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Science / Mind & Body

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Science Shows Why You’re Smarter Than a Neanderthal

Neanderthal brains had more capacity devoted to vision and body control, with less left over for social interactions and complex cognition

A good night’s sleep is worth the effort.

Lousy Sleep Isn’t Good For Your Body, Either

More and more scientific research is showing that sleep is more important to our state of mind—and body—than we ever could have imagined

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What Does the Unbelievably Bad Air Quality in Beijing Do to the Human Body?

The level of soot in Beijing’s air is off the charts, leading to higher risks of lung cancer, heart attacks and other health problems

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The War on Cancer Goes Stealth

With nanomedicine, the strategy is not to poison cancer cells or to blast them away but to trick them

“Men and women. Women and men. It will never work.” –Erica Jong

Where Men See White, Women See Ecru

Neuroscientists prove what we always suspected: the two sexes see the world differently

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Video: This Stretchable Battery Could Power the Next Generation of Wearable Gadgets

Durable and rechargeable, the new battery can be stretched to 300 percent of its size and still provide power

The challenge is to figure out how all that wiring works.

Mapping How the Brain Thinks

The White House wants to fund a huge project that would allow scientists to see, in real time, how a brain does its work

High temperatures and high levels of humidity reduce the human body’s ability to do work.

Climate Change is Reducing Our Ability to Get Work Done

Increased temperature and humidity have already limited humankind’s overall capacity for physical work—and it will only get worse in the future

The human heart

Growing New Hearts Without Using Embryonic Stem Cells

A different type of stem cell—one used in asexual reproduction—can create new heart muscle tissue without raising ethical questions, new studies show

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With Biodesign, Life is Not Only the Subject of Art, But the Medium Too

Artists are borrowing from biology to create dazzling “biodesigns” that challenge our aesthetics—and our place in nature

One of the Cornell team’s prosthetic ears, created from living cartilage cells.

An Artificial Ear Built By a 3D Printer and Living Cartilage Cells

Cornell scientists used computerized scanning, 3D printers and cartilage from cows to create living prosthetic ears

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Study Predicts Political Beliefs With 83 Percent Accuracy

Scans show that liberals and conservatives use different parts of the brain when they take risks, helping to pinpoint the political party a person prefers

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The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Pathogens

British artist Luke Jerram’s handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents

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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

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Pick Your Poison: A Diet Mixer Could Make You Get Drunk Faster

The same amount of liquor causes a higher level of intoxication when mixed with diet soda instead of regular soda, a new study finds

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Primal Screens: How Pro Football Is Amping Up Its Game

Pro football is turning to screens—some massive, others on smart phones—to try to keep its fans entertained.

Roosevelt Brown (pictured left), a star tackle for the New York Giants from 1953 to 1965, was 6’3” and 255 pounds. Michael Oher, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, stands at 6’4” and weighs 315 pounds.

Obesity Could Be the True Killer for Football Players

Head injuries have received much deserved attention in the news, but there’s a 350-pound problem that few are discussing

Doug E. Fresh (shown above, performing at the Legends of Hip Hop Tour in February 2011) was a beatboxing pioneer in the 1980s.

Beatboxing, as Seen Through Scientific Images

To see how certain sound effects are humanly possible, a team of University of Southern California researchers took MRI scans of a beatboxer in action

Coming Out of the Closet May Be Good For Your Health

For lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, a new study suggests that coming out provides a tangible health benefit, both mentally and biologically

A new study suggests that lightning alone—even without the other elements of a thunderstorm—might trigger migraines.

Lightning May Trigger Migraine Headaches

A new study suggests that lightning alone—even without the other elements of a thunderstorm—might trigger migraines

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