Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Deep Mantle Plumes
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Seismic imaging reveals the existence of plumes of hot rock reaching deep into Earth’s mantle.
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Homo Naledi
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: The discovery of an extinct human species in a South African cave made headlines this year.
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Dwarf Planets
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: The larger planets may get more publicity, but the solar system’s smaller planetary bodies harbor just as many …
Saliva & Survival
A simple saliva test of antibody levels may serve as a marker for general health.
Kids & Sugar
Some children are much better at detecting sugar in food and drink than others.
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Reproducibility in Psychology
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Tackling psychology’s reproducibility problem.
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: The Lymphatic Brain
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: An unexpected finding in the brain.
2016: The Year of the Bean
Increasing bean consumption can make both people and soils healthier.
Cocoa & Cardio Health
Compounds from cocoa beans may help fight cardiovascular disease.
Cheetah Genes
The African cheetahs we know today likely migrated there from North America around 100,000 years ago.
Inattentional Deafness
Scientists identify the neural underpinnings of inattentional deafness: when visually demanding tasks temporarily turn off the ability to hear.
Prairie Vole Fidelity
Prairie voles that cheat on their mates might be able to blame their spatial memories.
Computer Learning
Scientists reverse-engineer the human learning process to help computers think more creatively.
Sperm & Obesity
A man’s weight influences how genes are expressed in his sperm.
Knuckle Cracking
Cracking your knuckles sets off a tiny “firework explosion” in the joint.
Fast-Aging Fish
Can super fast-paced fish reveal how humans could live longer?
Distinguishing Dinos
A listener asks how paleontologists know which species a dinosaur’s bones belong to.
Gut Microbiota & Aging
Changes in diet and lifestyle as we age may affect the microbes living in our gut, and consequently, our health.
Environment & Language Evolution
Do environmental variables like rainfall and vegetation shape the sounds of languages?
Engineered Vocal Cords
Scientists have reverse-engineered functional vocal cords in the lab.
Toads vs. Fungi
Scientists demonstrate that it’s possible to locally vanquish a fungal disease that’s been wiping out frogs, toads and salamanders around the world.
Cell Phones & Income
Mobile phone data can help create maps of wealth and poverty.
Invisible Fish
Some fish have specialized skin cells that make them hard to spot in the middle of the ocean.