Neuroscience
Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why
Scott Weems, a neuroscientist, takes readers on a wide-ranging tour that explains what humor is and why readers should care.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Earth
Evolution of river systems
A river’s erosion downward and across a landscape is based on a variety of factors, including terrain steepness and the arrangement of tributaries.
Notebook
Tech
English Channel tunnel
First proposed in 1802 as a tunnel for horse-drawn carriages, the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, was built starting in 1987 and opened in 1994.
Features
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Cosmic question mark
Two ways of measuring the universe’s expansion rate disagree by about 10 percent. One of the methods may be flawed. Or it could be that a hitherto unobserved phenomenon is at work.
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Sudden death
Cardiologists disagree on whether electrocardiograms should be used to screen student athletes for a rare heart condition that can cause them to die suddenly and without warning.
More Stories from the April 5, 2014 issue
- Health & Medicine
Acetaminophen use in pregnancy linked to kids’ slightly higher risk of ADHD
A large analysis shows an association between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and slightly higher risks of ADHD, but it does not prove the pain reliever causes the disorder.
- Health & Medicine
Camels in Saudi Arabia teeming with MERS virus
Three-quarters of animals tested had signs of the MERS virus, which can be deadly in people.
- Anthropology
Cancer proposed as spur for evolution of dark-skinned ancestors
Fatal ailments might have sparked DNA changes that yielded dark skin in human ancestors.
- Climate
Extreme heat on the rise
Recent years saw an increase in peak high temperatures on land despite Earth’s stalled averages.
- Life
Rivalry helps fruit flies maintain brainpower
In lab tests, males dim mentally after generations without competitors.
- Astronomy
Kepler space telescope data uncovers 715 new planets
Astronomers used a new tool to quickly confirm the detection of exoplanets.
- Anthropology
Human ancestors at West Asian site deemed two species
Researchers see two species instead of one at oldest known Homo site outside Africa.
- Physics
Laser tweezers manipulate objects just 50 nanometers wide
Technique could allow scientists to move proteins, viruses and nanomaterials.
- Neuroscience
Brain uses decision-making region to tell blue from green
Language and early visual areas of the brain are not crucial for distinguishing colors, an fMRI study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Meaty diets may raise risk of dying young
Reducing protein consumption can lengthen life and improve health, studies in mice and people suggest.
- Physics
Superfast laser pulses could pave way for beam weapons
Short light bursts turn columns of air into energy conduits.
- Tech
Shining a light on radio waves
A new device detects faint signals by first converting them to laser pulses.
- Astronomy
Black holes may shut down stellar factories
Astronomers find dead galaxies loaded with the cold gas needed to make stars.
- Neuroscience
Music doesn’t move some people
One study offers a glimpse into those who find no enjoyment in tunes.
- Life
Giant zombie virus pulled from permafrost
After lying dormant in Siberian permafrost for 30,000 years, the largest virus ever discovered is just as deadly as it was when mammoths roamed the Earth.
- Animals
Chimps catch people’s yawns in sign of flexible empathy
Chimpanzees may show humanlike empathy, as evidenced by their contagious yawning.
- Science & Society
Slight boost for U.S. climate research funding
While most science funding remains flat lined in President Obama’s 2015 budget, climate change research gets an increase.
- Cosmology
Gravitational waves unmask universe just after Big Bang
For the first time, researchers have seen traces of superfast cosmic expansion and gravity waves.
- Science & Society
Flu drug research takes Intel STS top honors
A teenager’s computer analyses that identified six potential new flu-fighting compounds claimed first place at the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search.
- Tech
Mindless: Why Smarter Machines are Making Dumber Humans
Simon Head argues that computer business systems leave middle managers and workers with little creative latitude. They acquire fewer skills and their wages stagnate, hurting their job quality and buying power.
- Psychology
Grief takes its toll
A person’s risk of heart attack or stroke is doubled in the month following the death of a spouse or partner.
- Life
To do: Exhibits to explore in the U.S. and London
Highlights include the impending arrival of a T. rex skeleton in Washington, D.C., a pterosaur exhibit coming to New York City, and the history of longevity at the Royal Society in London.
