Right Now
Why Heat Waves Make You Miserable
Scientists are studying how much heat and humidity the human body can take.
The ancient Mesopotamian settlement of Tell Brak
Evidence of ancient urbanism at the Mesopotamian settlement of Tell Brak....
by Paul Gleason
Born Digital
Forty years ago they were “Born Free,” 20 years ago they were “Born in the U.S.A.,” but today kids are born digital, and...
by Paul Gleason
Life's Speed Limit
Mutation is the engine of evolution: organisms would not be able to evolve new characteristics if their DNA did not randomly acquire small...
When Minnie Turns Mickey
If males are from Mars and females from Venus, as self-help author John Gray memorably suggested, sex hormones usually get the blame for placing...
"Tyrant Fever's" Trigger
When an infection assails the body, the response is predictable. Fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, that achy feeling—we never get just one...
Repressed Memory
Are some experiences so horrific that the human brain seals them away, only to recall them years later? The concept of “repressed...
Tinker, Tailor, Robot, Fly
Small, winged insects have a reputation for accidentally buzzing into closed windows or swooping into your eye during a bike ride. But the...
When Farmers Met Foragers
A question mark has long hovered over human transitions from hunting and gathering to farming: did agriculture spread by communication—in...
Litmus Test for a Law
Until the mid 1980s, victims of domestic abuse who called the police could expect the officers to do little more than tell the abusive spouse to...
Taking Stock of Celebrity
For Anita Elberse, whose latest research investigates the impact of big-name stars on films’ revenues, pop culture and rigorous analysis...