Life

Chemistry

Explainer: How is water cleaned up for drinking

Unless you’re drinking well water, city folks typically get drinking water that has been treated in a water-treatment plant. Here’s what that means.

Brain

Young people’s memory improves after stopping marijuana use

Paying teens and young adults to stop using marijuana improved their memory within one week. The results hint that some impairments from pot may be reversible — at least for a time.

Brain

People may be literally led by their noses

The brain links people’s senses of nagivation and smell, according to a new study.

Life

Scientists Say: Nectar

Nectar is a fluid filled with sugar that plants — especially flowers — produce. They use it to attract animals that will then spread their pollen to another plant.

Genetics

Plants don’t grow well when always on high alert

Plants make bitter-tasting chemicals to defend themselves against hungry bugs. But they pay a cost for always being on alert, scientists find.

Fossils

T. rex pulverized bones with an incredible amount of force

Tyrannosaurus rex’s powerful bite and remarkably strong teeth helped the dinosaur crush bones.

Genetics

Gene editing creates mice with no mom

Scientists used gene editing to make the first ever mice with two dads. But these motherless pups died soon after birth.

Brain

How your brain is like a film editor

A brain structure called the hippocampus may slice our ongoing lives into distinct chunks so that they can then be stored as memories.

Brain

The immune system has a say in how hard ‘teen’ rats play

“Teen” rats like to wrestle. A new study shows the brain’s immune system might trigger changes that morph this desire for rough-and-tumble play into the calm of adulthood.

Brain

Less screentime linked to better memory, learning in kids

Kids ages eight to 11 spend an average of 3.6 hours a day on screens, a new study shows. But the best thinking scores come from kids who average fewer than two hours a day of screen time.

Earth

Designing tomorrow’s burger

Many people enjoy biting into a juicy hamburger. But getting it to the table can be hard on the environment. That's why scientists are at work developing new forms of beef and other meats, ones that don't require slaughtering animals.

Animals

Here’s how cockroaches fight off zombie-makers

Stand tall. Kick, kick and kick some more. Scientists observed these successful tactics among some study subjects that avoided becoming true zombies.