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Science

A new study shows that the equivalent of a few cups of coffee can help us process words more quickly and accurately.

In Experiments, Caffeine Accelerates the Brain’s Verbal Processing

A new study shows that the equivalent of a few cups of coffee can help us process words more quickly and accurately

Small stone blades from South Africa dating to 71,000 years ago may be the earliest evidence of bow and arrows.

Early Bow and Arrows Offer Insight Into Origins of Human Intellect

Tiny blades discovered in South Africa suggest early humans had advanced intelligence and modern culture 71,000 years ago

Mamenchisaurus, one of the longest-necked dinosaurs of all time, perfectly represents the bizarre nature of sauropods.

Did Sauropods Have Built-In Swamp Coolers?

Paleobiologists are still trying to figure out how large sauropods prevented themselves from overheating

Approaching Storm, by Ernest Lawson, 1919-20

Art as Therapy: How to Age Creatively

A new exhibition at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., showcases the work of elderly artists with memory loss and other chronic conditions

The upper and lower jaws of Duriavenator, illustrated when they were thought to belong to Megalosaurus, in A History of British Fossil Reptiles Vol. II.

Finding Duriavenator

Jaws once thought to be from Megalosaurus belong instead to this little-known species

Many irrelevant factors have been found to sway voters at the polls.

5 Weird Things That Shouldn’t Influence Your Vote But Do

A number of irrelevant factors—from a polling place’s location to a home sports team’s winning percentage—have been found to sway voters

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We Can Bank Online. Why Can’t We Vote Online?

Voting experts David Becker and Thad Hall discuss the technologies that could forever change the way we register and cast our votes

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The World’s Rarest Whale Species Spotted in New Zealand

A pair of spade-toothed whales washed ashore on a beach, the first time the complete body of a member of this species has ever been seen

The dinosaur William Parks described as Dyoplosaurus, showing where the bones would have fit on the actual animal.

D is for Dyoplosaurus

A hidden ankylosaur species changes how paleontologists understand the evolution of North America’s Late Cretaceous dinosaurs

Can a brain be Republican or Democrat?

Are Your Political Beliefs Hardwired?

Brain scans suggest Democrats and Republicans actually are different biologically. Welcome to the world of political neuroscience.

A reconstruction of Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis. Lucy probably walked much slower than taller members of her species.

Did Lucy Walk Too Slow for Her Taller Group Mates?

Huge variability in Australopithecus afarensis height may have made it difficult for group members to walk together at the same speed

Beetles Invasion: One Artist’s Take on the Insect

A swarm of giant beetles, lovingly sculpted by Washington D.C.-based artist Joan Danziger, descends on the American University Museum

In this restoration by Emiliano Troco, a Sauroniops feeds on a juvenile Spinosaurus. (And yes, all the dinosaurs in this image are fluffy.)

New Dinosaur Discovered – Named After the Demonic Sauron from Lord of the Rings

A bizarre skull fragment hints at a new species of giant predatory dinosaur from Morocco

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Why Do Readers Cheat Content Paywalls in Online Journalism?

A new study shows that justifying paywalls as fair makes readers much more likely to pay for online content

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Should Cities Prepare For the Worst?

Is the crippling of New York City enough to motivate other cities to protect themselves against extreme weather?

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The Best Wildlife Photographs of the Year

Over 48,000 photos were entered in the Veolia Environnement contest; these 10 were among the most stunning

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Video: This Elephant Learned to Speak Korean

Koshik, an Asian elephant at a South Korean zoo, learned to uncannily mimic five Korean words by stuffing his trunk in his mouth

Many Allosaurus bones have been found with fractures and other pathologies, but were any of these injuries caused by falls?

Following Dinosaur Falls

Dinosaurs undoubtedly slipped and fell. But did they leave any evidence of their mishaps in the fossil record?

"Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in this world for ugly mathematics," wrote British number theorist Godfrey Hardy in 1941.

The Natural Beauty of Math

The Geometrization Theorem may not sound the sexiest, but it reveals geometry’s innate splendor

The Sun's magnetic field carries energy from its core to its atmosphere.

The Sun’s Swirling Green Gases of Wonder

Unprecedented images from space capture the Sun’s true beauty

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