Humans
- Brain
A cell hookup helps the tongue tell sweet from sour
To keep your sense of taste, new taste cells need to hook up to your brain every few weeks. Now, scientists have figured out how they do it.
- Genetics
Explainer: Why scientists sometimes ‘knock out’ genes
How do we learn what a particular molecule does in the body? To find out, scientists often 'knock out' the gene that makes it. Here’s how.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Rabies
Rabies is a disease caused by the rabies virus. There is a vaccine, but without it, people and animals can die from this disease.
- Health & Medicine
Bones have stealth role in muscle, appetite and health
Surprise! Bones release hormones that carry on long-distance chats with the brain and other organs. Studies in mice show these conversations can affect appetite, how the brain uses energy and more.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is a hormone?
Various tissues secrete special chemicals, known as hormones. They travel, usually in blood, to a particular distant site where they tell certain cells it’s time to go to work.
- Brain
Evening screen time can sabotage sleep
Blue light from electronic devices can impair the body’s ability to sleep, making it hard to focus in the morning.
- Environment
Analyze This: Not all races saw equal improvements in this air pollutant
Levels of one U.S. air pollutant, NO2, have dropped over time. But neighborhoods with predominantly non-white residents saw smaller improvements than did those that were mostly white.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: How the ears work
Most people probably think of their ears as the flaps on the sides of their heads. But there’s a lot of machinery inside that lets us hear our favorite tunes.
- Chemistry
When bitter + bitter = sweet
Two artificial sweeteners lose their bitter aftertastes when combined together. Scientists have just figured out why.
- Microbes
Sweat-slurping ‘aliens’ live on your skin
Archaea are famous for living in extreme environments. Now scientists find they also inhabit skin, where they seem to enjoy sweat.
- Archaeology
Fiery tests suggest gooey tech by Neandertals
Neandertals could have used simple methods and handy materials to make tar. It would have helped them glue their tools together.
- Health & Medicine
The power of ‘like’
A single “like” on a social-media post can make it much more popular, which can influence how teens behave.
