Science & Society
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Science & SocietyWhat does a scientist look like? You!
We’re writing a feature on women in science, technology, engineering and math. Are you one? Share your story with us!
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Health & MedicineBlame your ‘environment’ for your taste in music
Some scientists had thought we are born with our musical tastes. But a new study finds that what the ear prefers depends on what we listened to as we were growing up.
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Health & MedicineEven some Olympic athletes cheat with drugs
Some athletes have been using banned drugs or other methods to boost their performance. But scientists are working on new ways to catch them.
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AnimalsEnd of Latin America’s Zika epidemic is in sight
A computer simulation suggests the Zika epidemic in Latin America is peaking and may not strike hard again for up to three decades.
By Meghan Rosen -
AnimalsGM mosquitoes cut rate of viral disease in Brazil
Adults males carrying the altered gene cannot father young that survive to adulthood. That’s when they suck blood — and can transmit disease.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineDon’t use dinner-table spoons for liquid medicines!
Kids are safer when parents use precise tools to measure liquid medicines. Switching from teaspoons to metric tools could help, a new study finds.
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Health & MedicineU.S. mosquitoes now spreading Zika virus
Scientists had worried that if people sick with Zika came to America, local mosquitoes might bite them and spread the disease. That’s now happened.
By Meghan Rosen -
ComputingMoral dilemma could limit appeal of driverless cars
Driverless cars will have to be programmed to decide who to save in emergencies — passengers or pedestrians. Many people aren’t yet sure they are ready to choose cars that make the most moral decision.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineStrict gun laws ended mass shootings in Australia
Australia enacted tough gun laws in 1996, which cut gun exposure — especially to semiautomatic weapons. Since then, new data show, that nation has experienced zero mass shootings.
By Meghan Rosen -
HumansCave holds earliest signs of fire-making in Europe
Ancient burned bone and heated stones in a Spanish cave are the oldest evidence of ancient fire-making in Europe.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyHunter-gatherers roamed Florida 14,500 years ago
Tools and bones from a submerged site in Florida show that Stone Age people lived in North America earlier than was once thought.
By Bruce Bower -
ArchaeologyRemains of long-ago child sacrifices found in Belize cave
Thousands of bones in Belize’s Midnight Terror Cave show that the Maya had a long tradition of human sacrifices. New data show that many had been children.
By Bruce Bower