Science & Society

  1. Science & Society

    Attitude, not aptitude, may contribute to the gender gap

    Does talent or hard work matter most? A new survey suggests an emphasis on genius predicts how many women end up in a field of study.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  2. Science & Society

    Science’s self-criticism makes the enterprise stronger

    Editor in Chief, Eva Emerson, considers the the tensions between statistical correctness and headline grabbing research discussed in this issue's part one of a two part feature examining the state of science in the age of publish-or-perish.

    By Eva Emerson
  3. Science & Society

    12 reasons research goes wrong

    Barriers to research replication are based largely in a scientific culture that pits researchers against each other in competition for scarce resources. Here are a few that skew results.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. Science & Society

    Is redoing scientific research the best way to find truth?

    Researchers don’t even agree on whether it is necessary to duplicate studies exactly or to validate the underlying principles.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  5. Earth

    Pumping carbon dioxide deep underground may trigger earthquakes

    Injecting carbon dioxide deep underground offers a promising way to curb global warming, but the extra pressure may cause faults to slip or fractures to release the buried gas.

    By Charles Petit
  6. Health & Medicine

    ‘AIDS’ gives inside view of science, politics of epidemic

    In ‘AIDS Between Science and Politics,’ pioneering HIV expert Peter Piot discusses the factors and events that shaped the epidemic.

    By Beth Mole
  7. Psychology

    ‘Survival of the Nicest’ demonstrates altruism all around

    Selfishness is not the rule in human society, new book argues.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Ecosystems

    Lessons for the new year

    SN Editor in Chief, Eva Emerson, reflects on looking to nature for insights on how to constructively look ahead - even if just a year -drawing from a handful of this issues natural science stories for her 2015 resolutions.

    By Eva Emerson
  9. Computing

    ‘The Imitation Game’ entertains at the expense of accuracy

    Inaccuracies weaken “The Imitation Game,” an otherwise enjoyable film about Alan Turing breaking the Enigma code during World War II.

    By Andrew Grant
  10. Life

    Contamination blamed in STAP stem cell debacle

    Stem cells supposedly made in acid baths were really embryonic stem cells, investigation finds.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  11. Neuroscience

    Smartphone users’ thumbs are reshaping their brains

    Smartphones are forcing us to use our thumbs in new ways and reshaping the way our brains respond to touch.

    By Ashley Yeager
  12. Chemistry

    Retraction looms for brute-force chemistry study

    A 2011 study on tearing apart ring-shaped molecules is set to be retracted following a misconduct investigation.

    By Beth Mole