Medicine
All Those Hours Inside Could Make You Nearsighted
Just being inside all the time might be creating a population full of nearsighted people
February 11, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
These Sneaky Toxins Are Slipping Past Food Regulators
Chemical mask-wearing mycotoxins can slip past screening techniques
February 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Captive Sea Turtles Extract Their Revenge by Making Tourists Sick
Captive sea turtles in the Caymans can ruin a tourist's visit with a nasty dose of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites
February 08, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Viruses
British artist Luke Jerram's handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents
February 07, 2013 |
By Claire Tinsley
This Bionic Man, With Working Machine Organs, Is Pretty Much the Creepiest Thing Ever
With artificial limbs and organs, Rex is a vision of a bionic future
February 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Whooping Cough Is Making a Comeback, And This New Vaccine-Resistant Strain Won’t Help
Across the United States cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, are on the rise. Named for the “deep “whooping” sound [that] is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath,” says the U.S. National Library of Medicine, this bacterial infection can cause fever, difficulty breathing, and bouts of awful coughing that can last [...]
February 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
How to Sleep Like Salvador Dali
Dali felt as though sleep was a waste of time (so did Edison, and many other influential people) but science suggests that sleep is pretty important
February 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Your Playlist Really Does Impact Your Workout
A slow jam won't get you through that third mile, and smooth jazz isn't going to kick that kickboxing workout up a notch. It's not just personal preference either - it's science
February 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Year’s Most Outstanding Science Visualizations
A juried competition honors photographs, illustrations, videos, posters, games and apps that marry art and science in an evocative way
February 05, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What Makes Muscles Twitch?
Whether it's your eyelid twitching, an involuntary shudder, or a muscle elsewhere contracting at random, twitchy muscles happen to everyone. But what are they, and why do they happen?
February 05, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Colorful Kindergarten Lessons Throw Color-Blind Kids Off Their Game
Think back to kindergarten, sitting on your carpet square, with the days of the weeks on the wall coloring in some dinosaur in crayons. Now try to imagine doing kindergarten while color blind
February 05, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
There’s No Such Thing as a Concussion-Proof Helmet
Essentially, if you put 15 inches of foam on the outside of the helmet, you can make a concussion free helmet. But that's completely impractical
February 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Medics May Be Able to Save Soldiers by Injecting Foam Into Gut Wounds
Internal bleeding on the battlefield often proves deadly for soldiers hit by bullets or shrapnel, but a new foam injected into soldiers' abdomens could save lives
February 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
A New Disease, a New Reason to Hate And Fear Ticks
A worrisome new tick-borne disease, similar to Lyme disease but caused by a different microbe, turned up in 18 patients in southern New England
January 31, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Just a Nibble of Chocolate Is Enough to Satiate Cravings
Larger portions lead to increased grazing, but there's no benefit when it comes to banishing cravings.
January 31, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Some Microbes Are So Resilient They Can Ride Hurricanes
By comparison, other lifeforms such as fungal spores and pollen don’t thrive nearly as well as the microbes, the survey found.
January 30, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
Beatboxing, as Seen Through Scientific Images
To see exactly how certain sound effects are humanly possible, a team of University of Southern California researchers took MRI scans of a beatboxer in action
January 30, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Did Shakespeare Have Syphilis?
Shakespeare acquired an uncanny obsession with syphilis late in life, perhaps along with a few bacteria of his own
January 29, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
After Eleven Years, the DSM-5 Is Finally Finished
After eleven years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
January 28, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Experimental ‘Alcoholism Vaccine’ Gives Drinkers an Instant Hangover
People who have been given the vaccine will experience an immediate hangover from even a drop of alcohol, making drinking such an unpleasant experience that they’ll be forced to abstain
January 28, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
