Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Kennewick Man’s DNA
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Kennewick Man’s 8,500-year-old bones are finally sequenced, revealing his genetic ancestry.
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Reproducibility in Psychology
Science Breakthroughs of 2015: Tackling psychology’s reproducibility problem.
Inattentional Deafness
Scientists identify the neural underpinnings of inattentional deafness: when visually demanding tasks temporarily turn off the ability to hear.
Computer Learning
Scientists reverse-engineer the human learning process to help computers think more creatively.
Environment & Language Evolution
Do environmental variables like rainfall and vegetation shape the sounds of languages?
Cell Phones & Income
Mobile phone data can help create maps of wealth and poverty.
Focusing in on Attention
Functional MRI brainscans could identify attention deficit disorders in the resting brain.
Cultural Terror Campaign
Satellite surveillance documents ISIS’s targeted destruction of sacred landmarks.
Paleo Sleep
Ancient peoples' sleep might not have been much different than our own.
Placebos & Depression
People who respond better to fake medicine may also get more relief from the real thing.
New Old Neurons
Scientists are developing new strategies for making old neurons to study diseases of aging.
Parents, Kids & Math
An educational app helps parents with math anxiety help their kids excel in the subject.
The Universal “Huh?”
Regardless of culture and language, conversations have a lot in common.
Smartphone Eating Habits
A smartphone app is helping researchers document our erratic modern eating habits, 24/7.
Dognition
An online project allows dog owners to evaluate their dogs’ minds and contribute to scientific research.
Handheld Navigator
A handheld navigation cube changes shape to guide users in the right direction.
Moralistic Gods
How did religions with moralizing gods spread around the world?
Beating Bitterness
How do certain foods banish the bitter aftertaste of some medications?
Human Superpredators
Our unique predatory behavior puts other predators, as well as entire ecosystems, at risk.
Whistled Turkish
A language researcher studies Turkish villagers who communicate through whistles.
Marmoset Baby Talk
A new study suggests baby marmosets’ calls change as they grow up - questioning more than 50 years of conventional wisdom about primate vocalizations.
Stress & Self-Control
Mental stress may reduce our ability to resist temptation.
Stress & Social Networks
Baby finches that are stressed out early in life turn to unrelated adults rather than their parents for guidance.
AI Psychologists
Can computer programs help people feel more comfortable sharing their personal problems?