Maverick individuals who make a huge difference through their spot-on hunches are becoming an increasingly rare breed in this age of big research, with fundamental physics generally investigated in sprawling institutions such as CERN and LIGO. As a result, those who have done so in the past have taken on a mythic nature. Because of…
As social beings, we tend to focus on autism’s social issues, such as difficulty speaking, establishing friends, and displaying empathy. I am a geneticist and the mother of an autistic adolescent. I’m concerned, too, about whether he’ll be able to carry on a conversation and go grocery shopping, as well as whether he’ll ever have…
I had an acquaintance in my early twenties who was clever, charming, Ivy-educated, and wealthy, the heir to a family fortune. I’m going to call him Gallagher. He was free to do anything he pleased. He dabbled in subjects such as neurology, law, philosophy, and others. But he was so critical and picky that he…
With recent studies arguing for immaculate observing conditions tucked in the uplands, Chinese astronomers seek to create a massive observatory program on the world’s roof, the Tibetan Plateau. The research focuses on a study site near Lenghu Town in Qinghai Province, which is located 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) west of Beijing at an altitude of…
The #ScienceUpFirst campaign was designed to help individuals make educated health decisions by providing, supporting, and amplifying correct scientific information. Over four million people have died as a result of COVID worldwide, with over 34 million cases and over 610,000 deaths in the United States alone. Worse, the pandemic does not appear to be nearing…
New technology is sometimes created by pushing the boundaries of what science can do. Sometimes, however, it takes the form of something very ancient. One group of scientists combined the two approaches in their search for improved ways to peek inside living cells. They genetically altered something very old—gas-propelled bacteria, one of the earliest mobile…
The argument over the ethics of the famous material’s iconic material is one of the only things that seem to be more ageless than a leather jacket. Leather, like actual animal fur and feathers, is hotly disputed in the fashion business. It is primarily manufactured from the skins of bulls and calves. Veganism and the…
As scientists and engineers, we consider ourselves fortunate to work in fields that advance knowledge and understanding. Participating in research and discovery, as well as mentoring young scientists, has enormous benefits. Science is a unique and vital institution in and of itself. It thrives after centuries of human ingenuity and effort and continues to make…
In normal times, there would be no doubt that a medication having opioid-like effects should be shown safe and effective before being extensively promoted and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But these aren’t ordinary times, and kratom, a herbal supplement, isn’t a regular medication. In reality, whether or not to prohibit kratom…
What would you do with 1,000 butts if you had them? Ramisyllis multicaudata, a sea worm, is one of only two known creatures to find itself in this precarious predicament (shopping for trousers must be a nightmare)—and it isn’t telling. Given that a worm doesn’t “just happen” to have that many booties, there must be…