Author posts
Michio Kaku: 5 fascinating moments from this 1991 interview
From talking about Schrödinger's cat to nuking the South Pole, this decades-old interview shows why Kaku was born to be a science educator.
Sugar causes 'major changes' to brain’s reward systems, study says
The results suggest eating too much sugar can lead to a drug-like dependence.
3 ways video games will evolve in the 2020s
From ultra-realistic graphics to more intelligent A.I. characters, the 2020s will bring some mind-bending video games.
Biologists extend worm lifespan by 500% in surprising discovery on aging
A new study shows that altering the ISS and TOR pathways in roundworms can extend lifespan by 500 percent.
The '85% Rule': Why a dose of failure optimizes learning
If you're always succeeding, you're probably not learning much.
Second-guessing yourself leads to worse decisions, study finds
When facing a tough decision, it pays to trust your gut.
Women dress modestly to avoid aggression from other women, study suggests
Attractive women are especially likely to dress modestly, but only in certain scenarios.
How does fire behave in microgravity? NASA study aims to find out
An ongoing experiment aboard the International Space Station aims to find out more about the fundamentals of combustion.
‘Time is elastic’: Why time passes faster atop a mountain than at sea level
The idea of 'absolute time' is an illusion. Physics and subjective experience reveal why.
Cops make ‘quilt’ out of homeless signs. Is panhandling free speech?
A photo showing two Alabama police officers bragging about a "homeless quilt" made from confiscated panhandling signs raises questions about the constitutionality of panhandling.
Kurt Vonnegut on 8 'shapes' of stories
The American author said he attempted to bring scientific thinking to literary criticism, but received "very little gratitude for this."
8 logical fallacies that are hard to spot
From "if-by-whiskey" to the McNamara fallacy, being able to spot logical missteps is an invaluable skill.
Trump's been impeached — here's what Harvard scholars believe will happen next
For the third time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives voted to impeach a sitting U.S. president.
Supreme Court signals homeless people have a constitutional right to sleep in public spaces
It's a victory for homeless advocates on the West Coast, who say criminalizing homelessness is cruel and ineffective.
Is psychopathy untreatable? Why researchers are starting to change their minds.
A growing body of research suggests that the "clinical pessimism" over treating psychopathy is unwarranted.
Study: You can have empathy and still be a psychopath
People who score high in "dark triad" personality traits are able to empathize. They'd just rather not.
Mars 2020 will hunt for 'microfossils', signs of ancient alien life
The Jerezo crater — where Mars 2020 is set to land — could be a good place to find signs of past life on Mars.
'Zuckerbergism': Why the young founder myth is a trap for entrepreneurs
A recent study challenges the conventional thinking that says only young people can dream up successful new businesses.
86% of American 15-year-olds can’t distinguish fact from opinion. Can you?
The statistics for American adults aren't that much better.
China's schoolkids beat American students in all academic categories
The academic performance of American schoolchildren hasn't budged in two decades, despite billions of dollars in increased funding.
Russia to replace Wikipedia with the 'Great Russian Encyclopaedia'
The encyclopedia offers more "reliable" information than Wikipedia, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 presidential race
How will Harris' departure affect the remaining 15 candidates in the Democratic field?
Spot, Boston Dynamics' robot dog, has joined a police squad
The semiautonomous could help to protect officers, but some are concerned about how exactly police plan to use it.
Trump signs PACT Act, making animal torture a federal crime
"For decades, a national anti-cruelty law was a dream for animal protectionists. Today, it is a reality."
Illinois set to approve insulin price cap of $100 for month supply
The move reflects a broader nationwide effort to lower prices of the life-saving drug.
Marijuana legalization bill passes historic House committee vote
The bill would effectively legalize marijuana at the federal level, while allowing states to draft their own laws.
The ‘X17’ particle: Scientists may have discovered the fifth force of nature
A new paper suggests that the mysterious X17 subatomic particle is indicative of a fifth force of nature.
Insects on Mars? Ohio scientist claims NASA images show life on red planet.
Entomologist William Romoser of Ohio University says NASA images depict insect- and reptile-like creatures on Mars.
Companies without climate plans will be banned from London Stock Exchange, Labour Party says
The campaign promise could only become law if the Labour Party wins the general election in December.
Ayahuasca shows 'promise' in treating suicidal thoughts, researchers say
Researchers say further research is needed, though.
‘The Anti-Facebook’: Wikipedia co-founder launches ad-free social media platform
WT.Social promises never to sell your data or run advertisements.
‘Cyberchondria’: 40% of Americans have misdiagnosed themselves online
A new survey highlights the side effects of using Google to self-diagnose.
