Psychology
The Personality Trait ‘Intolerance of Uncertainty’ Causes Anguish during COVID
High levels of it have put people at risk of emotional problems
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Microbiology
Omicron’s Surprising Anatomy Explains Why It Is Wildly Contagious
Specific mutations hide the COVID-causing variant from the immune system and give it a new route into more cells
Evolution
Rockshelter Discoveries Show Neandertals Were a Lot like Us
Our much maligned cousins made sophisticated ornaments and probably had language
Quantum Physics
100 Years Ago, a Quantum Experiment Explained Why We Don’t Fall through Our Chairs
The basic concept of quantum spin provides an understanding of a vast range of physical phenomena
Pharmaceuticals
A Psychedelic May Soon Go to the FDA for Approval to Treat Trauma
MDMA, known as Ecstasy in the clubs, gained high marks in a clinical trial for PTSD
Evolution
Junk DNA Deforms Salamander Bodies
Yet the unfit creatures survive, challenging our long-held view of evolution
Cognition
Can Lab-Grown Brains Become Conscious?
A handful of experiments are raising questions about whether clumps of cells and disembodied brains could be sentient and how scientists would know if they were
Quantum Physics
Can We Gauge Quantum Time of Flight?
Measuring the time it takes particles to travel between two points may be the best test yet for Bohmian mechanics
Behavior
Schoolkids Are Falling Victim to Disinformation and Conspiracy Fantasies
Although children are prime targets, educators cannot figure out how best to teach them to separate fact from fiction
Vaccines
How Immunocompromised People without Strong Vaccine Protection Are Coping with COVID
People with diseases or treatments that suppress their immune system cannot count on the same protection most vaccinated people have
Pollution
Protecting People from Deadly Shellfish
Indigenous communities along Alaska’s coast are developing scientific networks to test shellfish for toxins because the state is not doing so
Health Care
These Are the Latest COVID Treatments
But shortages mean that new antivirals and other drugs may be hard to come by
Psychology
Borderline Personality Disorder May Be Rooted in Trauma
A focus on the traumatic origins of an often stigmatized psychiatric diagnosis is inspiring new treatments
Quantum Physics
What Is Spacetime Really Made Of?
Spacetime may emerge from a more fundamental reality. Figuring out how could unlock the most urgent goal in physics—a quantum theory of gravity
Evolution
Fossils Reveal When Animals Started Making Noise
For billions of years Earth was quiet. Then life got loud
Pharmaceuticals
Preparing for the Next Plague
SARS-CoV-2 adds impetus to the race for broad-spectrum countermeasures against future global infectious scourges
Sexuality
People Have Been Having Less Sex—whether They’re Teenagers or 40-Somethings
Among the young, social media, gaming and “rough sex” may contribute to this trend
Medicine
Genetic Therapies for Brain Diseases
Hopes are high for a class of drug that could treat neurodegenerative conditions—but a recent clinical trial has brought the field up short
Mental Health
Mindfulness Can Improve Your Attention and Health
A focus on the present, dubbed “mindfulness,” can make you happier and healthier. Training to deepen your immersion in the moment works by improving attention
Behavior
How to Stop Doomscrolling News and Social Media
“Doomscroll Reminder Lady” Karen K. Ho explains how to step away from the screen
