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Science / Mind & Body

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Cops Could Soon Use Breathalyzers to Test for Illegal Drugs

Swedish researchers are developing a system that tests for 12 different drugs on your breath, including cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines

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Why Women Like Deep Voices and Men Prefer High Ones

We find different pitches attractive because of the body size they signal—and a touch of breathiness is crucial to take the edge off deep voices in men

Flamingos depend on plant-derived chemical compounds to color their feathers, legs and beaks.

For Some Species, You Really Are What You Eat

Flamingos, shrimp and many other animals use chemical compounds found in their diets to color their exteriors

Music works deep into our brains.

Eight New Things We’ve Learned About Music

It’s right up there with food, sex and drugs when its comes to stirring up pleasure responses in our brains

Hikers ascend through the smog of Los Angeles, one of six cities where researchers studied the effects of air pollution on the heart.

Heart Attacks May Be Linked to Air Pollution

Research in six U.S. cities shows a connection between prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter in the air and a faster hardening of the arteries

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Which Primate Is the Most Likely Source of the Next Pandemic?

To help anticipate the next outbreak of an emerging infectious disease, scientists scrutinize our closest relatives in the animal kingdom

ZnO Fall Flowers. Image by Audrey Forticaux, a graduate student in the Chemistry Department

Intriguing Science Art From the University of Wisconsin

From a fish’s dyed nerves to vapor strewn across the planet, images submitted to a contest at the university offer new perspectives of the natural world

An artist’s rendering of Fog Bridge at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

An Artist Creates Artificial Fog in San Francisco

Fujiko Nakaya works with an unusual medium. The Japanese artist is sculpting fog clouds at the Exploratorium’s new site at Pier 15

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Fathers Recognize Their Babies’ Cries Just as Well as Mothers

A new study shows that fathers and mothers are equally capable at knowing their infant’s unique cry—if both contribute to parenting equally

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Five Surprising Facts About the Common Cold

How far do germs travel after a sneeze? Can you really catch a cold if it’s chilly outside? And does vitamin C actually help battle cold symptoms?

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Merely a Taste of Beer Can Trigger a Rush of Chemical Pleasure in the Brain

New research shows just a sip can cause the potent neurotransmitter dopamine to flood the brain

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Should We Fall Out of Love with Robot Surgery?

The FDA is investigating whether doctors aren’t getting enough training before they start using machines to do surgery. Is the “wow” factor to blame?

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Why Humidity Makes Your Hair Curl

Humid air causes hydrogen bonds to form between water molecules and the proteins in your hair, triggering curls and frizz

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Revealed: The Part of Our Brains That Makes Us Like New Music

Imaging technology shows that a reward center known as the nucleus accumbens lights up when we hear melodies we love

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Researchers Turn Brains Transparent By Sucking Out the Fat

By turning brains clear and applying colored dyes, connections between neuron networks can now be examined in 3D at unprecedented levels of detail

April 4, 2013: Taylor Swift, by Klari Reis

Every Day a Different Dish: Klari Reis’ Petri Paintings

This year, a San Francisco-based artist will unveil 365 new paintings, reminiscent of growing bacteria, on her blog, The Daily Dish

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Video: Researchers Produce Human Tissue-Like Material Using 3D Printing

Using droplets coated in oil as “ink,” a 3D printer can construct a network of synthetic cells that mimics brain and fat tissue

A learning algorithm, coupled with MRI readings, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy.

Scientists Figure Out What You See While You’re Dreaming

A learning algorithm, coupled with brain scans, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy

New research says olive oil is one healthy fat.

10 New Things We Know About Food and Diets

Scientists keep learning new things about food, from the diet power of olive oil’s aroma to how chewing gum can keep you away from healthy foods

Mikael Knip, a Finnish physician, speculates that developed nations are too clean for their own good.

The Unintended (and Deadly) Consequences of Living in the Industrialized World

Scientists believe dirt could explain why some of the wealthiest countries suffer from afflictions rarely seen in less-developed nations

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