News
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, phantom pain was blamed on misfiring nerves
Researchers now know that the cause of post-amputation pain is more complex, which is leading to new treatments.
- Earth
A weaker magnetic field may have paved the way for marine life to go big
Decreased protection from cosmic radiation may have increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, allowing animals to grow larger.
- Space
NASA’s budget woes put ambitious space research at risk
Mars Sample Return and missions to study other planets and celestial bodies, including lunar efforts, face big cuts and delays.
- Animals
This snake goes to extremes to play dead — and it appears to pay off
When dice snakes fake their death to avoid predators, those that use a combination of blood, poop and musk spend less time pretending to be dead.
- Neuroscience
Lampreys have ‘fight or flight’ cells, challenging ideas about nervous system evolution
The discovery of sympathetic nervous system cells in lampreys draws a closer tie between the animal and complex vertebrates — such as humans.
- Climate
As the Arctic tundra warms, soil microbes likely will ramp up CO2 production
Experiments in mini greenhouses show how the tiny organisms lurking underground in a "sleepy biome" could be a contributor to climate change.
- Psychology
Online spaces may intensify teens’ uncertainty in social interactions
Little is known of how teens learn about emotions online and then use that knowledge to cope with social uncertainty during in-person encounters.
- Animals
Want to see butterflies in your backyard? Try doing less yardwork
Growing out patches of grass can lure adult butterflies and moths with nectar and offer lawn mower–free havens for toddler caterpillars.
- Health & Medicine
College students want to help during an opioid overdose but don’t know how
A survey of college students reported many are comfortable calling emergency services for an overdose, but fewer know how to intervene with naloxone.
- Animals
This orangutan used a medicinal plant on his face wound
Rakus the orangutan appeared to be treating a cut to his face with a plant that’s also used in traditional human medicine.
- Animals
Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat
Jiggling the “melon” like Jell-O seems to be associated with sexual behaviors, scientists say.
- Materials Science
Scientists developed a sheet of gold that’s just one atom thick
Ultrathin goldene sheets could reduce the amount of gold needed for electronics and certain chemical reactions.
