Science & Society
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Science & Society
Most Americans like science — and are willing to pay for it
Americans drastically overestimate how much the government spends on science. But when correctly informed, they want the government to spend more.
- Neuroscience
Lab tests aren’t the answer for every science question
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the value of observational science.
- Animals
Colorful pinwheel puts a new spin on mouse pregnancy
Among the winners of the 2017 Wellcome Image Awards is a rainbow of mouse placentas that shows how a mother’s immune system affects placental development.
- Animals
Shocking stories tell tale of London Zoo’s founding
In The Zoo, Isobel Charman pens a gripping narrative of the London Zoo’s early days, when workers had a hard time keeping animals alive.
- Science & Society
White House budget plan would slash science
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 includes some big cuts for science.
- Animals
Tropical bedbugs outclimb common species
A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.
- Animals
Tropical bedbugs outclimb common bedbugs
A study of bedbug traps and feet names finds that tropical bedbugs are much better at scaling slippery walls than common bedbugs.
- Science & Society
Online reviews can make over-the-counter drugs look way too effective
Online patient reviews put a far more misleading spin on medications than clinical trials do.
- Science & Society
Science journalists don’t use the science of ‘nudge’
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the mission of science journalists.
- Science & Society
Data-driven crime prediction fails to erase human bias
Software programs that predict where crimes will occur don’t eliminate bias; they exacerbate it.
- Psychology
Nudging people to make good choices can backfire
Steering people’s decisions with simple nudges, such as e-mail reminders or opt-out programs, can come with a downside.
- Ecosystems
Invasive species, climate change threaten Great Lakes
In The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, a journalist chronicles the lakes’ downward spiral and slow revival.
