Neuroscience
A photographic memory is wishful thinking
In fiction, photographic memories crack the case or save the day. But our brains can’t hold on to everything — and that’s a good thing.
Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Life
- Animals
Too many choices complicate female frogs’ sex lives
In the lab, female frogs were less likely to choose preferred males as mating calls increased, potentially giving other males a better shot.
- Science & Society
Bamboo toilet paper intrigued me. Reality turned out to be messy
What makes a greener wipe? Researchers have more to say about bamboo's ecological risks, given limited carbon footprint data.
- Animals
Sad or afraid? Dogs may be able to read your face
A new brain-imaging study suggests that dogs may be able to distinguish between certain negative human emotions just by looking at people’s faces.
- Paleontology
Heat-trapping asteroid dust may have incinerated the dinosaurs within hours
Within minutes of impact, debris began heating Earth’s atmosphere. Fine dust trapped that heat, potentially killing the dinosaurs quickly.
- Health & Medicine
Bullfrogs may have an antidote to deadly shellfish poisoning
Researchers injected mice with a protein derived from frogs to save them from the same kind of shellfish poisoning that affects people.
- Animals
Emperor penguin chicks like these starved. An iceberg may be the cause
An emperor penguin colony in Antarctica saw a massive decline in chicks in 2025. The contours of a nearby grounded iceberg may have been the cause.
- Animals
Naked mole-rat queens rule their colonies with a potent odor
A compound made only by breeding queens keeps naked mole-rat colonies infertile and free of conflict.
- Animals
‘Cheating’ birds change their tune
Female pied flycatchers can tell whether a male is paired or not based on song differences. Mated males sing shorter songs and repeat syllables less.
- Animals
A new monkey species has been found deep in Congo’s forests
A canopy call, a partial photo and DNA revealed a new primate species — one that may already be at risk of extinction.
