A Computer Tells Real Smiles from Phonies
Slight changes around the eyes are indeed a giveaway as to whether a smile is sincere or faked.
Stories by Sophie Bushwick
"Anonymous" Data Won't Protect Your Identity
A new study demonstrates it is surprisingly easy to ID an individual within a supposedly incognito data set
New Sensor Could Detect Electrical Failures in Ships or Buildings
A monitoring device could measure overall power consumption and identify critical malfunctions
Watch a Raging Forest Fire Surround You in 360 Degrees
Nightmarish spherical videos, shot from the center of an inferno, demonstrate how they spread
Smartphone App Screens Kids for Ear Problems
Parents can use a digital tool at home to detect fluid behind the eardrum
How France Can Rebuild Notre Dame
An expert offers a scientific perspective on what has been lost and what can be restored
The Pitfalls of Data's Gender Gap
Without female data, everything from safety gear to urban design to Siri is biased toward men. The effects range from inconvenient to deadly
Rising High: GM Yeast Generates Known and Novel Marijuana Compounds
Engineered microorganisms churn out THC, CBD and rarer, less-understood cannabis cousins
What Makes Them Go Boom? Our Favorite Explainers on the Science of Fireworks
Staring up as cascades of colorful light bloom noisily from the dark sky—that's how many Americans will conclude their Independence Day. Behind the pretty image, however, fireworks rely on basic physical and chemical principles...
Rodents Repulsed by Reeking Male Researchers
The scent of human men stresses out mice and rats, which changes their pain responses and could affect experimental results. Sophie Bushwick reports
Why a Bio-Duck?
The source of the mysterious so-called "bio-duck" sounds in the Southern Ocean is finally revealed by researchers engaged in minke business. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Dainty Diet Dictated Big-Feline Decline
Cougars survived the late Pleistocene extinction when other North American big cats became extinct, thanks to their more flexible feeding habits. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Morning Light Exposure Tied to Lower Weight
Exposure to bright light in the morning appears linked to reduced appetite and lower body weight, regardless of sleep patterns. Sophie Bushwick reports
Absence (of Weight) Makes the Heart Grow Rounder
After prolonged periods in microgravity, astronauts' hearts became more spherical, according to scans done on the International Space Station. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Paintings of Sunsets Shed Light on Past Air Quality
Master artists' sunset colors are good sources of information about amounts of particulates in the atmosphere when the image was painted. Sophie Bushwick reports
Frosty Moss Springs to Life after 1,500-Year Snooze
Long dormant moss has been extracted from the Antarctic permafrost, thawed out and revived. Sophie Bushwick reports
The Hangover: Part N+1
Developing a hangover doesn't prevent or even significantly delay the next drinking bout. Sophie Bushwick reports
Docs Should Wash Stethoscopes between Patients, Too
Tests for bacteria found that stethoscopes picked up more microbes from patients than did most parts of the doc's hands. Sophie Bushwick reports
Jazz Improvisers Appear to Use Language Brain Areas
Brain scans of musicians as they improvised in a musical dialogue with another player showed that the improvisers used regions involved in syntax during production of language. Sophie Bushwick reports ...
Lassie and Timmy Hear Vocals in Same Brain Area
Functional MRI brain scans show that man and man's best friend use analogous brain regions to process vocalizations of both their own and the other species. Sophie Bushwick reports
