Science

Map: Do you live in an area where Zika could strike?

By Nsikan Akpan

In three maps, U.S. and UK scientists chart the most suitable areas for Zika virus outbreaks.

Why genetic counseling is more popular than ever

By Todd Bookman, WHYY

The sheer number of genetic tests has exploded in the past decade or so. There are now thousands of different testable genetic disorders.

Reliving the earthquake that changed earthquake science

By Julia Griffin

In the early hours of April 18, 1906, a magnitude 7.7 to 7.9 earthquake shook San Francisco awake. Buildings crumbled, water mains ruptured and fires broke out across the city. Those fires fueled a massive inferno would raged through San…

Your genes may schedule when you lose your virginity

By Andrew Joseph, STAT

Scientists have isolated regions of the genome that appear to play a role in influencing when people first have intercourse.

Getting at the truth behind lying in politics

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

For more than two decades, researchers of different stripes have examined humanity's less-than-truthful underbelly. This is what they have found: We all stretch the truth, and politicians distort the truth more often, use more self-justifications and deceive in larger ways,…

Hundreds killed in Ecuador’s strongest earthquake in decades

By Michael D. Regan

The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in nearly 40 years killed at least 235 people on Saturday.

Dozens dead in Japan after 7.3-magnitude quake

By Michael D. Regan

The second deadly earthquake to strike southern Japan this week killed dozens of people in the early morning hours Saturday as emergency workers flocked to scenes of destruction across the Kumamoto Prefecture.

Western scientists dissect a North Korea volcano cutoff by diplomatic sanctions

By Nsikan Akpan

One of the first collaborations by North Korean and Western scientists peers into the underbelly of a mammoth volcano.

Reclassifying pot could usher in a new era in medical marijuana research

By David Noonan, Scientific American

As the government considers reclassifying cannabis, researchers say easing the rules could lead to big advances.

Sexual transmission of Zika seen between gay men for first time

By Helen Branswell, STAT

Men can contract Zika through unprotected sex with other men who are infected with the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, a finding that adds to experts’ understanding of how Zika can be transmitted.