Apr 26 Which are smarter, cats or dogs? We asked a scientist By Rashmi Shivni Are cats smarter? Or are dogs? When scientists counted the brain cells in these animals, there was a clear winner. But the latest research on animal intelligence challenges all of the old-school notions of what it means to be smart. Continue reading
Apr 11 Watch 6:09 The science of using your expectations to relieve pain By Nsikan Akpan Traditional healing is used around the world, from acupuncture to laying of hands to yoga. How do these alternative remedies work to heal the body and the brain? As part of our series ScienceScope and in cooperation with the Pulitzer… Continue watching
Apr 11 The placebo effect’s role in healing, explained By Erik Vance The placebo effect influences all types of healing, from yoga to laying of hands to your doctor's office. We journeyed from Mexico to Maryland to learn how it works. Continue reading
Apr 05 Watch 4:32 How a self-taught fossil hunter made his biggest discovery By Pamela Kirkland In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, this self-taught paleontologist has been looking for dinosaurs in creek beds and rivers for more than 30 years, and has become something of a legend in the field. Then, outside a NASA… Continue watching
Mar 22 Great Pacific Garbage Patch weighs more than 43,000 cars and is much larger than we thought By Nsikan Akpan The Great Pacific Garbage Patch weighs 87,000 tons -- 16 times more than previous estimates -- and contains more than 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, according to a new analysis. Continue reading
Mar 15 Our ancestors in East Africa were making sophisticated tools far earlier than we thought By Teresa Carey Three new studies rewrite the timeline on early human innovation and long-distance trade. Continue reading
Mar 14 Watch 9:37 Probing the universe’s mysteries, Stephen Hawking proved the power of the human spirit By Miles O'Brien Stephen Hawking overcame the loss of his working limbs and voice to become the best-known theoretical physicist of his era, upending the scientific consensus that nothing escapes the intense gravity of black holes. Earning countless honors, he used his fame… Continue watching
Mar 14 Tired of extremely cold nor’easters? Arctic warming could be to blame By Nsikan Akpan A new study shows a strong relationship between Arctic warming and the most extreme winter weather in the eastern United States, dating back to 1990. Continue reading
Mar 09 Watch 2:59 When an adventurous skater bends thin ice, this frozen lake sings By PBS News Hour In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, Swedish photographer Henrik Trygg captured the eerie, beautiful sounds of bending ice when he filmed his friend Mårten Ajne skating on a freshly frozen lake. Continue watching
Mar 09 The magic (and math) of skating on thin ice without falling in By Julia Griffin When skating on less than two inches of frozen water, plan ahead, be prepared and make sure it is the right kind of ice. Continue reading