Stories by Wynne Parry

A new computer model “maps” odor molecules to differentiate among those that have meaty, powdery, sweet and many other scents

The humerus fossil was matched to another specimen found over 150 years earlier

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

A computational study reveals surprising flexibility hidden within metabolic networks, providing new evidence for an evolutionary concept called exaptation

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

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

Creativity is important—without it, human society cannot survive—yet finding an appropriate method to quantify imagination has scientists stumped

The disturbing world of dreams is grounded in day-to-day experience, scientists say

Rather than search for an acoustic motivation behind its structure, new research aims to better understand how ancient people might have used Stonehenge

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

A preserved forest has given researchers the unusual opportunity to examine an ecosystem essentially frozen in place, including plant communities and the climate

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 finding could help to solve a mystery of the origin of such ants, and other ancestral throwbacks such as human tails

Infections carried by animals are a rising threat—and those who work with livestock may have the most to fear