Science
The Secret World of Pointing
This familiar gesture has a surprisingly vast array of meanings and uses.
Watch This New Device Build Things Using Levitation—It Looks Like Magic
LeviPrint, a robot arm that uses acoustic waves to suspend objects and build structures, must be seen to be believed.
The Boom-Bust Cycle of Baby Names and Dog Breeds
People choose names and dogs depending on how common they are. Other cultural ideas spread or sputter out in similar ways, research suggests.
Do Animals Dream?
What nonhuman animals experience while sleeping can be called dreaming, philosopher David Peña-Guzmán writes in a new book. This impacts how we should think about their interior lives.
Dolphins Recognize Friends by Tasting Their Piss, Scientists Find in Wild Experiment
Scientists put pee “in a little cup at the end of a very long pole” to see if they “sampled” their friends’ pee longer than strangers’ pee.
Scientists Probe the Odds of Aliens in Double Star Systems
Binary star systems may help to “pinpoint places which would be especially interesting to probe for the existence of life,” said the lead author of a new study.
Researchers Find Tooth in Cave That May Belong to Extinct Human Group
Denisovan fossils are incredibly rare, with researchers still trying to piece together what this ancient extinct human looked like and how it lived.
Scientists Discover Nearly 1 Billion-Year-Old Organisms, Possibly Alive
The microorganisms are 830 million years old, and may still be kicking. The find has implications for the search for life on Mars, researchers say.
Inside the Dispute Over a High-Profile Psychedelic Study
A recent paper offered a theory on how psilocybin works to treat depression. Before long, there were memes and accusations of unprofessionalism.
Cats Actually Know Each Other's Names, Study Suggests
Cats were confused by humans calling their feline friends names that didn’t match, in a study of 48 kitties out of Japan.
Scientists Create Algae-Powered AA Battery That Powers a Microprocessor
Scientists hope tiny fuel cells that use algae, light, and water to create energy could one day charge our phones, among other uses.
Neoliberalism Has Poisoned Our Minds, Study Finds
“Institutions can promote well-being and solidarity, or they can encourage competition, individualism, and hierarchy.”