Health Chemistry Roundup
New research suggests that caffeine drinking by breastfeeding mothers may cause irritability in their babies.
Early Tide Maps
A group of 19th century scientists mapped the world’s tides, making the oceans safer for seafaring.
Plants into Plastic
A new technique generates two key plastic components from plant material.
Fructose-Tasting Pancreas
Taste receptors on the pancreas may enable fructose sweeteners to boost obesity.
Contagious Yawns
Both humans and chimpanzees can’t resist the urge to yawn when others do.
Cancer & Diabetes Resistance
A rare genetic mutation makes people very short, but also resistant to cancer and diabetes.
Language Delays
Screening criteria for language delays in children depend on the culture.
Drug Microchip
An implantable microchip can deliver drugs one day at a time for at least a year.
Brain Voices
Scientists are beginning to reconstruct the words people hear based on electrical activity in their brains.
Nanotech Roundup
The flight of butterflies could inspire miniature flying robots.
Endangered Voices
Digital technology and social media are helping save endangered languages.
Boosting Photosynthesis
Researchers are trying to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis in crops like soybeans, rice and potatoes to feed the world’s growing population.
Video Games vs. Cataracts
Playing certain types of video games can improve the vision of people who were born with cataracts.
Safer Cookstoves
Cleaner cookstoves could save millions of lives and slow global warming.
Worm Language
Nematode worms have a surprisingly complex communication system.
Music-Powered Sensor
Sound waves from music, particularly rap, could charge up medical implants.
Brain Window
Researchers have captured images of single brain cells in a live animal.
Politics Roundup
Research suggests that conservatives pay more attention to unpleasant images and liberals, to pleasant ones.
Death by Clock Shift
A fruit fly study clearly links biological clock disruption to neurodegeneration and early death.
Sex Ratio & Spending
The perception that women are scarce may make men less careful with their money.