Science & Society
- Genetics
Genes might explain why dogs can’t sniff out some people under stress
Genes and stress may change a person’s body odor, confusing police dogs.
- Genetics
A long handshake can spread your DNA to objects you didn’t touch
Two new studies show that even brief contact with another person or object could transfer your DNA far and wide.
- Science & Society
Scientists set sail for the elusive island of stability
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the search for the island of stability and the future of the periodic table.
- Science & Society
Top 10 science anniversaries to celebrate in 2019
Top 10 science anniversaries in 2019 include expeditions, treatises and tabulations.
- Artificial Intelligence
Why a data scientist warns against always trusting AI’s scientific discoveries
Artificial intelligence that helps make scientific discoveries needs to get better at admitting its uncertainty, Genevera Allen says.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
