Science & Society

  1. Cosmology

    Top 10 cosmological discoveries

    The cosmic microwave background radiation has played a part in many of cosmology’s greatest discoveries.

    By Tom Siegfried
  2. Science & Society

    Stone throwers might toss fingerprints into police hands

    An Israeli police lab is studying methods to develop fingerprints on rock to identify stone throwers.

    By Erika Engelhaupt
  3. Cosmology

    Inflation rides gravity waves into cosmological history

    The discovery of gravity waves in the cosmic microwave radiation signals the success of inflationary cosmology.

    By Tom Siegfried
  4. 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.

    By Beth Mole
  5. Science & Society

    Top 10 scientists of the 13th century

    Modern science began to emerge in Western Europe centuries before the Scientific Revolution, thanks to a few scholars who were ahead of their time.

    By Tom Siegfried
  6. Science & Society

    Medieval cosmology meets modern mathematics

    Applying modern math to Robert Grosseteste’s theory of the heavenly spheres reveals a medieval idea’s similarity to modern cosmology.

    By Tom Siegfried
  7. 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.

    By Sid Perkins
  8. Tech

    Early advantages pay off in public opinion on Twitter

    Twitter data show that having a slight advantage early in the formation of public opinion can be beneficial even though the state of the opinions level off over time.

    By Ashley Yeager
  9. Animals

    Elephants can tell men’s voices from women’s

    Amboseli elephants may pick out age and gender — and even distinguish between languages — when listening to human voices.

    By Susan Milius
  10. Ecosystems

    City spiders may spin low-vibe webs

    Spider webs built on human-made materials have less background bounce than those built on trees and other natural surfaces, which might shrink the arachnid’s hunting success.

    By Susan Milius
  11. Science & Society

    Domestic violence arrests may be counterproductive

    Mandatory arrest laws may increase mortality rates, especially among employed black women.

    By Bruce Bower
  12. Astronomy

    NASA releases 2015 budget with some mission cuts

    NASA $17.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2015 supports big missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope. But there are plans to put the SOFIA telescope in storage.

    By Ashley Yeager