Science & Society

  1. Climate

    Wanted: New ways to chill air conditioners, fridges

    A new amendment to the Montreal Protocol will phase out potent greenhouse gases currently used in air conditioners and refrigerators, prompting a hunt for eco-friendly alternatives.

    By Thomas Sumner
  2. Neuroscience

    Frequent liars show less activity in key brain structure

    Brain activity changed as people lied more, a new study finds.

    By Laura Sanders
  3. Science & Society

    Blame bad incentives for bad science

    Scientists have to publish a constant stream of new results to succeed. But in the process, their success may lead to science’s failure, two new studies warn.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  4. Science & Society

    2016 Nobels: Science News fans read it here first

    Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses Nobel-winning science and what the future may hold.

    By Eva Emerson
  5. Humans

    Tom Wolfe’s denial of language evolution stumbles over his own words

    Tom Wolfe’s book denies that language evolved and attacks Darwin and Chomsky with smugness lacking substance.

    By Tom Siegfried
  6. Genetics

    ‘Three-parent babies’ explained

    Several in vitro techniques can produce babies with three biological parents.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. Ecosystems

    ‘Citizen Scientist’ exalts ordinary heroes in conservation science

    Journalist Mary Ellen Hannibal’s “Citizen Scientist” tells tales of ordinary people contributing to science.

    By Laurel Hamers
  8. Oceans

    Atlantic monument is home to unique and varied creatures

    A region of ocean off the coast of Cape Cod has become the first U.S. marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

    By Thomas Sumner
  9. Science & Society

    Sometimes failure is the springboard to success

    Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses scientific discoveries that resulted from failures large and small.

    By Eva Emerson
  10. Tech

    XPRIZE launched new kind of space race, book recounts

    'How to Make a Spaceship' chronicles the XPRIZE challenge that helped ignite the private space industry.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. Genetics

    First ‘three-parent baby’ born from nuclear transfer

    The first human baby produced through spindle nuclear transfer was born in April, New Scientist reports.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. Health & Medicine

    Sugar industry sought to sugarcoat causes of heart disease

    Sugar industry has long, sweet history of influencing science.

    By Laura Beil