Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
‘The Science of TV’s the Big Bang Theory’ educates as it entertains
A science book inspired by fictional scientists helps readers understand everything from particle physics to potato electricity.
- 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.
