Adam Hoffman

 

Adam Hoffman is a freelance science writer living in New York City.

The only one who really understands me.

New Research

Dogs Know When You're Praising Them. That Doesn't Mean They Understand Human Speech

A dose of caution with the results of an intriguing new study

Groggy after a night in a strange place? A night watchman in your brain may be to blame.

You Can’t Sleep While Traveling Because Your Brain Acts Like a Dolphin’s

On the first night in a new place, half your brain stays awake to watch out for danger

Flatline on a heart monitor

The Lazarus Phenomenon, Explained: Why Sometimes, the Deceased Are Not Dead, Yet

What does CPR have to do with the curious case of clinically dead patients coming “back to life”?

Ain't no rest for the wicked … or the innocent.

New Research

Sleepy Suspects Are Way More Likely to Falsely Confess to a Crime

In a study, almost 70 percent of sleep-deprived people admitted to something they didn't do

Seeking transparency in the scientific literature.

New Research

Biomedical Science Studies Are Shockingly Hard to Reproduce

Limited access to research details and a culture that emphasizes breakthroughs are undermining the credibility of science

An artist's rendering shows an acoustic hologram trapping a particle over a levitation device.

New Research

This Acoustic Tractor Beam Can Levitate Small Objects With Sound

The device allows researchers to float and manipulate targets with just a single array of ultrasound emitters

Rampant miscommunication in medicine due to language barriers compromises patient safety and quality of care while widening existing health disparities.

The Innovative Spirit

Millions of Americans Are Getting Lost in Translation During Hospital Visits

Miscommunication due to language barriers is a growing health care issue, and technologies to aid interpretation are racing to keep up

Yeast, a multipurpose microbe.

Innovative Spirit Health Care

A Genetically Modified Yeast Turns Sugar Into Painkillers

Stanford scientists have engineered a strain of yeast that can produce opiates on its own

Coming to grips with our moral code.

New Research

How Time, Space and Authority Figures Influence Your Moral Judgment

A study of how people respond to outrageous acts suggests that our sense of crime and punishment is surprisingly flexible

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to legalize marriage equality nationwide on June 26.

Can Science Help People Unlearn Their Unconscious Biases?

Social events, sleep training and even meditation may offer ways for people to erase biases they probably didn't know they held

Tiny Robots Can Clear Clogged Arteries

Engineers at Drexel University are developing micro-swimmers that loosen arterial plaque and release drugs into the bloodstream to prevent future buildup

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Does Dieting Actually Make Your Stomach Shrink?

Not exactly, says science—stretchiness and psychology seem to play bigger roles than size in determining how much a person can eat

Humans traveling to Mars may need extra shielding for their brains.

New Research

A Trip to Mars Could Give You Brain Damage

Exposure to cosmic rays may cause defects that would make astronauts lose their curiosity during a mission

A modern-day bottle of Veuve Clicquot "Grand Dame" champagne.

New Research

170-Year-Old Champagne Recovered (and Tasted) From a Baltic Shipwreck

The uncorked bubbly goes from notes of wet hair and cheese to something spicy and smoky, enologists report

Scientists Turn Packing Peanuts Into Battery Components

Chemical engineers at Purdue University have found a surprising way to repurpose the foam pieces

Midnight Snacking Is Bad for Your Brain

Experiments in mice show that misaligned eating patterns can mess with the brain's ability to form memories and learn new tasks

That first dip into a hot spring may actually send chills over your skin.

Why Does Very Hot Water Sometimes Feel Cold?

The weird sensation known as paradoxical cold has scientists locked in a heated debate

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