Your Brain Can Taste without Your Tongue
Stimulating the "taste cortex" was enough to trick mice into thinking they'd tasted sweet or bitter substances, when in fact their tongues tasted nothing at all. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Stories by Christopher Intagliata
Eat Slowly and Breathe Smoothly to Enhance Taste
Slow, steady breathing lofts minute food particles into the nasal cavity, where they contribute to your perception of flavor. Christopher Intagliata reports
What Makes Sand Dunes Sing
Engineers at Caltech discovered that for sand dunes to produce sound they need a dry layer on top that amplifies internal frequencies during sand movement. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Migratory Birds May Use Magnetic "GPS"
Using a magnetic field, researchers could trick migratory birds to turn in the wrong direction before takeoff.
Arctic Marine Mammals Swim Up to the Microphone
As Arctic sea ice melts, an underwater recording project reveals that the submerged ecology is undergoing change, with humpbacks and killer whales staying north later in the year. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Decoy Mating Call Battles Citrus Pest
Researchers developed a call that effectively mimics the citrus psyllid's mating song, which could be a weapon against a devastating crop scourge. Christopher Intagliata reports
Chew on This--Babies Need Their Tongues to Tell Sounds Apart
Moving their tongues may help babies understand new languages.
Whale Poop Drives Global Nutrient Cycling
Whales fertilize ocean surface waters with key nutrients like phosphorus, which move through the food chain, and eventually, onto land. Christopher Intagliata reports
Cheap Chinese Goods Have a High Carbon Cost
About a quarter of China's carbon emissions are due to the manufacture and transport of goods destined for elsewhere.
Beet Juice Could Help Body Beat Altitude
Beet juice contains nitrates, which the body can convert to nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes blood vessels and makes it easier to function in conditions of low oxygen. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Babies Move Tongue to Learn New Tongues
Infants seemed to be able to differentiate between two different "D" sounds in Hindi—but only when their tongue movements weren't blocked by a teething device. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Magnetic Field May Be a Map for Migratory Birds
It's well known birds can use Earth's magnetic field as their compass, but they may also use magnetism as their map. Christopher Intagliata reports
Wildlife Tourism Could Be "Domesticating" Wild Animals
Human tourism—no matter how well-intentioned—might desensitize wild animals to poachers and predators, affecting their odds of survival. Christopher Intagliata reports
Nicotine-Chomping Bacteria May Help Smokers Quit
An enzyme from a bacterium that lives on tobacco plants may be the key to a new type of "vaccine" to help smokers quit
Sitting Not the New Smoking for Fidgeters
Sitting for more than seven hours a day is linked to a 30 percent higher risk of death, but that association disappears among the in-place movers and shakers. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Nonpolitical Tweets May Reveal Political Bias
Word selection among Twitter users who could be identified as likely members of one or the other political party showed specific usage patterns. Christopher Intagliata reports
California Mountain Snowpack Is Flaking Out
With the Sierra Nevada snowpack at historic lows, should policy makers focus on capturing future rain instead of relying on the snow bank? Christopher Intagliata reports
Snake Bites in Costa Rica Peak with El Niño Cycling
Researchers found that snakebites were two to three times as prevalent in the hottest and coldest years of the El Niño climate cycle. Christopher Intagliata reports
Sperm Whales Congregate in Click-Based Cliques
The whales appear to prefer the company of "like-minded" individuals, based on common vocal clicking behavior—an example of culture, researchers say. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Self-Healing Spaceship Shielding Could Keep Astronauts Safer
A new lightweight material that heals itself when punctured could help spacecraft survive run-ins with debris. Christopher Intagliata reports
