Humans
- Health & Medicine
Can you really die of a broken heart?
Death by heartbreak doesn't just happen in stories. In real life, severe stress can cause takotsubo syndrome — a sometimes fatal heart problem.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Avulsion
As rivers seek out easier routes to the sea, path reroutes can transform our world. This is ‘avulsion’ refers to in geology. In medicine, the word can describe injuries.
- Brain
Purple exists only in our brains
Most colors represent a single wavelength of light. But your brain invents purple to deal with wavelengths from opposite ends of the visible spectrum.
- Archaeology
Let’s learn about radiocarbon dating
Through the power of radioactivity, carbon dating can reveal the age of many fossils and artifacts.
- Brain
A single sniff is enough to detect slight odor changes
The speed of our ability to perceive odors is on par with that of color perception, a new sniff device shows.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. teen tobacco use has hit a record low
In 2024, tobacco use among middle- and high-school students reached a record low. But new vapes and nicotine-based products keep coming.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Aphantasia
Not everyone has a “mind’s eye,” and that’s OK. Some people recall memories and process information in different ways altogether.
- Brain
Ouch! The pain of pulled hair registers superfast
A hair pull is detected by a protein used to sense light touches. It also travels faster than most other types of pain.
- Humans
Is synthetic food dye bad for kids? Here’s what the science says
California is banning some food dyes in school meals. Though FDA says the dyes are safe, some studies show they may alter kids’ behavior.
- Psychology
Analyze This: Skipping through videos may increase boredom
Contrary to what people often expect, fast-forwarding or switching videos may leave viewers more bored and less satisfied.
- Brain
This neuroscientist looks at how your brain plans for the future
Freek van Ede studies how the brain selects information to plan for the future. He’s finding clues in the tiny movements people make with their eyes.
- Tech
A man silenced by paralysis got his ‘voice’ back, thanks to AI
New computer-linked brain implants offer hope to those who have lost the ability to speak or move.
