Category Archives: STEM News
Updates on Puerto Rico and Whakaari/White Island, Plus Taal Volcano Erupts
The year 2019 ended with a tragic bang, and 2020 is already a busy one for geologic disasters. Here’s the latest
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Some Scientists Are Skeptical Dark Energy Even Exists — But Others Push Back
Some scientists have been poking at the foundations of dark energy, but many say the concept remains on solid, if mysterious, ground. Continue reading
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A New Blood Test Helps Predict the Onset of Menopause
The new test, based on a hormone, is more accurate than previous methods of predicting when periods will stop. Continue reading
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Curiosity Killed the … Mouse?
The cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii boosts curiosity in mice—which makes them more likely to be caught by cats, thus continuing the parasite’s life cycle. Karen Hopkin reports.
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Some Scientists Skeptical about Snakes Spreading New Virus in China
A genetic analysis suggests a reptilian reservoir, but researchers doubt the coronavirus could have originated in animals other than birds or mammals
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Mathematicians Say They’ve Figured Out How to Brew a Better Espresso Shot
The sacred belief that finely ground espresso beans are supreme doesn’t hold up to scientific testing. Continue reading
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Snakes Could Be the Original Source of the New Coronavirus Outbreak in China
A study of the virus’s genetic sequence suggests similarities to that seen in snakes, but the origin must still be verified
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Snakes Could Be the Source of the Coronavirus Outbreak in China
Snakes – the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra – may be involved in the newly discovered coronavirus that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China this winter. Continue reading
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A Skin Cream Could Protect Against Diseases Like Zika and Dengue
Researchers say a skin cream for warts and skin cancer could also prevent infection from certain viruses. Continue reading
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NASA Wants Your Help Naming Its Mars 2020 Rover
School-age children from across the nation submitted essays proposing names for the upcoming rover mission. Continue reading
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Past Racist “Redlining” Practices Increased Climate Burden on Minority Neighborhoods
Such areas face a disproportionate risk of heat-related impacts and exposure to air pollution
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Latest Crew Dragon Test Moves SpaceX Closer to a Crewed Flight
A successful test of the abort system means the spaceflight company is on the verge of sending humans into space. Continue reading
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Old Drug, New Tricks: Existing Medicines Show Promise in Fighting Cancer
Dozens of compounds approved for other purposes can kill cancer cells selectively
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
Do you really need eight hours of sleep each night to thrive? Savvy Psychologist Dr. Jade Wu breaks down the eight-hour sleep myth and offers three ways to find the best sleep for you
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Paleontologists Dig Into a Giant Sloth Boneyard
Ancient drought and unfortunate bathroom habits may have doomed some ice age sloths
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Do Artificial Sweeteners Actually Help With Weight Loss?
Sweet like sugar, but without the calories — a promise that might be too good to be true. Continue reading
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There’s Not Enough Data on How Women Deal With Endometriosis. These Scientists are Changing That
Phendo is an app that, with the help of citizen scientists, seeks to catalog endometriosis symptoms and increase understanding and visibility of this “invisible” disease. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
There’s Not Enough Data on How Women Deal With Endometriosis. These Scientists are Changing That
Phendo is an app that, with the help of citizen scientists, seeks to catalog endometriosis symptoms and increase understanding and visibility of this “invisible” disease. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Astronomers Find Four Strange New Objects in the Center of the Milky Way
The dust-shrouded objects may be binary stars merging as they orbit the supermassive black hole in our galaxy’s core. Continue reading
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My Long and Arduous Journey Across the Frontiers of Fertility Technology
Elizabeth Katkin tried for years to conceive a child. With the help of futuristic fertility tech, she finally succeeded. Continue reading
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Kill Switch for CRISPR Could Make Gene Editing Safer
Anti-CRISPR proteins could bolster biosecurity and improve medical treatments
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Can Gut Bacteria Pass Diseases Like Alzheimer’s and Diabetes Among People? A Theory Says It Might Be Possible
If microbes influence our health, and if we share bacteria with the people around us, then we might be influencing whether or not they get Type II diabetes, heart disease or other conditions. Continue reading
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With Help from Pigeon Feathers, This Robot Takes to the Sky
The PigeonBot could help improve wing design, and may advance understanding of avian evolution. Continue reading
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Researchers Find New High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sources in the Galaxy
The finding may help physicists better understand where cosmic rays — energetic particles that permeate the universe — come from. Continue reading
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2019 Enters the Record Books as Second Warmest Year
Everywhere scientists look, from the surface of the land to deep in the oceans, the long-term trend of global warming is unequivocal — as is the cause: us. Continue reading
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Antarctic Is Ripe for Invasive Species
Mussels and crabs are two of the creatures most likely to invade Antarctica in the next 10 years, a panel of scientists say. Christopher Intagliata reports.
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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A Second Planet Was Found by Closest Star to the Sun
Located just 4.2 light-years away, the star Proxima Centauri now has both an Earth-like world in its habitable zone and a more distant super-Earth. Continue reading
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Your Fat Cells Never Disappear — Making Future Weight Gain More Likely
Like it or not, our fat cells are with us for life — even if we lose weight. Continue reading
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Will Taal Volcano Explosively Erupt? Here’s What Scientists Are Watching
The seismic rumblings of the Philippines’ second most active volcano hold clues to what it might do
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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