Science and Technolgy blog
Has your dentist ever told you that it’s recommended to get routine dental X-rays every year? My (former) dentist’s office did this year—in writing, even. And they claimed that the recommendation came from the American Dental Association. It’s a common…
One year from today, on October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop releasing security updates for PCs that are still running Windows 10. Organizations and individuals will still be able to pay for three more years of updates, with prices that…
A fever and a nasty cough can be symptoms of a range of respiratory illnesses. An antigen test that narrows down the culprits can speed up diagnosis and recovery.
A study in Spain found that around 3% of schoolchildren exhibit symptoms of both autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Approximately 0.5% of children could be diagnosed with both disorders. About 33% of autistic children and 31% of those with autism…
Elon Musk’s X blocked links to the JD Vance dossier after hearing directly from the Trump campaign, according to a new report that describes Musk’s extensive efforts to boost Trump’s presidential campaign. A New York Times article titled “Musk Is…
OpenAI scientists have designed MLE-bench — a compilation of 75 extremely difficult tests that can assess whether a future advanced AI agent is capable of modifying its own code and improving itself.
Archaeologists have found the largest ever jade “dragon” made by the Neolithic Hongshan culture on record.
A new study published in Psychological Medicine sheds light on how childhood adversities, such as abuse and neglect, can affect brain development, even in children who do not show signs of psychiatric disorders. Researchers analyzed brain scans of nearly 1,000…
The speed at which our brain can tell smells apart is on par with color perception, a new sniff device shows.
Can you name everything from Ac to Zr? Test your knowledge of the periodic table and see if you can top the leaderboard
The human mind may find it difficult to conceptualize: a cosmic cloud so colossal it surrounds the Sun and eight planets as it extends trillions of miles into deep space. The spherical shell known as the Oort Cloud is, for…
There are more than twice as many females as males buried in an ancient cemetery in Spain, a new study finds — but no one knows why.
The first observations of China’s Qianfan satellites, which were launched in August, suggest that they far exceed the brightness limits suggested by astronomical authorities. Researchers warn that the growing “megaconstellation” could become a major problem unless swift action is taken.
Social media users are more likely to engage with posts that provoke rather than affirm their political beliefs, according to new research published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. This “confrontation effect” is driven by outrage, pushing people to…
Astronomers have discovered the earliest strongly rotating galaxy ever seen that’s well-organized rather than chaotic, challenging theories of cosmic evolution.
Choosing a partner is one of life’s most consequential decisions, profoundly impacting one’s future trajectory and quality of life. The search itself presents numerous challenges, from the time investment required to the risk of deception or misjudgment. So, it’s no…
Rare deep-sea creatures drift through a garden of sponges and corals that grow alongside an undersea mountain. Oceanographers explored the ecosystems in remote seas of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The search has just turned up a never-before-seen seamount, or underwater mountain.…
None of the many interpretations of the Phaistos Disk’s inscriptions are universally accepted.
The Hunter’s Moon will be the first full moon of autumn when it rises on Oct. 17. It will also be the third and closest supermoon of the year.
A new study in Marriage & Family Review explores the long-debated effects of spanking on children’s development. The researchers found that spanking explained less than 1% of changes in child outcomes. This suggests that its negative effects may be overstated.…
Female gibbons appear to do robot dances for attention, scientists discover.
The Heiltsuk of British Columbia are using a mix of traditional principles and modern implementation to protect salmon and bears in their territory.
