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Science

Robert Soliz, a 31-year-old former Army Specialist, participates in Paws for Purple Hearts, one of four experimental programs nationwide that pair veterans afflicted by PTSD with Labrador and golden retrievers.

How Dogs Can Help Veterans Overcome PTSD

New research finds that “man’s best friend” could be lifesavers for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Olympic organizers plan to conduct 5,000 drug tests—an unprecedented number—during the London Games.

The Top Athletes Looking for an Edge and the Scientists Trying to Stop Them

Behind the scenes there will be a high-tech, high-stakes competition between Olympic athletes who use banned substances and drug testers out to catch them

The high-tech arms race between cheaters and testers has pushed both sides to the cutting edge of science.

The Future of Cheating in Sports

As technology advances, so will access to ingenious—and troubling—new techniques

Facebook is building its first European data storage facility—60 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden.

Where Do All Those Facebook Photos Go?

On the outer boundaries of the Arctic Circle lies a massive construction project funded by Facebook: the future home of thousands of server farms

Animal Brains, More Beautiful Than You Could Ever Imagine

More than just eye candy, these images are teaching scientists new insights into how the brain is organized

The system detects patients’ thoughts via an fMRI machine and translates these into specific letters.

New Mind-Reading Device Lets Paralyzed People Type

Using an fMRI machine and innovative software, researchers have figured out how to enable typing without moving a muscle

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Will We Ever Find Dinosaurs Caught in the Act?

Is there any chance that paleontologists will one day find mating dinosaurs?

Most corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified.

Food, Modified Food

In a recent experiment, researchers used directed evolution to create enzymes that make silicon dioxide, used in semiconductors and computer chips.

Can Evolution Make the Next Generation of Computer Chips?

In a recent experiment, genetic mutation and artificial selection were harnessed to make semiconductors

A reconstructed Acrocanthosaurus at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

In the Steps of a Hungry Acrocanthosaurus

A special set of footprints may record a dinosaur attack in progress

The dental plaque on Australopithecus sediba teeth reveals the species ate wood or bark.

Australopithecus Sediba: The Wood-Eating Hominid

For the first time, researchers have discovered that a hominid dined on wood or bark

Photinus pyralis, a species of firefly found in the eastern United States

14 Fun Facts About Fireflies

Fact number 3: In some places at some times, fireflies synchronize their flashing

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You Say Tyrannosaurus, I Say Tarbosaurus

Was the million-dollar dinosaur a species of Tyrannosaurus, or was it a different sort of dinosaur?

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Spanx on Steroids: How Speedo Created the New Record-Breaking Swimsuit

After Olympic officials banned the swimsuit that caused records to fall at the 2008 games, scientists are back with a new outfit that might break even more

A series of studies indicates that we can reinforce existing memories during deep sleep.

Experiments Show We Really Can Learn While We Sleep

Our minds are surprisingly active during deep sleep, capable of cementing memories we learned while awake

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Prepare to Go Underground

Upside down skyscrapers. Vacuum tubes whisking away trash. Welcome to the future of cities as they begin exploring the next urban frontier

Cave art evolved in Europe 40,000 years ago. Archaeologists reasoned the art was a sign that humans could use symbols to represent their world and themselves.

When Did the Human Mind Evolve to What It is Today?

Archaeologists are finding signs of surprisingly sophisticated behavior in the ancient fossil record

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How Hadrosaurs Chewed

Edmontosaurus has often been called the “cow of the Cretaceous”, but did this dinosaur chew like a mammal?

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The Paradox of the Nutcracker Man

Researchers have assumed Paranthropus boisei used its giant teeth to crack open nuts, but conflicting evidence suggests the hominid ate more like a cow

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What Give Cheetahs The Edge In a Race With Greyhounds

If you could put a wild cheetah up against a greyhound in a race, the cheetah would win, no problem. But why?

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