Humans

  1. Humans

    Humans have used fire far longer than anyone realized

    Cave dirt suggests one ancestral species was using fire around 1.8 million years ago. That pushes back the earliest known use by about 800,000 years.

    By Tom Metcalfe
  2. Humans

    Explainer: What is ADHD?

    Short for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD affects how people think, learn and process information.

    By Rachel Lea
  3. Health & Medicine

    What to know about using AI chatbots for therapy

    More and more young people are turning to AI chatbots for mental health help. There can be risks, and it’s important to know what they are, experts say.

    By Aimee Cunningham and Maria Temming
  4. Tech

    Explainer: What is bioprinting?

    Machines can now print tissues, layer by layer, using “inks” made of living cells. This technology brings lab-grown organs closer to reality.

    By Tejasri Gururaj
  5. Health & Medicine

    U.S. sunscreen users are finally getting a new option  

    FDA will now allow the use of bemotrizinol in U.S. sunscreens. This long-lasting chemical protects against the solar radiation that ages and damages skin.

    By Meghan Rosen
  6. Physics

    Experiment: Measure fake blood spatter

    Future forensic scientists, get out your corn syrup and red food coloring! It’s time to fake a crime scene.

    By Science Buddies
  7. Microbes

    Dormant microbes from Ötzi the Iceman’s body can grow in the lab

    These cold-loving yeasts may be thousands of years old. They also suggest the mummy’s remains may not be completely frozen in time.

    By Tom Metcalfe
  8. Archaeology

    The mystery of the ‘Plain of Jars’ in Laos may now be solved

    The remains of at least 37 people sit in an ancient stone “jar.” They suggest thousands of such jars in Laos are burial vaults.

    By Tom Metcalfe
  9. Oceans

    Big waves shape this surfer-scientist’s research and life

    Professor and pro surfer Cliff Kapono studies human-ocean interactions through the lens of a surfer, from molecular to macro scales.

    By Rachael Lallensack
  10. Brain

    VR can train the human brain to treat wings like real limbs

    Virtual "flying" coaching, based on bird flight, took only a week. Afterward, participants’ brains seemed to view VR wings almost like true limbs.

    By Yujia Huang
  11. Chemistry

    Scientists Say: Fluoride

    This electrically charged form of fluorine boasts powerful tooth-strengthening abilities.

    By Katie Grace Carpenter
  12. Archaeology

    Mystery solved: Why earthquakes haven’t wrecked Egypt’s Great Pyramid

    Its materials, shape and internal design have helped this ancient wonder withstand strong shaking.

    By Skyler Ware