Science & Society
- Tech
New devices coming to assist the disabled
New technologies, including motorized prosthetics and stair-climbing wheelchairs, could someday help people overcome a range of disabilities.
- Brain
Early intro to sign language has lasting benefits
Children introduced to sign language as babies performed better on mental-processing tasks at age 12 — and as adults — than did people who learned sign language at age 3.
- Agriculture
A shock to the food system
Droughts and other weather extremes caused by climate change are dramatically increasing the risk of short-term interruptions in the supplies of food.
- Health & Medicine
Teen data find vapers often become smokers
Many view vaping as less harmful than cigarettes. But an increasing number of studies suggest that using e-cigarettes increases the risk a teenager will start to smoke.
- Science & Society
The most important stories of 2015
From Pluto to gene editing, the year saw a number of notable research discoveries, advances and insights.
- Health & Medicine
The most popular stories of 2015
Our readers love to read about health and wellness. Check out which stories were most popular.
- Environment
Paris meeting yields climate agreement
It provides outlines and incentives for nations to curb fossil-fuel use. The goal is to limit global warming to no more than 2° Celsius (3.4 °Fahrenheit) above temperatures typical in the 1750s or earlier.
- Science & Society
Expert panel approves human gene editing
Scientists have recently been reporting big advances in the ability to tweak the genes of living organisms, including people. But some question the ethics of doing that. A panel of experts now says such research can go ahead — with one major exception.
- Environment
Wildlife forensics turns to eDNA
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, tells biologists what species have been around — even when they’re out of sight or have temporarily moved on.
- Health & Medicine
News Brief: Group dancing helps teens bond
Coordinated dance routines help teens bond with one another, new data show. Group dancing also offers other benefits, including a higher threshold for pain.
- Ecosystems
Two SNS writers win big
Here’s a Cool Job: writing about science. Two people who regularly do that for SNS have just picked up awards for stories on the physics of lightning and how nature recycles the dead to feed the living.
- Health & Medicine
Internet use may harm teen health
Using the Internet more than two hours a day puts teens at risk of high blood pressure, a new study finds.
