Science & Society

  1. Planetary Science

    Citizen scientists join the search for Planet 9

    Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, lets space enthusiasts search for undiscovered objects in the sky, including a hypothesized planet at the far reaches of the solar system.

    By Ashley Yeager
  2. Science & Society

    Trump’s proposed 2018 budget takes an ax to science research funding

    Administration would cut total federal research spending by about 17 percent, according to a preliminary estimate.

    By Emily DeMarco
  3. Psychology

    Running is contagious among those with the competitive bug

    Can behaviors really be contagious? Runners log more miles when their friends do — especially if they want to stay leader of the pack, a new study finds.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  4. Health & Medicine

    Even short-term opioid use can set people up for addiction risks

    A study of opioid prescriptions for sprained ankles finds that patients prescribed 30 or more pills are more likely to seek refills.

    By Laura Beil
  5. Health & Medicine

    Where you live can affect your blood pressure, study suggests

    For black adults, moving out of a racially segregated neighborhood is linked to a drop in blood pressure, a new study finds.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  6. Science & Society

    The first Cassini to explore Saturn was a person

    Cassini, the spacecraft about to dive into Saturn, was named for the astronomical pioneer who first perceived the gap between the planet’s famous rings.

    By Tom Siegfried
  7. Science & Society

    New museum exhibit explores science of racism

    “Us and Them,” a new exhibit at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, draws on genetics, psychology, anthropology and sociology to examine why racism and prejudice persist.

    By Laura Spinney
  8. Animals

    In Florida, they’re fighting mosquitoes by meddling with their sex lives

    As an alternative to genetically modified mosquitoes, Florida skeeter police are testing one of two strategies that use bacteria to meddle with insect sex lives.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Science & Society

    March highlights questions about benefits of science

    Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the intersection of science and activism.

    By Elizabeth Quill
  10. Astronomy

    Read up on solar eclipses before this year’s big event

    Three new books chronicle the science, history and cultural significance of total solar eclipses.

    By Sid Perkins
  11. Science & Society

    Fox experiment is replaying domestication in fast-forward

    How to Tame a Fox recounts a nearly 60-year experiment in Russia to domesticate silver foxes.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. Science & Society

    HPV vaccine as cancer prevention is a message that needs to catch on

    Vaccination against HPV is cancer prevention, but low vaccination rates suggest that message isn’t clear.

    By Aimee Cunningham