All Stories by Erika Engelhaupt
- Science & Society
Best science to see and hear
Science Studio bills itself as “a collection of the best science multimedia on the web.
- Particle Physics
Higgs boson tale wins book prize
The Particle at the End of the Universe by Sean Carroll.
- Ecosystems
Cannibalistic mantis invades New Zealand, eats natives
Native male New Zealand mantises try to mate with females of an invasive species, only to find out the hard way that those females eat their mates.
- Psychology
Almost-lifelike hands perceived as creepy
Devices have to be very realistic to the escape uncanny valley of eeriness.
- Chemistry
Why death smells so deadly
Pinning down animals' odor detectors gives researchers a way to study aversion or attraction to certain objects. And understanding how these behavioral responses work will help researchers clarify why humans feel disgust.
- Planetary Science
Uninhabitable Earth
A recent estimate of the lifetimes of the habitability zones of Earth and various exoplanets suggests Earth could become unable to support life as soon as 1.75 billion years from now, when the sun brightens before dying out.
- Life
Getting to know the real living dead
A look at the bacteria inside bloated cadavers finds the dead are teeming with life.
- Animals
How ticks get under your skin
A close look at a tick’s mouthparts reveals enviable burrowing tools.
- Psychology
Maybe mean girls’ mental games have a purpose
Science is just beginning to tap the wellspring of female competition.
- Life
The reason to avoid poop coffee isn’t what you think
Beans from civet feces have become so popular that abuse and fraud are common.
- Anthropology
Neandertals ate stomach goop, and you can too
Eating partially digested stomach contents, or chyme, has long been a nutritional boost.
- Animals
Hiding up your nose is a clever strategy for ticks
Found hiding in the noses of Ugandan chimps, a new tick species hitchhiked its way to America in a researcher's nose.