SpaceX accomplished a groundbreaking engineering feat Sunday, when it launched the fifth test flight of its gigantic Starship rocket, then caught the booster back at the launch pad in Texas with mechanical arms seven minutes later. This achievement is the…
New research published in the journal Political Behavior provides evidence that high-profile claims of electoral fraud, like those made by Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, can discourage voter participation—but only temporarily. The study examined Georgia’s 2021 Senate runoff…
As a lifelong surfer, born to pioneering surfing parents and named after a wave, the ocean has shaped my identity and sense of belonging. The movement and touch of ocean waves ignites a whole cascade of changes in emotions in…
A new study is the first to document the real-time connection between phone use and the amount of speech directed at infants during everyday interactions. Published in Child Development, the research tracked phone use and speech over the course of…
A new study has shed light on the relationship between antisocial personality disorder and substance use disorders, revealing that people with antisocial personality disorder are significantly more likely to struggle with alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco addiction. Published in Translational Psychiatry,…
A study of German university students found that they tended to delay their bedtime on days when they experienced higher levels of stress. Their sleep quality also declined during these periods. The research was published in Stress and Health. Sleep…
How do our moral beliefs shape the way we interpret evidence of societal issues like gender discrimination? A recent study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that individuals with strong commitments to gender equality are more likely to…
On October 10, 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base on the Gulf of Mexico—a pillar of American air superiority—found itself under aerial attack. Hurricane Michael, first spotted as a Category 2 storm off the Florida coast, unexpectedly hulked up to a…
The Dark Energy Camera imaged the Rosette Nebula, capturing a kaleidoscope of color created by the star cluster born within it.
A natural experiment born out of the COVID-19 pandemic’s supply chain disruptions has allowed scientists in Japan to uncover the causal effects of video gaming on mental health. The findings upend common perceptions of gaming as a threat to mental…
Celine Dion sings that “my heart will go on,” but how many times does it actually beat in a day or even a lifetime?
Early Sunday morning, SpaceX will try something no one has ever done before. Around seven minutes after lifting off from South Texas, the huge stainless steel booster from SpaceX’s Starship rocket will, if all goes according to plan, come back…
Ambition may help individuals rise to leadership positions, but does it make them better leaders? A new study published in PNAS Nexus suggests not. The research shows that although ambitious leaders often rate themselves as effective, third-party evaluations from colleagues…
A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found that individuals who use cannabis frequently or suffer from cannabis use disorder are more likely to miss work. The study analyzed data from over 46,000 employed adults…
A study of adults from the US Midwest who experienced childhood maltreatment found that those with objective records of maltreatment tended to show pervasive cognitive deficits compared to individuals without such records. These cognitive deficits were not observed in individuals…
A recent study published in Communications Psychology has found that anti-democratic tendencies in the United States are not evenly distributed across the political spectrum. According to the research, conservatives exhibit stronger anti-democratic attitudes than liberals, and this difference can be…
Pamela Goodwin has received hundreds of emails from patients asking if they should take a cheap, readily available drug, metformin, to treat their cancer. It’s a fair question: Metformin, commonly used to treat diabetes, has been investigated for treating a…
A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry has revealed that a single dose of the psychedelic drug 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) can lead to long-lasting changes in brain structure and cognitive flexibility in mice. The researchers found that mice treated with DOI…
The biological needs of plants and animals affect their cells’ protein content, but the story goes deeper than that.
“Life isn’t chess, a game of perfect information, one that can in theory be ‘solved.’ It’s poker, a game where you’re trying to make the best decisions using the limited information you have. “
It’s been a busy week in science news. Can you get all the questions right in our quiz?
More than 86 percent of healthcare providers surveyed across the US are experiencing shortages of intravenous fluids after Hurricane Helene’s rampage took out a manufacturing plant in western North Carolina that makes 60 percent of the country’s supply. IV fluids…
The people who took part in riots and counterprotests in England and Northern Ireland this summer are probably very confident that they know the views and beliefs of those they oppose. But they are probably wrong. Our new research shows…
Former Twitter executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal, are urging a court to open discovery in a dispute over severance and other benefits they allege they were wrongfully denied after Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022. According to the…
As attempts to clean up after Hurricane Milton are beginning, scientists at the World Weather Attribution project have taken a quick look at whether climate change contributed to its destructive power. While the analysis is limited by the fact that…
A study of female clients at centers supporting victims of intimate partner violence in Nigeria found that the need for closure was associated with traumatic bonding. The study’s authors proposed that intimate partner violence may increase the need for closure,…
There comes a point in most experienced Steam shoppers’ lives where they wonder what would happen if their account was canceled or stolen, or perhaps they just stopped breathing. It’s scary to think about how many games in your backlog…
A few years ago, the idea of running PC games on a Mac, in Linux, or on Arm processors would have been laughable. But the developers behind Asahi Linux—the independent project that is getting Linux working on Apple Silicon Macs—have…
