Science & Society

  1. Climate

    Tidal floods driven by climate change may hurt small businesses

    Parking data from Annapolis, Md.’s historic downtown shows how tidal flooding, driven by sea rise, can hurt local business.

    By Sujata Gupta
  2. Tech

    Robots are becoming classroom tutors. But will they make the grade?

    Educational robots show promise for helping kids in the classroom or at home, but researchers are still figuring out how these bots should behave.

    By Maria Temming
  3. Life

    Evolutionarily, grandmas are good for grandkids — up to a point

    Women may live past their reproductive years because they help their grandchildren survive, but there are limits to that benefit.

    By Sujata Gupta
  4. Plants

    Shutdown aside, Joshua trees live an odd life

    Growing only in the U.S. Southwest, wild Joshua trees evolved a rare, fussy pollination scheme.

    By Susan Milius
  5. Genetics

    What FamilyTreeDNA sharing genetic data with police means for you

    Law enforcement can now use one company’s private DNA database to investigate rapes and murders.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. Climate

    ‘The Human Element’ makes the impacts of climate change feel real

    Photographer James Balog puts a human face on the impacts of climate change in the documentary The Human Element.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  7. Science & Society

    NSF science research funds are flowing again after the shutdown

    Assessing the scope of the shutdown’s impact on NSF-funded science will be a long process.

    By Cassie Martin
  8. Humans

    Here’s what makes satire so funny, according to science

    Analysis of headlines from the satirical newspaper The Onion could help you — or a computer — write humorous news headlines.

    By Maria Temming
  9. Space

    It’s time to start taking the search for E.T. seriously, astronomers say

    Astronomers are hoping to make looking for alien technology an official science goal of NASA.

    By Lisa Grossman
  10. Planetary Science

    We spent New Year’s Eve in the Kuiper Belt

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses Science News' coverage of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft's flyby of Ultima Thule.

    By Nancy Shute
  11. Health & Medicine

    ‘Good to Go’ tackles the real science of sports recovery

    In ‘Good to Go,’ science writer Christie Aschwanden puts science — and herself — to the test for the sake of sports recovery.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  12. Psychology

    Easing test anxiety boosts low-income students’ biology grades

    Wealthier students outperform their less advantaged peers in math and science. Decreasing test anxiety may help even the playing field.

    By Sujata Gupta