New Research

Human Languages Skew Positive

We’re all a bunch of pollyannas

A member of the Ku Klux Klan holds a noose during attempts to suppress black voters in Miami, Fla., in 1939.

Lynchings Were Even More Common in the South Than Previously Thought

A group of criminal justice reformers find 700 more lynchings in the segregated South than previously recorded

The variable stars flickering to the golden ratio are RR Lyrae — a class of pulsars first found in the constellation Lyra (bisected by the Milky Way here)

Pulsing Stars Flicker in a Pattern Close to the Golden Ratio

The famed ratio, which shows up in art, architecture and nature, can also be found in space

Gene Changes Make Humans’ Sense of Taste Unique

Our ability to eat bitter plants help distinguish us from our ancestors and chimpanzees today

The Universe’s Oldest Stars Likely Lit Up Way Later Than Once Thought

Data gathered by the European Space Agency’s Planck telescope indicates that the universe was dark for about 550 million years after the big bang

Has Facebook Become the Internet?

The social network’s worldwide reach is leading to some serious confusion

Chimpanzees May Have Their Own Form of Bilingualism

Humans aren’t the only primates capable of learning new “words” for the same object

One of the HIV-prevention medications, a pill called Truvada

A Setback for HIV Prevention Trial: Getting People To Take the Medicine

Women didn’t take their preventative medications, even those proven to work, for fear of side effects

Pigeons' Brains Work Kind of Like Ours

A small study showed impressive categorizing abilities in three pigeons

The results of agriculture changed our mouths, but not completely for the better.

Before Agriculture, Human Jaws Were a Perfect Fit for Human Teeth

The emergence of agricultural practices initiated major changes to the jaw structure of ancient humans, leading to dental problems we still experience

How Space Travel Can Damage Our Immune Systems

Research finds that living in low-gravity conditions can take a toll that goes far beyond an aversion to dehydrated foods

Dyed droplets are propelled off leaves by simulated rainfall

Life-Giving Rain Also Spreads Deadly Plant Disease

High-speed cameras show how leaf flexibility influences raindrop dispersal into the air — along with pathogens picked up from infected plants

Creating Drought-Tolerant Plants By Hacking Their Natural Responses

Which new technique will help plants survive with less water?

North America’s Trees Create Some of the World's Hottest Forest Fires

What makes certain forest fires especially destructive?

Illustration of the Elysia chlorotica by Mary Peart from "Report on the Invertebrata of Massachusetts" by Augustus A. Gould, W. G. Binney

A Green Sea Slug Steals Power From Algae

The discovery makes this a true plant-animal hybrid

An aerial view of the New Zealand coast shows marine terraces lifted up by an earthquake.

Scientists Have Imaged the Base of a Tectonic Plate

The discovery of a slippery layer off the coast of New Zealand could help explain plate movement

1 in 3 Would Rather Die Early Than Take a Daily Pill

New research shows a third of people would trade years of their life to avoid taking daily meds

Cockroaches Have Personalities, Too

Feel guilty the next time you crush a cockroach

The Great Barrier Reef Is Doing So Badly, Scientist Are Testing Genetic Modification to Help It Survive

As the health of the Great Barrier Reef declines, scientists are hoping “assisted evolution” might keep its coral alive

Scientists Identify a “DNA Clock” That May Help Predict Mortality

New studies on changes to DNA that occur over a lifetime offer insight into an individual’s likelihood of early death

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