Stories by Ferris Jabr

Let's Get Physical: The Psychology of Effective Workout Music

New research clarifies why music and exercise make such a good team, and how to create an optimal workout playlist

How to Create an Optimal Workout Playlist

Insights from the latest research on the interplay of exercise and music

Will Cloning Ever Save Endangered Animals?

Right now, cloning is not a viable conservation strategy. But some researchers remain optimistic that it will help threatened species in the future

Step Inside the Real World of Compulsive Hoarders

Recent research has changed the way clinicians treat hoarding as well as refuted popular assumptions about people with excessive clutter

Researchers Take a Closer Look at the Most Common and Powerful Triggers of Depression

Certain painful experiences are more likely to precede depressive episodes than others. And some forms of loss can trigger depression more quickly than previously realized

The Newest Edition of Psychiatry’s “Bible,” the DSM-5, Is Complete

The APA has finished revising the DSM and will publish the manual’s fifth edition in May 2013. Here's what to expect

In the Flesh: The Embedded Dangers of Untested Stem Cell Cosmetics

Unapproved procedures and skin care products endanger consumers and clinical research

How Does a Spectrograph Work? [Infographic]

Self-Awareness with a Simple Brain

Case studies suggest that some forms of consciousness may not require an intact cerebrum

Gut Microbes May Compete for Our Calories

Bacteria are changing the way we think about calories

Meat of the Matter: Are Our Modern Methods of Preserving and Cooking Meat Healthy?

Why steaks could be in but hot dogs are still out

Does Eating Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

TRANSCRIPTAfter Thanksgiving dinner, many people start to feel a little drowsy. Turkey typically gets the blame. It supposedly contains high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid that is sold in a purified form to help people fall asleep.But turkey contains about the same amount of tryptophan as chicken, beef and other meats.If Thanksgiving drowsiness is not about the main course, what is responsible?...

Geology Porn: The Science and Art of Bjork's "Mutual Core" Music Video

Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk was born and raised on an island that tectonic forces are ripping apart. Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate...

World Changing Ideas 2012

10 innovations that are radical enough to alter our lives

Twitter Is a 24-Hour Party. You Can Tweet If You Want to

How Brainless Slime Molds Redefine Intelligence [Video]

Single-celled amoebae can remember, make decisions and anticipate change, urging scientists to rethink intelligent behavior

Sequencing the Connectome: Will DNA Bar Codes and a Sneaky Virus Change the Way Scientists Map the Brain?

Scientists have mapped, charted, modeled and visualized the human brain in many different ways. They have marked the boundaries of the organ's four major lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes...

Virtues of the Virtual Autopsy [Slide Show]

Medical imaging offers new ways to examine the deceased

What Singing Fish Reveal about Speech and Hearing

African Spiny Mice Regenerate Missing Body Parts la Salamanders

Many species of starfish relish oysters, clams and other shellfish, much to the chagrin of fishermen who watch over oyster beds and farms. Legend has it that oyster fishermen used to dispose of any starfish they dredged up by cutting the creatures in half and tossing them back into the ocean...