Life
- Fossils
Scientists Say: Hominid
Scientists are still working out what counts as a hominid. Some say it’s just people and our extinct ancestors. Others say add more apes.
- Animals
Butterflies use jet propulsion for quick getaways
If you have ever tried to catch a resting butterfly, you know they are surprisingly difficult to nab. A new study helps explain why.
- Animals
More playtime and meatier meals might reduce kitty kills
Keeping cats indoors is the best way to prevent them from killing wildlife. But small changes to diet and play can help, too.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Egg and sperm
An egg or a sperm cell contains half of the normal genes an organism needs. They fuse together to form a new individual.
- Brain
Study is first to link brainwaves to certain forms of thought
Electrical activity in the brain reveals when we are focused or allowing our minds to wander freely.
- Health & Medicine
Some microbial hitchhikers may weaken body’s attack on COVID-19
New research identifies an altered mix of microbes in the body — ones commonly seen in people with poor diets — that may worsen coronavirus disease.
- Genetics
By not including everyone, genome science has blind spots
Little diversity in genetic databases makes precision medicine hard for many. One historian proposes a solution, but some scientists doubt it’ll work.
- Brain
Active bodies build stronger brains
Aerobic fitness and physical activity correlate with widespread brain health in adolescents, according to a new imaging study in England.
- Animals
Analyze This: Some dogs quickly learn new words
Two dogs picked up new words after hearing them a few times during play, but 20 other pets didn’t fare so well at learning the names of new toys.
- Health & Medicine
Some young adults will volunteer to get COVID-19 for science
Researchers will soon give some healthy people the new coronavirus. Their young volunteers have agreed to get sick to speed coronavirus research.
- Agriculture
Healthy soils are life-giving black gold
Scientists explain why everyone needs to value the soils beneath our feet — and why we should not view them as dirt.
- Agriculture
Soil (and its inhabitants) by the numbers
Teeming with life, soils have more going on than most of us realize.
