Science

Analysis: Teens are sleeping less. Why? Smartphones

By Jean Twenge, The Conversation

By 2015, 43 percent of teens reported sleeping less than seven hours a night on most nights – meaning almost half of U.S. teens are significantly sleep-deprived.

Witnessing the collision of two neutron stars is a ‘textbook changer.’ Here’s why

By Miles O'Brien

Astronomers witnessed for the first time ever a rare collision of two dense neutron stars. The discovery began with an instrument called LIGO, which won this year’s Nobel Prize for its discovery of gravitational waves once predicted by Albert Einstein.

Continue watching

This Japanese ‘hidden figure’ enlightened the world with her sunspot sketches

By Rashmi Shivni

Hisako Koyama's lifelong passion for the glimmering sky and her meticulous sunspot drawings shaped the modern field of space weather.

Apollo 11’s capsule went to the moon. Here’s how the Smithsonian prepares it for a shorter trip

By Julia Griffin

The Smithsonian Institution is prepping the 9,000-pound capsule used during Apollo 11 for a two-year road trip.

Neutron star collision offers new source of gravitational waves

By Rashmi Shivni

Astronomers have discovered a collision of neutron stars that released both a stream of gravitational waves and a flash of light, backing one of Einstein's theories.

Can you be hacked by the world around you?

By Jeremy Straub, The Conversation

You’ve probably been told it’s dangerous to open unexpected attachment files in your email – just like you shouldn’t open suspicious packages in your mailbox. But have you been warned against scanning unknown QR codes or just taking a picture…

How to combat racial bias: Start in childhood

By Gail Heyman, The Conversation

Racial bias is associated with dehumanizing social groups different from your own. Psychologists trained kids to differentiate individuals of another race – with lasting effects on their biases.

2017 is on track to be a record-setting year for massive natural disasters in the U.S.

By Laura Santhanam

So far, 2017 has produced 15 major U.S. natural disasters and shows no sign of slowing down. Here's a look at these disasters by the numbers.

These conservatives are making a case for clean energy

By Rashmi Shivni, Teresa Carey

When President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, it was a major blow to the renewable energy industry because of the growing market in America. Now the Trump administration is…

A mother uses a similar tone with babies, no matter the language

By Fedor Kossakovski

Mothers across languages change the timbre of their voice in similar ways when they speak to babies, Princeton University neuroscientists reported today.