Science & Society

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Tech

    How Twitter bots get people to spread fake news

    Automated bot accounts on Twitter help spread misinformation by strategically encouraging people to make it go viral.

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  2. Climate

    Development near natural areas puts more Californians in the path of wildfires

    As urbanization extends its reach into once-natural areas, more homes and people are at risk from wildfires.

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  3. Science & Society

    Screen time to heal, and perhaps to harm

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute reflects on the advances in virtual reality technology and how much time we spend on our computers and smartphones.

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  4. Animals

    If you want to believe your home’s bug free, don’t read this book

    ‘Never Home Alone’ reveals the hidden world living in human-made spaces.

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  5. Climate

    ‘18 Miles’ is full of interesting tales about Earth’s atmosphere

    The new book ‘18 Miles’ takes readers on a journey through the atmosphere and the history of understanding climate and weather.

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  6. Science & Society

    Waking up early to cover science’s biggest honor

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how the Science News editors and reporters cover the Nobel Prizes each year.

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  7. Life

    Explore the history of blood from vampires to the ‘Menstrual Man’

    Rose George’s book ‘Nine Pints’ offers readers an engaging and insightful cultural and scientific history of blood.

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  8. Environment

    We’re probably undervaluing healthy lakes and rivers

    Clean water legislation often doesn’t seem like a good deal on paper. Here’s why that may be misleading.

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  9. Genetics

    Genealogy databases could reveal the identity of most Americans

    Keeping your DNA private is getting harder.

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  10. Astronomy

    The Neil Armstrong biopic ‘First Man’ captures early spaceflight’s terror

    At a time when NASA is considering how to return astronauts to the moon, ‘First Man’ is a sobering reminder of how risky the first giant leap was.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    ‘Sawbones’ invites readers to laugh at the bizarre history of medicine

    ‘The Sawbones Book,’ based on the popular podcast by Dr. Sydnee and Justin McElroy, ties the strange history of modern medicine to modern pseudoscience.

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  12. Science & Society

    The economics of climate change and tech innovation win U.S. pair a Nobel

    Climate change and tech innovations inspired the new Nobel Memorial Prize winners in Economic Sciences.

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