Human memory has been shown again and again to be far from perfect. We overlook big things, forget details, conflate events. One famous experiment even demonstrated that many people asked to watch a video of people playing basketball failed to notice a person wearing a gorilla suit walk right through the middle of the scene.So why does eyewitness testimony continue to hold water in courtrooms?...
An alternative explanation for cancer's origins could lead to better therapies
Editor's Note: William Gilly, a professor of biology at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, embarked on new expedition this month to study jumbo squid in the Gulf of California on the National Science Foundation –funded research vessel New Horizon ...
Some plants that are grazed on can then up the number of copies of their DNA, allowing them to produce more proteins and seeds. Karen Hopkin reports
Monkeys may be able to devise gestures to communicate specific ideas
In a new book, neuroscientist and author Mark Changizi explores how language and music separate us from our primate ancestors
Books and recommendation from Scientific American
The North Carolina State University project School of Ants is looking for your help--and your ants. Karen Hopkin reports
The human population will top seven billion this year—more than double what it was just 50 years ago, experts say.
And these next 39 years are expected to bring about some big shifts among the biggest countries...
By emitting multiple sonar frequencies, big brown bats are able to distinguish the insects they eat from background clutter
Accelerometer-equipped colugos showed that gliding is much faster than other ways through the treetops, but it costs more energy than strolling. Christopher Intagliata reports
Addiction starts with genetics and the environment, but is triggered by stress
Using optical and genetic techniques, neuroscientists have identified an "on/off" switch for aggression in the brain
Lion attacks in Tanzania rise after the full moon, possibly because a waxing moon makes hunting difficult for the lions. Christopher Intagliata reports
Editor's Note: William Gilly, a professor of biology at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, embarked on new expedition this month to study jumbo squid in the Gulf of California on the National Science Foundation–funded research vessel New Horizon ...
Fundamental understanding of basic biology has set the stage for new treatments for cystic fibrosis
Editor's Note: MSU China Paleontology Expedition is a project led by Frankie D. Jackson and David J. Varricchio, professors in the Department of Earth Sciences, Dinosaur Paleontology at Montana State University and Jin Xingsheng, paleontologist and Vice Director of the Zhejiang Natural History Museum in Hangzhou, China...
Help researchers study the broadnose sevengill shark in the San Diego area
Senior citizens may have been the secret of our species's success
