Artificial Intelligence
AI Predicts What Chemicals Will Smell like to a Human
A new computer model “maps” odor molecules to differentiate among those that have meaty, powdery, sweet and many other scents
Stories by Wynne Parry
Evolution
Missing Half of Fossil Shows that Prehistoric Sea Turtle Was 3 Meters Long
The humerus fossil was matched to another specimen found over 150 years earlier
Technology
Camera-Equipped Autocopters Map Forest Treetops
Researchers are challenging ecologists to rethink the way they collect data by developing small unmanned copters that easily generate interactive, 3-D maps of any landscapes
Biology
Evolution Is an Opportunist
A computational study reveals surprising flexibility hidden within metabolic networks, providing new evidence for an evolutionary concept called exaptation
Biology
"Gratitude" Map Invites Users to Accentuate the Positive
A new online map encourages users to document and celebrate the good things in life, a practice that some research suggests may bolster immune system function and increase feelings of well-being...
Environment
The Hottest Climate Change Stories of 2012
Perhaps the most unavoidable climate story of 2012 was the warmth that gripped much of the U.S., and to a lesser degree, the planet, throughout the year
Mind & Brain
Music's Effects on the Mind Remain Mysterious
Creativity is important—without it, human society cannot survive—yet finding an appropriate method to quantify imagination has scientists stumped
Mind & Brain
The Science Behind Our Strange, Spooky Dreams
The disturbing world of dreams is grounded in day-to-day experience, scientists say
Evolution
Stonehenge Had Lecture Hall Acoustics
Rather than search for an acoustic motivation behind its structure, new research aims to better understand how ancient people might have used Stonehenge
Biology
Warming Ocean Current Might Create Coral Refuges
Whereas global warming devastates most coral, it also is predicted to bring a stronger deep equatorial undercurrent that could create a bit of habitat alongside islands
Evolution
Fossilized, 'Pompeii' Forest Discovered Under Ash
A preserved forest has given researchers the unusual opportunity to examine an ecosystem essentially frozen in place, including plant communities and the climate
Environment
Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age
New simulations show that several large, closely spaced eruptions (and not decreased solar radiation) could have cooled the Northern Hemisphere enough to spark sea-ice growth and a subsequent feedback loop...
The Sciences
Scientists Make Supersoldier Ants
The finding could help to solve a mystery of the origin of such ants, and other ancestral throwbacks such as human tails
Health
Are Urban Vermin the Most Disease-Ridden Animals?
Infections carried by animals are a rising threat—and those who work with livestock may have the most to fear
