Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Psychology
The guilty pleasure of funny cat videos
Many people love posting and looking at cute kitty content online. A new survey shows that this could be because it helps us manage our emotions.
- Science & Society
Deflategate favored foul play over science
Science didn’t get center stage in the rulings on whether the New England Patriots underinflated footballs during championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
- Science & Society
Home-brewed heroin: Hold the hype
Now is the time to think about policy for synthetically produced morphine, but the process, if it bears out, is years away from working.
- Neuroscience
Homunculus reimagined
A new study pinpoints the part of the brain that controls the neck muscles, tweaking the motor homunculus.
- Animals
Pigs don’t deserve the name ‘Lesser Beasts’
From ancient forests to modern farms, pigs’ relationship with humans has been symbiotic.
- Science & Society
Max Planck, originator of quantum theory, tormented by war and personal loss
A biography by physicist Brandon Brown illuminates the personal struggles of the physics pioneer.
- Science & Society
Tech in the classroom foreseen 50 years ago
Fifty years ago, scientists were looking forward to technology in the classroom.
- Science & Society
Irreproducible life sciences research in U.S. costs $28 billion
Problems with preclinical research often stem from study design and experiments’ materials.
- Physics
Common campfire build confirmed as best
A standard method for building fires, making the height about equal to the width, is the most efficient structure for stoking the hottest flames, calculations show.
- Science & Society
Quantum meets chemistry, opening galaxy of possibility
Chemistry's quantum revolution opens the door for limitless new compounds, and the scientific community scrambles to counteract the spread of a vicious disease.
- Animals
Wealth of cephalopod research lost in a 19th century shipwreck
Nineteenth-century scientist Jeanne Villepreux-Power sent her research papers and equipment on a ship that sank off the coast of France, submerging years’ worth of observations on cephalopods.
- Science & Society
Attempt to shame journalists with chocolate study is shameful
Journalist John Bohannon set out to expose poor media coverage of nutrition studies. In the process, he lied to his own profession and the public.
