Behavior
Emotions, perception and the biological processes of living organisms
Can Natural Herbs Protect Your Skin From the Sun?
A number of studies indicate that several herb extracts could protect against sunburn and other damage from UV light
August 01, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Read a 2007 Essay in Smithsonian by Gore Vidal, Last Writer of His Kind
Why more writers should be as fearless, and as prickly as Vidal.
August 01, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Simply Smiling Can Actually Reduce Stress
A new study indicates that the mere act of smiling can help us deal with stressful situations more easily
July 31, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Is Barefoot Running Really Better?
The science is mixed on whether running shoes or bare feet are the way to go
July 30, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A Brief History of Death By Subway in NYC
A few highlights of death on New York City's subways over the years.
July 29, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
New Chemical Allows Blind Mice to See
A new synthetic replacement for rod and cone cells may someday bring vision to those with macular degeneration or inheritable forms of blindness
July 26, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Sally Ride Was Even Tougher Than Ripley in Alien
If you think battling evil in the bowels of a defunct space freighter is hard, try being the closeted, often-patronized poster child for womankind’s capacity to compete in a notoriously male-dominated field
July 24, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
What Is the Nocebo Effect?
For some patients, the mere suggestion of side effects is enough to bring on negative symptoms
July 23, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Myth Busted: Looking Left or Right Doesn’t Indicate If You’re Lying
A psychological study has debunked the idea that the direction of a speaker's eyes indicate lying or telling the truth
July 12, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down
A rigorous experiment revealed that on a hot, dry day, drinking a hot beverage can help your body stay cool
July 10, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Thinking About Your Own Demise Inspires Environmentalism
Some people have kids. Some make charitable donations. Some write memoirs. Pondering our inevitable death has a way of inspiring us to get off the couch and leave our mark on the world in whatever way we deem most significant. Now, saving the planet can be added to that list. Time philosophizes on how dwelling on our [...]
July 06, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What is So Good About Growing Old
Forget about senior moments. The great news is that researchers are discovering some surprising advantages of aging
July 2012 |
By Helen Fields
New Mind-Reading Device Lets Paralyzed People Type
Using an fMRI machine and innovative software, researchers have figured out how to enable typing without moving a muscle
June 29, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Nora Ephron, 71, Was Good At Endings
Nora Ephron died last night at 71, of pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia.
June 27, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Experiments Show We Really Can Learn While We Sleep
Our minds are surprisingly active during deep sleep, capable of cementing memories we learned while awake
June 26, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Last of His Kind, Tortoise Lonesome George Dies, Leaving No Offspring
For the first half of his life, Lonesome George lived on Pinta Island in the Galapagos. Once a thriving tortoise mecca, by the time a snail biologist discovered George there in 1971, the tortoise was the last of his subspecies, Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni. Dubbed “the world’s rarest creature,” George was transported to his new home, [...]
June 25, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
What’s the Difference Between Clinically Dead, Figuratively Dead and Just Plain Dead?
Hosni Mubarak’s heart has stopped beating and he’s not responding to defibrillation. Mubarak is clinically dead. Wait, no—Mubarak is in a coma and now he’s on life support. Just kidding, Mubarak is almost stable. Uncertainty shrouds the 84-year-old former Egyptian president’s condition like smoke from so many hookahs. But confusion also accompanies the various medical [...]
June 20, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Music for Airports Soothes the Savage Passenger
Brian Eno's Music for Airports is a sound environment created specifically to complement the experience of waiting in an airport terminal
June 07, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Quick and Cheap DNA Sequencing On the Horizon?
A new technique reads DNA base by base by threading it through a tiny pore
May 29, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Science of Sleepwalking
A new study indicates that a surprisingly high number of us are prone to sleepwalking. Should you wake a sleepwalker?
May 17, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
