Medicine
Even Mummy Doctors Forgot Tools in Their Patients Sometimes
Researchers examining the brains of mummies have found a small tool that was used during embalming, left behind after the procedure
December 17, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
To Treat Drug Dependency, Doctors Are Burning Off Chunks of Addicts’ Brains
Through surgical means, doctors burn away the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure and motivation.
December 14, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
A New Way to Generate Brain Cells from Pee
This trick could help supply cells for studying the mechanisms of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
December 11, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Can Tattoos Be Medicinal?
In his travels around the world, anthropologist Lars Krutak has seen many tribal tattoos, including some applied to relieve specific ailments
December 10, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
This Weird Map Visualizes Air Pollution as Nose Hair Length
If there's one thing nobody wants, it's really long nose hairs. Which is perhaps why Clean Air Asia has decided to start visualizing each person's air pollution as super-long, disgusting nose hairs
December 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
What Would It Be Like To See Infrared Light?
Scientists have engineered some proteins to "see" infrared
December 07, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Middle School Jocks Actually Get the Best Grades
The fittest kids on the playground are also the ones who excel in the classroom at standardized tests and good grades
December 07, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Extroverted Gorillas Live Longer Than Shy Ones
For gorillas, it pays to have personality. Extroverted gorillas in captivity outlive their shy friends, according to a new study of the animals in North American zoos and sanctuaries, reports LiveScience. To arrive at this conclusion, researchers used methods adapted from studying human personality. They analyzed data from 298 gorillas over 18 years of the [...]
December 06, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Does Blood Doping Even Work?
A recent study found no evidence that using blood doping drugs gives elite athletes any advantage
December 06, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Why Senior Citizens May Be Overly Trusting
Out ability to judge the trustworthiness of faces diminishes with age, a new study shows
December 05, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Blame Napoleon for Our Addiction to Sugar
Prior to 1850, sugar was a hot commodity that only society's most wealthy could afford
December 04, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Grandpa Jetson is Way Cooler Than Grandpa Simpson
Montague Jetson is 110 years old--and loving it
December 04, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Could a Computer Out-Diagnose Dr. House?
Could computers may make diagnostic wizardry a thing of the past?
December 04, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Photos: A Last Look at Fall
Before the weather turns cold, take one last walk in the woods with these beautiful autumn photos submitted by our readers
December 2012 |
By Smithsonian.com
Open-Fire Stoves Kill Millions. How Do We Fix it?
Pollutants from crude stoves are responsible for many deaths – a D.C.-based NGO has a solution
December 2012 |
By Ingfei Chen
Pardis Sabeti, the Rollerblading Rock Star Scientist of Harvard
The recipient of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for natural sciences blazed a new view of how to treat infectious diseases via genetics
December 2012 |
By Seth Mnookin
Jack Andraka, the Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer
A high school sophomore won the youth achievement Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for inventing a new method to detect a lethal cancer
December 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
Humans Have Been Evolving Like Crazy Over the Past Few Thousand Years
The past 5 to 10 thousand years have seen a surge in human genetic diversity
November 29, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Voluntary Guidelines Aren’t Enough To Prevent Deaths From Bed Rails
At least 150 people have died in bed rail-related incidents over the past 9 years
November 26, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Tick Bites Cause Freak Allergy to Meat Eating
In addition to acting as vectors for diseases, ticks are now identified as the likely culprit of a new bane specific to carnivores: causing an allergic reaction to meat
November 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
