Energy
Caffeine Peps Up Solar Energy
The human energizer can also improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells
Stories by Angus Chen
Public Health
Zapping Lead Pipes with Electricity Could Make Them Safer for Drinking Water
A new technology can rapidly rebuild a protective coating on existing lead pipes, but some consider this approach impractical
Neurology
An Hour of Light and Sound a Day Might Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay
Playing a flashing white light and a trilling sound reversed signs of Alzheimer’s in mice. Researchers are now trying it in humans
Biotech
Researchers Enable “Super Mice” to See Near-Infrared Light
Nanoscale devices convert near-infrared light into visible, green light. When injected into the eyes, they enabled mice to see in the infrared
Medicine
Vaccinating Mice May Finally Slow Lyme Disease
Killing ticks and inoculating people has failed, so researchers try immunizing mice via vaccine-laced food
Biology
“Spy” Virus Eavesdrops on Bacteria, Then Obliterates Them
Viruses use bacteria’s chemical language to time their destruction; this might lead to new ways to fight infections
Biotech
Baboons Survive for Half a Year after Heart Transplants from Pigs
The cross-species heart procedure brings human trials into view
Chemistry
How Tear Gas Works: A Rundown of the Chemicals Used on Crowds
There are two broad types of tear gas—and they’re both engineered to cause pain
Engineering
Silent and Simple Ion Engine Powers a Plane with No Moving Parts
Researchers fly the first atmospheric aircraft to use space-proven ionic thrust technology
Natural Disasters
Cities Can Alter Hurricanes, Intensifying Their Rainfall
Study shows Houston’s urban landscape may have physically changed Hurricane Harvey’s structure
Neuroscience
Deep-Brain Recordings May Show Where Unhappiness Lives
New recordings of electrical activity in the brain help reveal the underpinnings of bad moods
Biotech
Spinal Stimulator Implant Gives Paralytic Patients a Chance to Regain Movement
A new therapy that amplifies nerve impulses may also help the body heal
Public Health
Vitamin Vaping Raises Wariness among Scientists
Companies claim e-cigarettes can deliver nutrients, but experts say the science looks shaky
Climate Change
Trouble Brewing? Climate Change Closes In on Beer Drinkers
Increasing droughts and heat waves could have a devastating effect on barley stocks—and beer prices
Behavior
How Accurate Are Personality Tests?
Precious few personality assessments are known to be reliable, and researchers say their use outside academia is debatable
Evolution
Cats May Have Duped Us about Being Great Rat Catchers
Breweries, warehouses and waste facilities sometimes turn to cats for rat control—but do they really help?
Public Health
Why Haven't We Cured the Common Cold Yet?
Researchers think they’re close to a cure for the common cold, but they first need to solve a complex problem that’s perplexed scientists for decades
Policy
Women Die More from Heart Attacks Than Men—Unless the ER Doc Is Female
Analyzing over 500,000 cases suggests having female physicians in the emergency room may save women’s lives
Fitness
Core Strength: Extreme "Close-Ups" May Help Explain Why Our Bones Are So Strong
Snapshots taken at roughly 400,000x zoom reveal mineral crystals and proteins organize into twisting, helical shapes
Evolution
“Sea Nomads” May Have Evolved to Be the World’s Elite Divers
New genetic evidence suggests these indigenous Southeast Asians are singularly suited for underwater hunting
