Environment
How to Power the World without Fossil Fuels
Mark Jacobson says he can run the planet solely on wind, water and solar energy. First stop: New York State
Features1827 articles archived since 1845
Health
Friction over Function: Scientists Clash on the Meaning of ENCODE’s Genetic Data
ENCODE, the $185-million successor to the Human Genome Project, promises to reveal new details about our DNA. But controversy persists as geneticists remain at odds over one little f-word—"function"...
Neuroscience
The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens
E-readers and tablets are becoming more popular as such technologies improve, but research suggests that reading on paper still boasts unique advantages
Technology
Home Is Where the Health Is: Obamacare Positions “Telehealth” Tech as a Remedy for Chronic Hospital Readmissions
Mobile devices, microchipped meds and digital health records are among the tools available to keep patients and clinicians connected during convalescence
Mind & Brain
Rewiring a Damaged Spinal Cord [Video]
New treatments leverage “neuroplasticity,” the nervous system’s innate ability to repair itself
Biology
It’s Electric: Biologists Seek to Crack Cell’s Bioelectric Code
Researchers have found that cells’ bioelectrical communication steers growth and development. It is hoped that if the code can be learned, manipulating cellular signaling could be used to stave off cancer or even regenerate limbs...
The Sciences
The Existence of Nothing: A Debate [Live Stream]
Watch six distinguished thinkers grapple with nothingness in the 2013 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate, March 20, 7:30 - 9:30 P.M. EDT
Mind & Brain
How to Create an Optimal Workout Playlist
Insights from the latest research on the interplay of exercise and music
Mind & Brain
Let's Get Physical: The Psychology of Effective Workout Music
New research clarifies why music and exercise make such a good team, and how to create an optimal workout playlist
The Sciences
Dr. David Livingstone, a Bicentenary
Scientist, explorer, missionary, humanitarian, 19 March 1813–1 May 1873
Technology
Will Cloning Ever Save Endangered Animals?
Right now, cloning is not a viable conservation strategy. But some researchers remain optimistic that it will help threatened species in the future
The Sciences
The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution [Excerpt]
Before the 13th century Europeans used Roman numerals to do arithmetic. Leonardo of Pisa, better known today as Fibonacci, is largely responsible for the adoption of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system in Europe, which revolutionized not only mathematics but commerce and trade as well...
Environment
It’s Time to Rethink America’s Corn System
Only a tiny fraction of corn grown in the U.S. directly feeds the nation’s people, and much of that is from high-fructose corn syrup
Mind & Brain
Step Inside the Real World of Compulsive Hoarders
Recent research has changed the way clinicians treat hoarding as well as refuted popular assumptions about people with excessive clutter
Technology
How Manhattan Got Its Street Grid [Excerpt]
To accommodate a fast-growing New York City, John Randel, Jr., began to lay out the city’s streets in 1808—an impressive endeavor that holds lessons for today’s information infrastructure...
