The Significant Problem of P Values
Standard scientific methods are under fire. Will anything change?
Stories by Lydia Denworth
Social Media Has Not Destroyed a Generation
New findings suggest angst over the technology is misplaced
Forestalling a Fatal Decision
Social scientists have begun to close in on new ways to stop people from taking their own lives
New Insights into Self-Insight: More May Not Be Better
An innovative study technique yields surprising results that counter the popular idea that knowing yourself is good for you
Scientists Start Building a Parts List for the Brain
A new study provides an extraordinary close-up of the menagerie of neural cell types, yielding possible leads for neurological and psychiatric treatments
Debate Arises over Teaching “Growth Mindsets” to Motivate Students
Research shows conflicting data on the impact of the intervention, but a major new study confirms it can work
“Awakenings” in Advanced Dementia Patients Hint at Untapped Brain Reserves
Numerous reports documenting lucid moments at the end of life spur Alzheimer’s researchers to explore the phenomenon
“Missing” Wallets with More Cash Are More Likely to Be Returned
A massive global study with 17,000 planted wallets found similar patterns among most of the 40 countries involved
Brain-Controlled Hearing Aids Could Cut through Crowd Noise
A prototype detects whom you are listening to and amplifies only that speaker’s voice; a potential solution to the “cocktail party problem”
Children Change Their Parents’ Minds about Climate Change
Study of students schooled on the issue showed them going on to shift their elders’ attitudes
“Hyperscans” Show How Brains Sync as People Interact
Social neuroscientists ask what happens at the level of neurons when you tell someone a story or a group watches movies
The Kids (Who Use Tech) Seem to Be All Right
A rigorous new paper uses a new scientific approach that shows the panic over teen screen time is likely overstated
What Can Baboon Relationships Tell Us about Human Health?
Strong relationships seem to help baboons overcome early life adversity, and that could have big implications for human health
A 40-Year Quest Uncovers Hearing’s “Holy Grail” Protein
A new discovery shows how sound waves become brain waves—it may help find new therapies for the deaf
Thanksgiving Dinner May End Sooner If Guests Pass the Gravy across a Partisan Divide
A new study shows election politics pushed Americans to cut family festivities short in 2016
When Love Breeds Madness: Read This If You’ve Ever Googled Your Ex
In a new book a clinical psychologist describes patients who developed consuming romantic obsessions
A Command Center in the Mammalian Brain Orchestrates Parenting Behaviors
A mouse study deconstructs for the first time a neural circuit underlying a complex social behavior
Gene Editing Shows Promise for Alleviating Hearing Loss
An early experiment demonstrates the shutting down of a faulty gene
The Good and Bad of Empathy
New insights into the underpinnings of empathy might help us harness the emotion—just when we need it the most
Ultrasound Could Offer Noninvasive Treatment for Parkinson’s and Depression
The prospect of focusing the beams without destroying tissue might someday diagnose or even restore faulty brain circuits
