Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Psychology
People add by default even when subtraction makes more sense
People default to addition when solving puzzles and problems, even when subtraction works better. That could underlie some modern-day excesses.
- Tech
‘Pipe Dreams’ flushes out hope in an unexpected place: the toilet
A new book shows how reimagined toilets will allow humans to use pee and poop as natural resources.
- Science & Society
We’ve covered science for 100 years. Here’s how it has — and hasn’t — changed
Today’s researchers pursue knowledge with more detail and sophistication, but some of the questions remain the same.
- Science & Society
Parents in Western countries report the highest levels of burnout
The first survey comparing parental exhaustion across 42 countries links it to a culture of self-reliance.
- Life
Two new books investigate why it’s so hard to define life
For centuries, scientists have struggled to define what it means to be alive. ‘What Is Life?’ and ‘Life’s Edge’ explore the question.
- Science & Society
How perceptions of diversity vary by race and political views
Black, Latino and Asian people tend to see U.S. neighborhoods as more diverse when their group is in the majority, a new study finds.
- Archaeology
A tour of ‘Four Lost Cities’ reveals modern ties to ancient people
In the book 'Four Lost Cities,' author Annalee Newitz uses cities of the past to show what might happen to cities in the future.
- Animals
Delve into the history of the fight for Earth’s endangered creatures
The new book ‘Beloved Beasts’ chronicles past conservation efforts as a movement and a science, and explores how to keep striding forward.
- Health & Medicine
COVID-19 has exacerbated a troubling U.S. health trend: premature deaths
The pandemic played into already rising death rates from obesity, drugs, alcohol and suicide.
- Neuroscience
Catnip repels insects. Scientists may have finally found out how
The plant deters mosquitoes and fruit flies by triggering a chemical receptor that, in other animals, senses pain and itch.
- Physics
Black hole visionaries push the boundaries of knowledge in a new film
‘Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know’ follows researchers with the Event Horizon Telescope and other physicists working to understand black holes.
- Science & Society
‘Gory Details’ dives into the morbid, the taboo — and our minds
Erika Engelhaupt explores creepy insects, fecal transplants, cannibalism and more in her new book.
