Livestreamed massacre means it's time to shut down Facebook Live
Children can't handle watching livestreamed massacres – and adults shouldn't have to.
March 21, 2019
568
Technology
A case against a moratorium on germline gene editing
Scientists and ethicists have called for a five-year moratorium on editing human genes that will pass on to future generations.…
March 20, 2019
710
Jupiter's Great Red Spot: A 300-year-old cyclone persists but is shrinking
The Great Red Spot has remained an essentially constant feature of Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere for at least the past…
March 19, 2019
557
Here's how airplane crash investigations work, according to an aviation safety expert
The inquiries can take months of painstaking work, but often yield important insights that improve flight safety for everyone…
March 19, 2019
518
New evidence for a human magnetic sense that lets your brain detect the Earth's magnetic field
Your brain's sensory talents go way beyond those traditional five senses. A team of geoscientists and neurobiologists…
March 18, 2019
608
Automated control system caused Ethiopia crash, flight data suggests
An analysis of flight data shows that problems began at a point when the pilot would normally have engaged the autopilot…
March 15, 2019
530
Editing genes shouldn't be too scary -- unless they are the ones that get passed to future generatio
Scientists worldwide are calling for a moratorium on gene editing in germline cells. But what is a germline cell? How does…
March 15, 2019
639
Softer, processed foods changed the way ancient humans spoke
Considering language from a biological perspective led researchers to the idea that new food processing technologies affected…
March 14, 2019
523
Facebook's 'pivot' is less about privacy and more about profits
CEO Mark Zuckerberg's claimed intent to focus on privacy will be hard to execute, will not happen soon and does not…
March 14, 2019
538
Escalator etiquette: Should I stand or walk for an efficient ride?
In many cities, convention holds that there's a lane for walking and a lane for standing on the escalator. But human…
March 13, 2019
495
Robots guarded Buddha's relics in a legend of ancient India
Stories passed down from the ancient world tell of self-powered machines able to move on their own – robots – playing…
March 13, 2019
609
Old stone walls record the changing location of magnetic north
Scientific inspiration struck a geologist after many walks through the woods in New York and New England. These ruins hold…
March 12, 2019
555
US military steps up cyberwarfare effort
A new strategy for U.S. Cyber Command seeks to block enemies from achieving their objectives – but may not be successful,…
March 12, 2019
508
Humans and machines can improve accuracy when they work together
People – individually and in groups – were not as good at facial recognition as an algorithm. But five people plus the…
March 11, 2019
529
Ancient DNA is a powerful tool for studying the past – when archaeologists and geneticists work toge
Ancient DNA allows scientists to learn directly from the remains of people from the past. As this new field takes off, researchers…
March 11, 2019
504
Mass-market electric pickup trucks and SUVs are on the way
Researchers have found a way to evaluate how energy-efficient electric vehicles are, and compare the sizes and costs of…
March 8, 2019
521
University of California's break with the biggest academic publisher could shake up scholarly publis
Digital publishing hasn't resulted in the free and open access to information many envisioned. Universities are increasingly…
March 7, 2019
513
Artificial intelligence must know when to ask for human help
When algorithms are at work, there should be a human safety net to prevent harming people. Artificial intelligence systems…
March 7, 2019
765
A cure for HIV? Feasible but not yet realized
Headlines around the world declared that a second person was cured of their HIV. But while the results are encouraging,…
March 6, 2019
532
Opioid crisis shows partnering with industry can be bad for public health
The interests of pharmaceutical companies and public health are not the same. Industry dollars can distort research agendas,…
March 6, 2019
501