer risk.
