Science & Society
Mysteries of the commonplace
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute reviews new research in static electricity and other science revelations in our September magazine issue.
By Nancy Shute
Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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Science backs calls for limiting screens in schools
School device use links with lower test scores and distractions abound. But reversing the entrenched pandemic pivot to screens will be hard.
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The protein craze may not be for everyone
Getting more protein has been all the rage. In sedentary people, that advice could accelerate aging.
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A chat with aged avatars of future selves can guide people paralyzed by tough decisions. The question is what information to feed the bots.
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The golden age of language was a few thousand years ago
A few millennia ago, people worldwide may have spoken or signed up to 10 times as many languages as they do today.
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An experimental oral vaccine may prevent invasive bacterial diarrhea
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Many universities hold seized human remains. What should they do with them?
Biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson is leading an effort to prevent history from repeating.
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AI is not ready to fly solo in space
In sci-fi, AI can navigate the unknowns and — ideally — keep human travelers safe. But it’s not intelligent enough to do that yet.
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Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science
Proposed federal rules would rely on political appointees to decide how a lot of U.S. science gets done. History shows the consequences of such actions.
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Lost in Curiosity reveals the messy reality of doing science
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