Stories by Bret Stetka

Researchers map out a cellular mechanism that offers a biological explanation for alcoholism, and could lead to treatments

Scientists have developed machine-learning that can teach itself to visualize a three-dimensional scene from unobserved angles

A new study shows language is not a prerequisite for some basic reasoning

A simple technique to gauge brain levels of a toxic protein could improve diagnosis and drug trials

A study that compares us with other primates finds a brain region linked to social behavior that may offer a biological explanation for why humans, not chimps, produced Shakespeare, Gandhi and Einstein

New findings suggest it is more complicated than scientists thought

War deaths have increased dramatically in the modern era, new research contends, despite other statistics that suggest the risks of becoming a victim of violence have lessened

The startling change may help conserve energy

The ubiquitous technique for relieving stress and pain has remarkably little scientific evidence backing it, a group of scientists contend

It is a common grumble that children grow up too fast. No more. Teens are in no hurry to embrace the putative joys of adulthood

New evidence hints that bariatric surgery changes the dialogue between bowel and brain

Neural circuitry lets macaques figure out what's going on in social interactions  

Cephalopods adapt to changing water temperatures by altering their RNA more often than their DNA, according to a new study

A new study suggests our outsize brains may have arisen from scouring for and eating kumquats and kiwis

New algae fossil discovery may reset the evolutionary time line 

After genetic meltdown the last of the species died a lonely death, languishing on a windswept island tundra and unable to attract mates with the scent of its urine

The small molecules cleared and prevented tau buildup in mice and monkeys

Recent research challenges the notion that our closest animal relatives don’t like working as a team

Researchers were surprised when brain–machine interfaces resulted in paralyzed patients’ recovery of long-lost sensation and muscle control

Record-breaking has slowed, but science could find new ways to make us keep getting stronger and faster

Like a freshly cracked diet soda, suspicions have been fizzing away for years that artificial sweeteners may not be the best way to slim down

Old monkeys, like old humans, would rather not make new friends

Winners embrace a psychologically nuanced approach to motivating athletes

Fish oil, vitamin D and other nutrients appear to raise the potency of medication