Humans
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Fluoride
This electrically charged form of fluorine boasts powerful tooth-strengthening abilities.
- 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.
- Genetics
Caffeine may dial down genes crucial for brain development, teen finds
Data from animal studies point to a troubling possibility: Caffeine may alter brain development.
- Brain
Imagination is not just replaying what we’ve seen and heard
New brain scans are helping sort out how our brains process imagined thoughts versus real sensations.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Synesthesia
This is a trait in which one kind of sensory input, such as sound, can trigger another sense, such as sight.
- Humans
Some people use echolocation to get around. Here’s how it works
As expert echolocators make multiple clicking sounds, their brains process the echoes to help them perceive their surroundings.
