Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
What FamilyTreeDNA sharing genetic data with police means for you
Law enforcement can now use one company’s private DNA database to investigate rapes and murders.
- Climate
‘The Human Element’ makes the impacts of climate change feel real
Photographer James Balog puts a human face on the impacts of climate change in the documentary The Human Element.
- Science & Society
NSF science research funds are flowing again after the shutdown
Assessing the scope of the shutdown’s impact on NSF-funded science will be a long process.
- Humans
Here’s what makes satire so funny, according to science
Analysis of headlines from the satirical newspaper The Onion could help you — or a computer — write humorous news headlines.
- Space
It’s time to start taking the search for E.T. seriously, astronomers say
Astronomers are hoping to make looking for alien technology an official science goal of NASA.
- Planetary Science
We spent New Year’s Eve in the Kuiper Belt
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses Science News' coverage of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft's flyby of Ultima Thule.
- Health & Medicine
‘Good to Go’ tackles the real science of sports recovery
In ‘Good to Go,’ science writer Christie Aschwanden puts science — and herself — to the test for the sake of sports recovery.
- Psychology
Easing test anxiety boosts low-income students’ biology grades
Wealthier students outperform their less advantaged peers in math and science. Decreasing test anxiety may help even the playing field.
- Chemistry
Your phone could reveal your radiation exposure after a nuclear disaster
Examining personal electronics may help gauge people’s radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear accident or attack.
- Science & Society
Here’s how the record-breaking government shutdown is disrupting science
The partial government shutdown is taking many U.S. scientists out of commission and putting up hurdles to their research.
- Health & Medicine
A new app tracks breathing to detect an opioid overdose
A smartphone app called Second Chance could help save opioid users who shoot up alone.
- Science & Society
The periodic table remains essential after 150 years
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute reflects on the 150th anniversary of the invention of the periodic table by Dmitrii Mendeleev.
