Science

How smallpox devastated the Aztecs – and helped Spain conquer an American civilization 500 years ago

By Richard Gunderman, The Conversation

Epidemics are nothing new, and some widespread infectious diseases have profoundly changed the course of human history.

Can too much salt lead to bad skin?

By Nsikan Akpan

A new German study suggests eczema, one of the most common skin diseases, may be so prevalent because of too much table salt in our diets.

Is this the footprint of one of the last Neandertals?

By Kate Wong, Scientific American

The fossilized print, found in Gibraltar, is said to date to 28,000 years ago, which might mean it belonged to a Neandertal. But not everyone agrees with that interpretation.

Why that one song will always remind you of your ex

By Nsikan Akpan

This Valentine’s Day, three neuroscientists explain why music-evoked memories are so potent -- and whether we can let them go.

After a 15-year odyssey, NASA loses its trailblazing Opportunity

By Rebecca Boyle, Scientific American

Mired in dust on the afternoon of June 10, 2018, NASA’s Opportunity rover received a final command from Earth. The reply was grim.

Opinion: Every student can be an inventor

By Doug Scott

On National Inventors Day, learn how one Massachusetts educator is teaching his students about the power of invention.

How cutting-edge engineering borrows nature's innovations

By Miles O'Brien

In the never-ending hunt for new designs that jump, pump, or run faster and better, scientists are finding inspiration in nature. The field of biomimicry blurs boundaries between living things -- like the butterfly’s proboscis or the flea's powerful legs…

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