The world now has an Ebola vaccine, in historic EU approval
The vaccine is 97.5% effective in protecting against the Zaire species of Ebola, according to the World Health Organization.
85% of Venice underwater after worst flooding in 50 years
Venice's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said the city was "on its knees."
WATCH: Dinosaurs traveled other parts of Milky Way than humans
Dinosaurs never left Earth, but they still traveled millions of miles through the Milky Way galaxy.
Italy to require schools to teach climate change, in world first
Should other nations start requiring schools to teach climate science, too?
A neural network discovered Copernicus’ heliocentricity on its own
Can neural networks help scientists discover laws about more complex phenomena, like quantum mechanics?
‘Cosmological crisis’: The universe may be a closed sphere, not flat
A new paper claims that scientists might be wildly mistaken about the density — and therefore, the shape — of our universe.
Microsoft Japan switched to four-day workweek — sales skyrocketed 40%
Maybe it's time to show this report your employer?
Time passes faster for meditators, leaves them unable to accurately judge time
Focusing on the present moment has some strange effects on how people estimate stretches of time.
Astronomers discover new class of black holes
Scientists recently discovered a black hole that's smaller than previously thought possible.
Scientists are producing deadly zoonoses on this tiny German island
The German island of Riems is home to some of the most dangerous virology research on the planet.
Twitter bans political ads: Influence is 'earned, not bought'
Misinformation in political ads bring "significant ramifications that today's democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said.
Zuckerberg's stance on political ads 'weaponizes' Facebook, say hundreds of employees
Ads from political figures are exempt from fact-checking, according to Facebook's recently updated policies.
Study triples number of people threatened by coastal flooding
As many as 200 million people could fall permanently below the high tide line by 2100.
MIT engineers unveil emissions-free cement
Electrochemical methods such as this could someday dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the planet.
New carbon capture method is a “paradigm shift," say MIT engineers
The new method appears to be more efficient and cheaper than current carbon capture technologies.
Republicans aim to stop school shootings with mass surveillance
The Response Act calls on schools to increase monitoring of students' online activity.
Google’s Sycamore beats top supercomputer to achieve ‘quantum supremacy’
The achievement is an important milestone in quantum computing, Google's scientists said.
Mini-brains may already be sentient and suffering, scientists warn
To prevent torturous experiments on organoids, some are calling for clearer definitions of consciousness.
Scientists extend mice lifespan 12% by tweaking telomeres
The team seems to have found a way to extend animal lifespan without genetic modification.
Men with psychopathic traits are more desirable to women, Canadian researchers say
The results have startling implications about the evolution of psychopathy in humans.
95% of U.S. baby foods contain toxic metals. Here's what parents should know.
"On the spectrum from worry to action, parents can choose to act," a new report states.
The 'kids these days' effect: Why adults have criticized kids for millennia
When it comes to remembering the kids of your generation, don't always trust your memory.
Amazon set to be next big U.S. defense contractor — critics urge for 'effective oversight'
"We seem to be racing toward a new configuration of government and industry without having fully thought through all of the implications," Steve Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists, told MIT Technology Review.
Breast cancer vaccine could be available in 8 years, says Mayo Clinic
A new immunotherapy treatment is showing positive signs in early-stage clinical trials.
How designers are fighting the rise of facial recognition technology
From LED-equipped visors to transparent masks, these inventions aim to thwart facial recognition cameras.
Singapore overtakes U.S. as world's most competitive economy
But the U.S. remains an "innovation powerhouse," according to the annual report from the World Economic Forum.
Republican-led Senate report shows how Russian trolls attacked 2016 election
"We made America great," one Russian operative joked as Trump's victory became clear.
2019 Nobel Prizes: What you can learn from this year's winners
From literature to physics, the annual Nobel Prizes aim to highlight the most groundbreaking achievements in every field.
China grew a plant on the moon — it sprouted two leaves, data indicates
It marks the first time a plant has been grown on the moon.
Vaping-related lung damage resembles mustard gas injuries
The safest bet is to listen to health officials and avoid vaping products.
Greta Thunberg is not a 'caricatural woman,' says Slavoj Žižek — her approach is 'brutal'
What image of femininity is subtly imposed on us in the war against toxic masculinity?
Andrew Yang: Our data should be a property right, new proposal says
"At this point our data is more valuable than oil," Yang said. "If anyone benefits from our data it should be us."
Millions of medical devices using old code are open to attack, FDA says
The recent discovery highlights an alarming cybersecurity vulnerability in the health care industry.
The ‘Greta effect’: Can Thunberg’s activism actually change policy?
In Canada and Austria, there are some signs that the young Swedish activist is already reshaping the political landscape.
