Surprising Science — April 16, 2014

10 Discoveries Unexplained by Science

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

How do placebo pills reduce pain and even improve symptoms in Parkinson’s patients?What causes fireballs to allegedly shoot from Thailand’s Mekong River? And what is making that insanely annoying humming noise in Taos, New Mexico? This and other mysteries are featured in this video of 10 discoveries that science has yet to explain:

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Image credit: Kitsadakron_Photography/Shutterstock

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Health

The science of placebos is fueling quackery

The placebo effect is real. So are the ethical conundrums posed by those who would exploit the latest research advances for profit.

Neuropsych

After taking LSD, he was sober for a year. Then came the recurring flashbacks.

A small percentage of people who consume psychedelics experience strange lingering effects, sometimes years after they took the drug.

Health

Vets say marijuana treats PTSD, but their doctors can’t prescribe it

PTSD develops after a person experiences, or is a witness to, a life-threatening or traumatic event — a natural disaster, for example — or is exposed to combat, or sexual […]

Surprising Science

Why Can’t We Use the Placebo Effect to Heal the Sick?

Studies have shown that the placebo effect can be used to alleviate pain and other symptoms. Yet, how to harness it in an ethical manner has been difficult to discern.

The Fight for Images of Ferguson

The flood of images of violence and unrest continues to flow from Ferguson, Missouri, in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. (See one […]

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