The Secret of Chronic Pain Could Lie in the Skull
Skull bone marrow has become an exciting research topic
How Music Sparks Imagination
Songs are closely linked to narrative and language
How Your Genes Shape Your Personality
A new study probes genetic variants linked to the big five personality traits
Why Do Male Chimpanzees Throw Rocks at the Same Trees for More Than a Decade?
Accumulative stone throwing is a rare, potentially cultural, behavior that has been observed among four groups of wild chimpanzees in West Africa
Why the Recent Total Eclipse Looked Unusual
The corona in Spain was particularly golden
Latest Stories
New Heart Attack Definitions Could Lead to Better Care for Women
Uncommon heart attack causes disproportionately affect them
Your Organs Age at Different Paces—And They’re Coordinating With Each Other
Your colon and prostate may have synchronized their watches
Schizophrenia’s Cruel Roulette Wheel
Genetics and stress can combine in ways we don’t yet fully understand
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreThe Resistance Is Here
They didn’t plan to be activists. But scientists have united to overturn Trump’s drastic cuts to science.
The Return of a Discredited Pseudoscience
Eugenics is rearing its ugly head again in today’s crucible of politics and culture
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyThe First Moon Spaceport Is Coming. But First We’ll Need Moon Traffic Control
If we don’t manage air traffic well, we risk spacecraft being sent way off course—without the rocket fuel necessary to get back
NASA Has Begun the Countdown to the Launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
The new space telescope will help astronomers unravel the mysteries of the universe
Five Images, Six Decades: Capturing the Iconic “Earthrise” Photo
The first was taken August 23, 1966
History
See more HistoryThis Viking Dress Survived for 1,300 Years, Protected by Its Metal Ornaments
Such delicate textiles typically decompose within a few years
An Expert Pieced Together This Roman Document Like a Jigsaw Puzzle. You’ll Never Guess What It’s About
Classics researchers think it was part of a reference booklet traveling officials carried with them
Archaeologists Just Found a Fascinating Ancient Statue—Used as a Paving Stone in a Roman Road
The statue dates back 2,500 years, and offers researchers clues about the culture of the period
Psychology
See more PsychologyI’m Part of the Team Writing the Next Bible of Psychiatry—For the First Time, the DSM Will Use Biology to Understand Mental Disorders
Part of the challenge of finding a biomarker for mental illness is the environment’s significant influence
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Environment
See more EnvironmentThis Is What Happens When 1,000 People Bury Their Underwear for Science
Talk about getting to the bottom of things
How Much of a Problem is AI’s Water Use?
It depends. Though water consumption by data centers pales in comparison to that of some other industries, it’s a problem in water-stressed regions. Water-saving cooling technologies could help
How the Heat is Messing with Your Sleep
Restless nights may be the new normal as the globe cooks
Zoology
See more ZoologyThe Extinct Tasmanian Tiger’s Bite Was Unlike Any Other Predatory Mammal’s
Which makes its extinction even more tragic
How a “Psychic” Horse Named Clever Hans Changed the Way We Do Science
His tutor Wilhelm von Osten was convinced that animals possessed an intelligence equal to humans
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyWhat a Picture of a Dog Has to Do with Reason and Logic
People who can’t see images in their minds challenge an old philosophical standby
What Makes Humans Stupid
It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.
The Inventor of the Thinking Machine Didn’t Worry. Neither Should You
In this age of AI anxiety, listen to your heart
Your Ability to Cope with Stress Changes with the Seasons and Your Own Biological Clocks
Stress resilience is a dynamic balance rather than a fixed trait
Read more
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New Test for Broken-Heart Syndrome Offers Insights into the Mysterious Disease
It could prevent unnecessary invasive procedures
How to Think About Thinking
A conversation with neuroscientist Adrian Owen about the importance of executive function
Cyborg Roaches Could Be the Future of Triage Medicine
The augmented insects could deliver life-saving care to disaster victims
Fact-Checking the Biohackers Who Claim Metformin is an Anti-Aging Wonder Drug
What the science says about their DIY one-person clinical trials