Elizabeth Warren passes Joe Biden in 2020 polls
Is former Vice President Joe Biden's "return to normalcy" approach too moderate for Democratic voters?
McDonald’s rolls out Beyond Meat burger, the ‘P.L.T.’
It will be available in select Canadian locations starting Sept. 30.
Samuel L. Jackson's voice coming to Alexa — users can choose to have him curse them out
The new feature uses Amazon's neural text-to-speech technology, which allows it to produce phrases that weren't priorly recorded.
Elon Musk warns 'advanced A.I.' will soon manipulate social media
Musk also said that "anonymous bot swarms" should be investigated.
Watch: Octopus changes colors while (possibly) dreaming
Octopuses are known to rapidly change colors during sleep, but it's still unclear whether they dream like humans do.
Millions of Americans have had suicidal thoughts because of politics, Nebraska researchers say
A new study shows that nearly 40 percent of Americans report being stressed out by U.S. politics.
WATCH: NASA’s mesmerizing new black hole visualization
For Black Hole Week, NASA released a mesmerizing animation of what a black hole probably looks like.
Bio-plastic made from fish scales wins U.K. James Dyson award
Bio-plastics could prove to be a suitable alternative to single-use plastics.
Why extreme rituals might benefit psychophysiological health
A new study shows two potential benefits of undergoing a painful ritual.
Greta Thunberg faces right-wing media attacks after U.N. speech
But few critics actually addressed the science on climate change.
Spot, Boston Dynamics' robot dog, is finally for sale
The robotics company is allowing select companies to lease the semi-autonomous robot.
In historic deal, Gabon to get $150 million to protect its forests
Norway plans to pay Gabon $150 million to protect its vast network of rainforests.
It looks like Tesla just developed a million-mile battery
Such a battery would make it far cheaper to implement robotaxis and long-haul electric trucks, both of which Tesla is developing.
Global climate strike: Scenes from the #ClimateMarch protests
The week-long global protest, which is calling for an end to the age of fossil fuels, is taking place in more than 160 countries today.
Impossible Burger hits grocery stores on Friday
Can Impossible Foods beat other brands — like Beyond Meat and Tyson — in the war to dominate the alternative meat industry?
Amazon pledges surprisingly bold climate change goals
The move comes one day before more than 1,500 Amazon employees are set to walk off the job as part of the global climate strikes.
Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, files for bankruptcy
Some critics say the move is designed to shield those who profited from the dangerous drug.
Google employees plan to join Global Climate Strike walkout
Employees from Amazon and Microsoft plan to join the global protest, too.
75% of Americans now believe humans fuel climate change
Two recent polls underscore Americans' shifting attitudes on climate change.
McDonald's wants to automate its drive-thrus with A.I.
The fast-food company recently agreed to acquire a tech company whose "speech-to-meaning" technology might soon be interpreting customers' orders.
California to ban ICE detention centers, private prisons
"People are not commodities!" said Assemblyman Rob Bonta.
Elizabeth Warren: Boost Social Security by taxing the richest 2%
"We need to get our priorities straight," Warren said.
Vegetarian (and vegan) diet linked to higher stroke risk
Scientists still don't fully understand how abstaining from animal products affects the body.
Trump to ban flavored e-cigarettes amid vaping 'epidemic'
"We can't allow people to get sick," President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office.
Water discovered on exoplanet K2-18b in 'Goldilocks Zone'
Scientists say it might even rain on the exoplanet, dubbed K2-18b.
Fame-seeking mass shooters get more media coverage, study finds
Is it time media outlets stop publishing the names and photographs of mass shooters?
Share your goals — but only with certain people, study says
A new study contradicts some popular wisdom that says sharing your goals is always a bad idea.
Juul illegally marketed e-cigarettes, F.D.A. says
One Juul representative told high-school students that Juul products were "99% safer than cigarettes," according to congressional testimony.
Want to seem more authentic? Use politically incorrect language.
Politically incorrect speakers seem less calculated and more "real," according to the authors of a new Berkeley study.
Lower emotional intelligence linked to prejudiced, right-wing views, study finds
The study is among the first to explore the relationship between emotional abilities, political ideologies, and prejudice.
Michigan becomes first U.S. state to ban sale of flavored e-cigarettes
The move comes amid a surge of vaping-related hospitalizations.
Aristo A.I. scores ‘A’ on 8th-grade science test
An A.I. named Aristo was able to use its language and logic skills to pass a standardized exam with flying colors.
YouTube fined $170 million for harvesting data from children
But some say the settlement is a slap on the wrist.
Stephen Johnson is a St. Louis-based writer whose work has been published by outlets including PBS Digital Studios, HuffPost, MSN, U.S. News & World Report, Eleven Magazine and The Missourian.
