Scientists Create Artificial Wood That Is Water- and Fire-Resistant

The synthetic material is faster to make than natural wood | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Asocial Octopuses Become Cuddly on MDMA

Octopuses react to MDMA much like humans do. And not surprisingly, given their anatomy, the animals are excellent huggers. Annie Sneed reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Trump Administration Places Want Ads for Climate Scientists

Five positions are open to lead centers aimed at studying regional climate change effects | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Oxygen-Rich Liquid Water May Exist on Mars

Brines suffused with the life-giving gas could offer hope for past and even present microbes on the Red Planet, according to a new study | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Scientists Double Down on Landing Sites for Sample-Collecting Mars Rover

NASA’s Mars 2020 mission could visit two locations where microbial life may once have thrived | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Previous estimates of how fast greenhouse gases get to the atmosphere from melting permafrost underestimated the work of soil bacteria | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Can Be Contagious

PTSD sometimes spreads from trauma victims to the people who care for them, including rescue workers, spouses and even therapists | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Science News Briefs From Around the Globe

A few very brief reports about science and technology from around the globe, including one from Mongolia on horse dentistry. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Are Extreme Weather Events Linked to Climate Change?

Can we attribute a single extreme weather event, like a particular heat wave or wildfire or flood, to climate change? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Saber-toothed Cats May Have Roared like Lions

Small throat bones from the prehistoric feline Smilodon suggest it used fearsome vocalizations to communicate   | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Tiny Island Nation to Host World's Largest Microgrid

Palau, under threat from sea level rise, wants to have 70 percent renewable energy by 2050 | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Exotic Matter Made in Space Could Boost the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

Off-world Bose-Einstein condensates might measure spacetime ripples better than any ground-based technique | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Visualizing Specific Impacts of Climate Change Could Change Behavior

People asked to imagine how flooding or droughts would affect particular people or places were more likely to engage in environmentally friendly actions | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

When Times Are Good, the Gender Gap Grows

A study shows growing national wealth and gender equality accentuates differences in the types of choices men and women make | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Wild Songbirds Can Pick Up New Tunes

Researchers taught two dozen wild sparrows new songs, by playing them the recordings of sparrows that live thousands of miles away. Jason G. Goldman reports. | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Why US Inequality Is Worse Than Other Developed Nations

And what we can do about it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Joseph E. Stiglitz: A Rigged Economy

And what we can do about it | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Emissions Reductions Touted by EPA Are at Odds With Its Policies

The rise of renewables and the replacement of coal with natural gas are fueling declines in CO2 emissions | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Measurement Shows the Electron's Stubborn Roundness

Once again, a major experiment reveals no deviations in the fundamental particle’s shape, complicating the search for new physics | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

What Makes Human Brain Cells Unique?

New findings reveal distinctive electrical properties of human neurons that may give us a boost in computing power | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

"Poliolike" Childhood Muscle-Weakening Disease Reappears

Researchers have traced some cases of acute flaccid myelitis to a known virus, but treatments remain elusive | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Do the Golden State Warriors Have Hot Hands?

Scoring streaks have long fascinated sports professionals and researchers, yet they are not close to consensus on the right way to think about the issue | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

All Systems Go for Second-ever Mission to Enter Mercury's Orbit

European and Japanese double probe, BepiColombo, will take seven years to reach the solar system’s innermost planet | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Planet Formation? It's a Drag

The way worlds form from dust may also explain other phenomena throughout the universe—and right here on Earth | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Healthcare Let Neanderthals 'Punch Above Their Weight'

By caring for the sick and injured, Neanderthals were able to expand into more dangerous environments and pursue more deadly prey. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Rising Seas Threaten Iconic Mediterranean Sites

The canals of Venice and an ancient Phoenician city are among the historic sites imperiled by sea level rise and coastal erosion | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Revolutionary Microscopy Technique Nets Most Lucrative Prize in Science

The Breakthrough awards, each worth U.S. $3 million, honor advances in the life sciences, physics and mathematics | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Why Cross-Training Is Essential (and Improves Your DNA)

Including cross-training in your fitness program allows you to vary the stress placed on specific muscles and your cardiovascular system | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

What's in a Half a Degree? 2 Very Different Future Climates

A new IPCC report shows the impacts in the near future that can be avoided by limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees C | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Learning While Sleeping; the Challenges of Inequality

Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

The Buildings That Survived Michael Hold the Key to Adaptation

Houses that survived were mostly built after Florida’s stringent building code was passed | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Insurers See Smoldering Risk after California's Worst Wildfire

Residents rebuilding after the catastrophic Tubbs fire are paying higher premiums | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

The Science of Inequality

How high economic inequality negatively impacts nearly every aspect of human well-being—as well as the health of the biosphere | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

How Exercise Might “Clean” the Alzheimer's Brain

Hints at potential treatments for age-related dementia and memory loss | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

When a Feather-Light Touch Is Agony

Researchers identify a possible new target for treating atypical pain sensations | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Nice People Have Emptier Wallets

A study correlating personality traits with financial data found that agreeable people had lower savings, higher debt and higher bankruptcy rates. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Search for Alien Life Should Be a Fundamental Part of NASA, New Report Urges

A blue-ribbon committee finds the science of astrobiology is worthy of deep integration into the space agency’s exploration efforts | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Trouble Brewing? Climate Change Closes in on Beer Drinkers

Increasing droughts and heat waves could have a devastating effect on barley stocks—and beer prices | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Neuroscientists Use Rabies to Explore the Brain

Using engineered forms of the rabies virus, neuroscientists can map brain circuits with unprecedented precision | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Young and Struggling in Science

Life is hard for early-career researchers, who must contend with uncertain futures, compete for funding and balance family life, with the frequent need to move for jobs | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

How Accurate Are Online DNA Tests?

Geneticist and author Adam Rutherford examines the evidence | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

The Unsolvable Problem

After a years-long intellectual journey, three mathematicians have discovered that a problem of central importance in physics is impossible to solve—and that means other big questions may be undecidable, too | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Why Diving Tectonic Plates Get Stuck 400 Miles Beneath Earth's Surface

The hitch, likely only a temporary one, could be linked to certain volcanic features | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Can a Low-Carb Diet Cure Reflux?

A low FODMAP diet can bring relief from IBS and other intestinal miseries. But could it also be the answer for chronic heartburn? | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Solar Eclipse Was Buzzkill for Bees

Bees suddenly fell silent when the sun disappeared during last year's solar eclipse—perhaps because they were tricked into night mode. Christopher Intagliata reports.  | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Lab-Grown Human Retinas Illuminate How Eyes Develop Color Vision

The mini organs may help scientists develop therapies for eye disorders such as color blindness and macular degeneration | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Hundreds of dietary supplements are tainted with prescription drugs

Less than half of the products were recalled, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration analysis found | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago

Lab-Grown Human Retinas Illuminate How Eyes Develop Color Vision

The mini organs may help scientists develop therapies for eye disorders such as color blindness and macular degeneration | Continue reading


@scientificamerican.com | 6 years ago