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Why Is It?

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Strange and Offbeat
  • Early-term births associated with higher rate of ADHD as reported by teachers
  • Why thinking hard makes you tired
  • Brain scans reveal the hidden shape of thinking and predict students' learning better than test scores
  • Researcher develops algorithm to track mental states through the skin
  • Education, job, and social life may help protect brain from cognitive decline
  • Microscopic blood vessel disease in the brain's white matter associated with worse cognition in Alzheimer's
  • Advancing dynamic brain imaging with AI
  • A new learning method could help people with autism improve visual perception capabilities
  • Children who lack sleep may experience detrimental impact on brain and cognitive development that persists over time
  • Some types of stress could be good for brain functioning
Spotted skunk performing handstand to threaten predators

Does Skunk Smell Repel Skunks?

November 24, 2020

When a curious caller from Baltimore asked us whether skunks were repelled by the smell of other skunks, we knew exactly who to call. Biology …

Read moreDoes Skunk Smell Repel Skunks?
The "Pillars of Creation," an astronomical feature in the Eagle Nebula are made of gas and dust clouds and form new stars.

Sun’s Birthplace

September 13, 2018

Where did our Sun get its start?

Read moreSun’s Birthplace
Image of a giant anteater

Anteater Diet

June 27, 2018

How giant anteaters get enough food into their tiny mouths to survive.

Read moreAnteater Diet
Child blowing on soup

Wind Temperature

May 4, 2018

Moving air feels colder than still air, but what does the thermometer say?

Read moreWind Temperature
Big bull dog and rottweiler puppy

Sizing Up Dogs II

April 13, 2018

A listener asks whether it's true that large dogs don't live as long as small dogs.

Read moreSizing Up Dogs II
Yellow-tinged full moon

Baseball on the Moon

April 11, 2018

Could a well-thrown baseball sail from the moon’s surface into orbit?

Read moreBaseball on the Moon

Why Are Plants Green?

January 24, 2018

The dominance of green chlorophyll on Earth may have come after a more purple period.

Read moreWhy Are Plants Green?
Green and Purple-dyed blood cells

Living Cells

January 18, 2018

You probably have heard that hair is made up of dead cells. But are living cells really "alive"?

Read moreLiving Cells
Girl holding her head, with hands on her jawline

Wisdom Teeth

January 17, 2018

Why do we get wisdom teeth if they often don’t even fit in our jaws?

Read moreWisdom Teeth
Woman outdoors, with hands warming nose and face

Cold Noses

December 15, 2017

A listener asks: Why does your nose run when it’s cold outside?

Read moreCold Noses
Sick-looking person holding tissue up to nose

24-Hour Colds

December 7, 2017

Why you sometimes feel a cold coming on, only to have the symptoms disappear the very next day.

Read more24-Hour Colds
Snowy hillside with snow-covered trees

Snow White

December 1, 2017

A listener asks: What makes snow white?

Read moreSnow White
Black and yellow spider in its web

Spider Webs

October 12, 2017

A listener asks: Can spiders get caught in the webs of other spiders?

Read moreSpider Webs
Three toddler triplets sitting on rug

Identical Triplets

October 9, 2017

A listener asks if identical triplets are possible.

Read moreIdentical Triplets
Craggy, cloudy mountains

Mountain High

March 9, 2017

Have you ever been to a high altitude and found yourself gasping for breath? One listener asked why that happens.

Read moreMountain High
Two children watching television, sitting very close to the screen.

Sitting Close to the TV

December 9, 2016

A Science Update listener asks if sitting too close to the television can hurt your eyes.

Read moreSitting Close to the TV
Photomicrograph of a snowflake crystal

Similar Snowflakes

November 30, 2016

A listener asks: Why do snowflakes appear so similar to each other?

Read moreSimilar Snowflakes
Red wine splashing into wine glass

Wine’s Fruity “Nose”

November 26, 2015

You can thank fruit flies for your favorite wine’s fruity “nose”.

Read moreWine’s Fruity “Nose”
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