What is it about yawning?
Everybody does it, but why? Scientists aren't really sure if exhaustion, stress or some other social factor is at the…
July 5, 2018
508
Technology
Feasting rituals – and the cooperation they require – are a crucial step toward human civilization
How did civilization emerge from small groups of hunter-gatherers? Some archaeologists focus on cooperation as the vital…
July 3, 2018
545
Observing the universe with a camera traveling near the speed of light
An astronomer suggests an idea to piggyback on the ambitious Breakthrough Starshot project that aims to send nano spacecraft…
July 2, 2018
555
Math explains why your bus route seems so unreliable
It's annoying when your bus route gets off schedule or when buses bunch together. Why has it taken engineers so long…
June 29, 2018
560
What's involved in designing World Cup jerseys?
World Cup jerseys have to please players, national officials, FIFA rulemakers and – perhaps most importantly – fans…
June 29, 2018
730
Why your brain never runs out of problems to find
It's a psychological quirk that when something becomes rarer, people may spot it in more places than ever. What is the…
June 28, 2018
590
Are we alone? The question is worthy of serious scientific study
About 5 percent of all UFO sightings cannot be easily explained by weather or human technology. A physicist argues that…
June 28, 2018
576
New telescope will scan the skies for asteroids on collision course with Earth
An asteroid on a collision course with Earth is inevitable. Astronomer Michael Lund explains how a new telescope under construction…
June 28, 2018
582
Inventing the future in Chinese labs: How does China do science today?
China's government is prioritizing world-class science and tech. An expert describes the Chinese research landscape…
June 28, 2018
544
Blockchain-based property registries may help lift poor people out of poverty
Without secure records of property ownership, many poor people around the world have trouble improving their economic situations.…
June 28, 2018
703
What's leisure and what's game addiction in the 21st century?
Just because people enjoy a recreational activity doesn't mean they're addicted to it, even if they spend lots of…
June 27, 2018
645
Supreme Court ruling adds privacy protection for the digital age
People's most private information isn't on paper locked in desks anymore – it's online, stored on corporate…
June 26, 2018
522
Searching for diversity in Silicon Valley tech firms – and finding some
Large Silicon Valley firms are not particularly diverse in terms of gender or race, but there are some companies doing better…
June 25, 2018
639
Helping plants remove natural toxins could boost crop yields by 47 percent
As the climate changes and the population grows, meeting the demand for food will become more difficult as arable land declines.…
June 25, 2018
552
Why our brains see the world as 'us' versus 'them'
Our neural circuits lead us to find comfort in those like us and unease with those who differ, resulting in a battle between…
June 21, 2018
562
Misinformation and biases infect social media, both intentionally and accidentally
Information on social media can be misleading because of biases in three places – the brain, society and algorithms. Scholars…
June 20, 2018
677
Extreme stress during childhood can hurt social learning for years to come
Childhood adversity is linked to social and mental health problems later in life. New research suggests brains that aren't…
June 20, 2018
570
What 40 years of 'Space Invaders' says about the 1970s – and today
A reflection of its own time, the iconic arcade game planted the seeds of today's video game culture.
June 18, 2018
710
Astronaut Sally K. Ride's legacy – encouraging young women to embrace science and engineering
Thirty five years ago Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. But rather than focus on her own extraordinary…
June 18, 2018
855
What is the summer solstice? An astronomer explains
The tilt of Earth's axis as it orbits the sun results in the seasonal changes.
June 18, 2018
593