Science

Engaging in a firefight, along with other combat stresses, could lead to long-term changes in the connections between the midbrain and prefrontal cortex.

Combat Stress in Afghanistan Could Alter Soldiers’ Long-term Neural Makeup

A new study finds returning combat soldiers perform worse on an attention-draining task and experience long-term changes to their brains

The "Gateway to Space" in Spaceport America, a 4,000-square-foot gallery where visitors can watch launches.

A Sneak Peek at the First Commercial Spaceport

The hub of Richard Branson's plans for Virgin Galactic, where tourists and scientists alike take off for the great beyond

Shanthi, 34, and Kandula, 8, in the Elephant Trails yard after the first phase of renovations were completed in 2010 at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Found: A Time Capsule at the National Zoo

While renovating the Elephant House, construction workers discovered a mysterious box hidden in a wall

The pogo stick remained essentially unchanged for 80 years. Recently, three inventors have created powerful new gravity-defying machines that can leap over (small) buildings in a single bound.

How the Pogo Stick Leapt From Classic Toy to Extreme Sport

Three lone inventors took the gadget that had changed little since it was invented more than 80 years ago and transformed it into a gnarly, big air machine

Although the first documented use of @ was in 1536, the symbol did not rise from modern obscurity until 1971.

The Accidental History of the @ Symbol

Once a rarely used key on the typewriter, the graceful character has become the very symbol of modern electronic communication

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How Biomimicry is Inspiring Human Innovation

Creative minds are increasingly turning to nature—banyan tree leaves, butterfly wings, a bird's beak— for fresh design solutions

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What the Discovery of Hundreds of New Planets Means for Astronomy—and Philosophy

New telescopes are allowing us to look at space more accurately than ever – and what they uncover could change our world

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How Can a Jellyfish This Slow Be So Deadly? It's Invisible

One of the world's most devastating predators is brainless, slow and voracious

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How Do You Make a Building Invisible to an Earthquake?

Engineer William Parnell may have found a way to save at-risk cities from destruction

Malaria parasites infect two blood cells.

Scientists Find a New Way to Exploit and Attack Malaria

The stealthy parasite kills one million people a year; there may be a drug that can stop its deadly damage

Viewers of this video were asked to count how many times white-shirted players passed the ball. Fifty percent of them didn’t see the woman in the gorilla suit.

But Did You See the Gorilla? The Problem With Inattentional Blindness

The most effective cloaking device is the human mind

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Stomach Contents Preserve Sinocalliopteryx Snacks

Rare stomach contents reveal the last meals of two fluffy dinosaur predators

Geoengineering could replicate the cooling effects of a massive volcanic eruption as a tool to reduce climate change.

Is Geoengineering the Answer to Climate Change?

A new study looks directly at the immediate expenses of intentionally cooling our climate, but what are the long-term costs?

The superbug behind a deadly outbreak

Attack of the Superbugs

Gene detectives tracking a outbreak at the National Institutes of Health reminded of how much we don't know about how infections spread through a hospital

Despite being famous for its size, Spinosaurus is mostly known from fragments such as this bit of upper jaw. We don’t really know how large this carnivore was.

Catching a Dinosaur by the Tail

We love to debate dinosaur size, but a lack of tails complicates our attempts to find out who the biggest dinosaurs of all were

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Timing of Childbirth Evolved to Match Women’s Energy Limits

Researchers find no evidence for the long-held view that the length of human gestation is a compromise between hip width and brain size

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What’s Wrong With Giraffatitan?

Do dinosaurs such as Spinosaurus and Giraffatitan deserve a name change?

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Fake Science: A 100% Fact-Free Alternative

Who needs accurate information when you can simply make it up? A fake scientist explains

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Who Doesn’t Love Fuzzy Dinosaurs?

Feathered dinosaurs are awesome. Why do so many people hate them?

Studying animals can help greatly with the advancement of human medicine.

How Looking to Animals Can Improve Human Medicine

In a new book, UCLA cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz reminds us that humans are animals too. Now, if only other doctors could think that way

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