Stories by Adam Hadhazy

What Makes Michael Phelps So Good?

Do Phelps's body shape and flexibility give the eight-gold-medal winner a physical edge in swimming?

Misdirected Vengeance Can Still Feel Just

Revenge is sweet when the target is perceived to be part of a group with the original perpetrator

A New Way to Reach Mars Safely, Anytime and on the Cheap

Ballistic capture, a low-energy method that has coasted spacecraft into lunar orbit, could help humanity visit the Red Planet much more often

Heavenly Sounds: Hearing Astronomical Data Can Lead to Scientific Insights

Converting the energetic hail of cosmic radiation into audible tracks has produced better understanding of the solar wind and other astrophysical events—along with musical enjoyment...

Birds of Burden: 7 Ways Humans Harness Avian Abilities [Slide Show]

Our avian friends are capable of far more than singing or dressing a table

Trash Reap: 10 Surprising Recycling Efforts--from Bras to Crayons [Slide Show]

This guide, in observance of Earth Day 2012, helps consumers move well beyond the throw-it-out mentality

Do Pheromones Play a Role in Our Sex Lives?

Humans might use a nuanced concoction of chemicals even more complex than formal pheromones to attract potential mates

Alien Life May Not Survive on Planets with Uranus-Like Tilts

Subdued seasonality might be linked to the emergence of complex life on Earth around 600 million years ago

What If NASA's Apollo Program Had Not Been Canceled?

The movie Apollo 18 claims to reveal decades-old footage of astronauts on a secret mission two years after Apollo 17 --the last real expedition to the moon. In actuality, NASA did prepare for Apollos 18, 19 and 20...

Fact or Fiction: The Days (and Nights) Are Getting Longer

Fossilized corals, lasers beamed at a receding moon, Chinese artifacts, and other evidence have revealed that over the ages the length of time it takes Earth to spin once on its axis has increased significantly...

Survival of the Tattooed and Pierced?

Body art may be evidence of high-quality genes in men

Think Twice: How the Gut's "Second Brain" Influences Mood and Well-Being

The emerging and surprising view of how the enteric nervous system in our bellies goes far beyond just processing the food we eat

7 "Hot" Products: Radioactive Gifts and Gadgets of Yesteryear [Slide Show]

With another holiday shopping season upon us, here is a look back at some of the consumer items of the early 20th century that had some gift givers and receivers radiating more than just smiles...

Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways [Slide Show]

A wide range of organisms generate their own light to seek mates, sustenance and survival--inspiring researchers and moviemakers alike

Energy Out of the Blue: Generating Electric Power from the Clash of River and Sea Water

Two pilot projects are testing the potential of "salt power," a renewable energy that relies on the differing salinities at river mouths to make watts

Power Plants: Artificial Trees That Harvest Sun and Wind to Generate Electricity

A start-up proposes forests of fake trees with "leaves" that soak up sunshine and flutter in the breeze to generate clean solar and wind power. Could it just be crazy enough to work?

Slide Show: Painting the Picture of Air Quality with Satellite Data

How satellite imagery combines with ground-based detectors to graphically render air quality--and how the U.S. government and the university-based Smog Blog get the news out

The Final Frontier: The Science of Star Trek

As the new movie warps into theaters this week, we ask physicist Lawrence Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, how the sci-fi franchise keeps it real, and also how it bends--or breaks--a few laws of nature...

Deborah Jin Keeps It Cool with Quantum Mechanics

The 2004 Scientific American 50 researcher of the year continues to tweak matter at the edge of known physics to reveal strange and potentially useful properties

Got a sexy science project? Call Hugh Hefner for funding