God is my co-investigator
Religious fasts offer opportunities for reflection, penitence and good data about human dietary needs. Unlike laboratory rats, humans can’t be…
Author: Stephen Ornes
Scientists find the secret to colossal bubbles
Justin Burton’s fascination with soap bubbles began in Barcelona, Spain, six summers ago. “It was hot and humid, and there…
Blockchain beyond Bitcoin
In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced the world to Bitcoin, a volatile digital currency that’s untethered to any specific institution or…
This robot’s parts are helpless alone, but turn smart as they team up
When you imagine a robot, you might picture R2-D2 in Star Wars, the Omnidroid from The Incredibles or the big-armed machines that build cars…
For these artists, math is their muse
Every year, the Joint Mathematics Meeting brings more than 5,000 math lovers together. It’s the largest math meeting in the…
Settling the Score
The debate over one of the most contested exams in medical education comes to a head. The next few months…
Life at the bottom
What does Absolute Zero mean? Temperature tends to be relative — the air is below freezing, her fever is above normal. But scientists probe…
The Energy Scavengers
By harvesting the everyday energy of static electricity, scientists may have found the world's most plentiful source of renewable, sustainable…
What is attribution science?
Climate and weather are related — but not the same. Climate describes patterns of weather in an area over long stretches of…
Space weather forecast: Big storms ahead
The sun hurls giant plasma cannonballs at the Earth. What’s the worst that can happen? In the darkest hours of…