All Stories
- Genetics
Readers question the biology of alcoholism and more
Alcoholism-linked genes, making better corneas and more in reader feedback.
- Planetary Science
Possibly cloudy forecast for parts of Pluto
Reflective patches on Pluto could be hints of rare cloud formation on the dwarf planet.
- Neuroscience
Mice smell, share each other’s pain
Pain can jump from one mouse to another, presumably through chemicals detected by the nose.
- Archaeology
Wild monkeys throw curve at stone-tool making’s origins
Monkeys that make sharp-edged stones raise questions about evolution of stone tool production.
By Bruce Bower - Genetics
Big biological datasets map life’s networks
Expanding from genomics to multi-omics means stretching data capacity, but it may lead to a future of early diagnosis, personalized medicine and hardy crops.
- Humans
Tom Wolfe’s denial of language evolution stumbles over his own words
Tom Wolfe’s book denies that language evolved and attacks Darwin and Chomsky with smugness lacking substance.
- Tech
How to read a book without opening it
New technique allows scientists to read the pages of an ancient text without opening the book.
- Planetary Science
ExoMars mission set to arrive at Red Planet on October 19
The European ExoMars mission is about to arrive at the Red Planet, dropping a lander on the surface and putting a spacecraft into orbit.
- Planetary Science
Lava may be flowing from Venus volcano
Lava flows might explain a hot spot seen in data from Venus Express spacecraft.
- Planetary Science
Comet 67P cracking under pressure
Cracks developing on comet 67P are signs of stress building in the neck of the comet that could lead to its two ends snapping apart.
- Genetics
‘Three-parent babies’ explained
Several in vitro techniques can produce babies with three biological parents.
- Particle Physics
KATRIN experiment readies for quest to find neutrino’s mass
The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment, or KATRIN, has begun taking test data in its effort to measure the mass of neutrinos.