Engineering
Concrete Defects Could Become Strengths
By optimizing the imperfections in concrete, manufacturers could make the material tougher and stronger—allowing builders to use less of it. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Stories by Christopher Intagliata
Biology
When Dining for Trillions, Eat Wisely
What you ate in the past can shape the diversity of your gut flora, and affect how well your gut microbes respond to new foods. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Public Health
Indoor Plants Can Clean Your Air
Many houseplants can scrub irritants like acetone from the air, but which ones do it best?
Climate Change
Isolated Low Temps May Reassure Climate Skeptics
Areas of the country that have experienced record low temperatures since 2005 happen to be home to many global warming deniers. And researchers theorize there may be a connection. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Biology
"Necrobiome" Reveals a Corpse's Time of Death
The microbial ecosystems inhabiting corpses could help forensic scientists determine a person’s time of death, even after almost two months. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Neuroscience
Pregnancy Primes the Brain for Motherhood
Areas of the brain related to social cognition shrink in first-time mothers—a structural change that could boost maternal attachment. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Mental Health
Small Fraction of Pilots Suffer Suicidal Thoughts
In an anonymous online survey, about 4 percent of surveyed pilots admitted to having suicidal thoughts within the last few weeks. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Biology
Migrating Birds Prefer Lakefront Property
Night-flying migratory birds over water turn back to lakeshores at daybreak—meaning crowded shores along the water. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Public Health
New Insecticide Makes Mosquitoes Pop
The substance prevents mosquitoes taking a blood meal from producing waste—causing them to swell up, and sometimes even explode. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Commuting Patterns Help Forecast Flu Outbreaks
Flu forecasts within large metro areas like New York City might be improved by adding in data about the flow of commuters. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Space & Physics
Dogs Teach Bomb-Sniffing Machines New Tricks
A dog’s sniff pulls a plume of fresh scents toward them, which fluid dynamicists say is a technique that could make for better bomb detectors. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Cognition
"Power Poses" Don't Stand Up
A 2010 study claimed that striking certain poses could alter hormone levels and risk-taking behavior. But subsequent studies can’t replicate that finding. Christopher Intagliata reports. ...
Biology
High-Fiber Diet Keeps Intestinal Walls Intact
A low-fiber diet causes fiber-eating microbes to dwindle, opening up real estate for mucus munchers that make the intestine more vulnerable to infection. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Climate Change
Forest Die-Offs Alter Global Climate "Like El Niño"
The loss of forests worldwide appears to interact synergistically to produce unpredictable effects on the global climate. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Conservation
DNA Samples Find a Lot of Fish in the Sea
The DNA in seawater can reveal the diversity and abundance of fish species living in ocean waters. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Ebola Virus Grew More Infectious in the Latest Epidemic
A strain that emerged during the latest epidemic is able to enter human cells more easily—which means it’s more infectious, too. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Evolution
Small-Brained Birds More Likely to Get Shot
Using taxidermy data, biologists determined that gun-killed birds have smaller brains than birds that died in other ways. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Public Health
Online Sociality Linked to Lower Death Risk
Facebook users in California had slightly better health outcomes than nonusers, even after controlling for other factors. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Cognition
Poor Sleepers Worse at Recognizing Unfamiliar Faces
Subjects suffering insomnia got more wrong answers in a face-matching task—but they were paradoxically more confident of their responses. Christopher Intagliata reports...
Biology
Yawns Help the Brain Keep Its Cool
Theory has it yawning helps cool the brain—and it turns out animals with bigger brains do indeed tend to yawn longer. Christopher Intagliata reports...
