Stories by Emily Anthes

Diagnosing COVID From a Person’s Voice

Researchers are exploring ways to use people’s vocalizations to diagnose coronavirus infections, dementia and depression

How Your Homes and Buildings Affect You

Journalist and author Emily Anthes talks about her book The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness.

Coronavirus Lockdowns May Raise Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution

Smarter cooking and cleaning can lessen the risk

Men with Autism May Misread Social Cues in Body Odor

The Office Experiment: Can Science Build the Perfect Workspace?

Windows, desks and employees are being wired up in a quest to create healthy, evidence-based environments

Mental Health: There's an App for That

Smartphone apps claim to help conditions from addiction to schizophrenia, but few have been thoroughly tested

Widely Used Autism Drug Carries Heavy Risks for Children

Risperidone, the first drug approved for children with autism and the most widely used, improves some behavior but can have severe side effects such as sleepiness and weight gain

An Amazing Menagerie of Animal Prostheses [Video]

A Dolphin’s Tale: How Researchers Gave One Bottlenose a Prosthetic Tail

A bottlenose named Winter lost her tail to a crab trap. So scientists built her a new one

Family Guy

Move over, “mommy brain.” Men go through their own biological changes after a baby is born. But dads are programmed to challenge their kids, not coddle them

Youngsters Immune to the Contagious Yawn

Seeing someone else's sleepy facial contortions does not affect young children or kids with autism

Their Pain, Our Gain: Why Schadenfreude Is Best Enjoyed in Groups

You've heard that misery loves company. Enjoying others' misery does, too

Soothing Traumatized Children

Coloring books developed by psychologists help kids avoid long-lasting emotional problems

Natural Immunity: What Happens When We Simply See a Sick Person

Just looking at sick people protects against illness

Green and Mean: Eco-shopping Has a Side Effect

Buying eco-friendly products might make you more likely to behave badly later on

Ambidexterity and ADHD: Are They Linked?

People whose brains are too symmetrical are at risk for cognitive problems

She's Hooked: Allure of Vices Tied to a Woman's Monthly Cycle

The allure of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes ebbs and flows with a woman's monthly cycle

Family Guy: Fathers No Longer Just Backup Parents

Move over, "mommy brain". Men go through their own biological changes after a baby is born. But dads are programmed to challenge their kids, not coddle them

A Female Viagra?

Women with low libido get a boost from a new drug

Popularity is In Your Genes

The size and structure of a person's social network have roots in DNA