For The Better

Brain development does not occur uniformly across the brain, but follows a newly identified developmental sequence, according to a new study. Brain regions that support cognitive, social, and emotional functions appear to remain malleable — or capable…

Borrowing a page from what we know about animal behavior, archaeologists say that we should reassess our understanding of the process of plant domestication.

Brain scans taken during table tennis reveal differences in how we respond to human versus machine opponents.

A new drug, a monoclonal antibody known as enoblituzumab, is safe in men with aggressive prostate cancer and may induce clinical activity against cancer throughout the body, according to a phase 2 study. If confirmed in additional studies, enoblituzuma…

Most kids know it’s wrong to yell or hit someone, but what if that someone is a robot named Alexa? A new study asked kids how smart and sensitive they thought the virtual assistant was compared to a robotic vacuum. Four- to eleven-year-olds rated Alexa…

An interdisciplinary team of researchers is advocating for convergent research that integrates the fields of biogeography and behavioral ecology to more rapidly respond to challenges associated with climate change and biodiversity loss.

Astronomers have mapped the ‘disk winds’ associated with the accretion disk around Hercules X-1, a system in which a neutron star is drawing material away from a sun-like star. The findings may offer clues to how supermassive black holes shape entire g…

A new study shows that if U.S. nuclear power plants are retired, the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas to fill the energy gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths.

Elephants like to eat bananas, but they don’t usually peel them first in the way humans do. A new report however, shows that one very special Asian elephant named Pang Pha picked up banana peeling all on her own while living at the Berlin Zoo. She rese…

New instruments and plans for a seventh telescope at Georgia State’s CHARA Array will allow scientists to see the stars in greater detail than ever before. The update comes after a group of international scientists gathered in Atlanta to take part in t…

New research identifies genetic cause for hypermobility and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a novel discovery that may also, for the first time, allow medical professionals to diagnose and treat the connective tissue disorders.

A new scientific statement reviews research about racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors among women in the U.S. In addition to traditional risk factors, women of underrepresented races or ethnicities experience challenges in the …

New study shows sea levels along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts have been rapidly accelerating, reaching record-breaking rates over the past 12 years. In the study, researchers detected rates of sea-level rise of about a half an inch per year since…

Nitrogen is such a crucial nutrient for plants that vast quantities of nitrogen-containing fertilizers are spread on farmlands worldwide. However, excess nitrogen in the soil and in drainage run-off into lakes and rivers causes serious ecological imbal…

For more than 100 million Americans who are obese, bariatric surgery may reverse complications related to diabetes, including regenerating damaged nerves, a new study shows. Researchers say the findings suggest that bariatric surgery likely enables the…

Scientists recently discovered that Luna moths use their long tails as decoys to throw bats off their trail. But their tails also make Luna moths might also make them stand out to potential mates and make them more conspicuous to lurking predators. A p…

Engineers have invented a fabric that concludes the 80-year quest to make a synthetic textile modeled on polar bear fur. The results are already being developed into commercially available products.

As teacher shortages continue to worsen across the United States, a new study gives insight into why so many stressed and burnt-out teachers are leaving the profession. The study found teachers who struggle to cope with the stress of their job report f…

Most conservation efforts are reactive. Typically, a species must reach threatened status before action is taken to prevent extinction, such as establishing protected areas. A new study shows that we can use existing conservation data to predict which …

Tobacco plants have been engineered to manufacture an alluring perfume of insect sex pheromones, which could be used to confuse would-be pests looking for love and reduce the need for harmful pesticides.