Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Microbes
The most personal data on your phone is your microbiome
Phones carry more than your contacts and messages. They’ve got your microbiome too.
- Neuroscience
Sunbathing may boost endorphins in the body and brain
UV light makes mice churn out a molecule that is a cousin of morphine and heroin, a finding that may explain why some people seek out sunshine.
- Math
If the world is a computer, life is an algorithm
Cellular automata may offer the algorithmic power to mimic the laws of physics and the evolution of life.
- Science & Society
‘Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies’ reveals the secrets of invisible ink
Kristie Macrakis takes readers on a tour of invisible ink’s history and the need to hide information, from the earliest empires to the Internet age.
- Health & Medicine
Mammography’s limits becoming clear
It may be time to move way from blanket recommendations about mammography and empower women to decide for themselves, new work suggests.
- Science & Society
Top 10 desert island books for science fans
Some books that require your undivided attention offer substantial intellectual rewards.
- Science & Society
To do: Summer science exhibits across the country
Here's a roundup of museum exhibits to explore in the United States.
- Microbes
Irish potato famine microbe traced to Mexico
The pathogen that triggered the Irish potato famine in the 1840s originated in central Mexico, not the Andes, as some studies had suggested.
- Science & Society
Outgoing congressman Rush Holt calls scientists to action
The New Jersey physicist has decided not to run for re-election but is a proponent of scientists in office.
- Animals
Pets’ rights explored in ‘Citizen Canine’
Science journalist David Grimm describes pet's progression towards full citizenship.
- Neuroscience
Legalization trend forces review of marijuana’s dangers
Marijuana legalization advocates tout pot’s medicinal benefits and low addictiveness, while critics point to its neurological dangers. Research shows that the reality is somewhere in the middle.
- Science & Society
Stem cell scientist reportedly agrees to retract controversial paper
Japanese stem cell scientist Haruko Obokata has agreed to retract one of the Jan. 30 Nature papers on STAP cells.
