Science

Lessons From the Dress

Vision is fundamentally ambiguous—but usually not this ambiguous.

Feb. 20 2015 11:42 AMCan Animals Be Altruistic?How the flying V may be a rare example of “reciprocal altruism." Paca Thomas

Feb. 18 2015 2:31 PMAre Corporations Putting Feathers in Your Food?The Food Babe’s disgusting claims are baloney.Michelle M. Francl

Feb. 12 2015 11:51 PMA Loving TouchNeurobiology recommends warm skin and moderate pressure, moving at 1 inch per second.David J. Linden

Feb. 10 2015 11:00 AMClimate Hacking Is Barking MadYou can’t fix the Earth with these geoengineering proposals, but you can sure make it worse.Raymond T. Pierrehumbert

Feb. 9 2015 11:16 AMAre Your Medications Safe?The FDA buries evidence of fraud in medical trials. My students and I dug it up.Charles Seife

Feb. 3 2015 11:47 PMPlush LifeWhy did people lose their minds over Beanie Babies?Mark Joseph Stern

Jan. 30 2015 11:52 AMThe GynandromorphsA phenomenon observed in insects, crustaceans, and birds results in animals that are both female and male.Paca Thomas

Jan. 22 2015 8:15 AMThe Science of MmmHow food and drink tickle the brain’s pleasure centers.John McQuaid

Jan. 20 2015 1:14 PMHow Do Bowhead Whales Live Longer Than 200 Years?Researchers just mapped their genome for the first time to find out.Paca Thomas

Jan. 13 2015 12:11 PMThe Truth About “Mysterious” Mass Bird DeathsWhy they will continue to happen.Rachel Stewart

Jan. 4 2015 7:36 PMJust Hit the Damn DeerExpert advice about how to drive safely among North America’s most dangerous animals.Al Cambronne

Dec. 24 2014 11:56 AMWhat Makes Children Stop Believing in Santa Claus?Parents say one thing. Physics says another.Jason G. Goldman

Dec. 16 2014 6:18 PMMerry and BrightChristmas decorations are visible from space.Laura Helmuth

Dec. 15 2014 1:38 PMOut ColdWhat really happens to your body temperature when you drink.Paca Thomas

Dec. 11 2014 2:44 PMTaser of the WildElectric eels shock prey just like Tasers stun human victims.Rachel Stewart

Feb. 19 2015 2:55 PMWhat Gives Popcorn Its Pop?Slow-motion video shows why kernels leap and emit their distinctive sound.Chris Wade

Feb. 16 2015 9:02 PMStep Outside YourselfMeditation says to focus on the present. But life may be more meaningful if you don’t.Adam Waytz, Hal Hershfield, and Diana Tamir

Feb. 10 2015 11:58 AMHow Not to Be the Next Brian WilliamsTen ways to avoid false memories.Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons

Feb. 10 2015 7:30 AMThe Strangest Sunrise in AmericaWhat caused this beautiful scene in northern New Mexico?Paca Thomas

Feb. 5 2015 11:07 AMThe Zombie Science of Bad DancingAn undead news item takes another turn around the floor.Daniel Engber

Feb. 3 2015 7:30 AMSlate Voice: “James Watson Throws a Fit”Listen to Laura Helmuth read her piece about the tarnished legacy of a Nobel laureate.Laura Helmuth

Jan. 30 2015 9:45 AMSoft Football, Hard ScienceA rumble over physics and statistics has turned this year’s pregame hype into a classic test of mental toughness.Daniel Engber

Jan. 21 2015 9:29 AMSecret SauceUmami is what makes savory foods so delicious.John McQuaid

Jan. 20 2015 12:46 PMWhy Do We Like Bitter Foods?There are receptors for bitter compounds all over your body.John McQuaid

Jan. 6 2015 7:58 AMEnglish Is the Language of ScienceThat’s lousy luck for scientists in most of the world.Boer Deng

Jan. 2 2015 11:05 AMSurprise!The most important skill in science or self-improvement is noticing the unexpected.Julia Galef

Dec. 22 2014 1:31 PMIt’s a BirdCinereous mourner chicks seem to mimic toxic caterpillars both in appearance and behavior.Rachel Stewart

Dec. 16 2014 8:00 AMA Toast to the Safe Drinking Water ActIts radical idea—tap water should be safe to drink—has been a huge, underappreciated success.James Salzman

Dec. 11 2014 11:44 PMRed States Are Getting a New Shade of RedderThe people who deny climate change are most likely to suffer from it.Joshua Zaffos

Dec. 8 2014 11:21 AMThe Strange Rise of Carnivorous PlantsTracing the first fossil of an insect-killing plant.Paca Thomas