Science & Society

  1. Health & Medicine

    U.S. to outlaw antibacterial soaps

    Soaps with germ-killing compounds promise cleaner hands. But manufacturers couldn’t show they offer any safety advantage. Now the U.S. government is banning them.

    By and
  2. Science & Society

    Cool Jobs: Keeping TV science honest

    The science you see on TV dramas can look very real. Here are some of the people working hard to make actors seem like STEM professionals.

    By
  3. Science & Society

    What does a scientist look like? You!

    We’re writing a feature on women in science, technology, engineering and math. Are you one? Share your story with us!

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    Blame your ‘environment’ for your taste in music

    Some scientists had thought we are born with our musical tastes. But a new study finds that what the ear prefers depends on what we listened to as we were growing up.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    Even some Olympic athletes cheat with drugs

    Some athletes have been using banned drugs or other methods to boost their performance. But scientists are working on new ways to catch them.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    End of Latin America’s Zika epidemic is in sight

    A computer simulation suggests the Zika epidemic in Latin America is peaking and may not strike hard again for up to three decades.

    By
  7. Genetics

    GM mosquitoes cut rate of viral disease in Brazil

    Adults males carrying the altered gene cannot father young that survive to adulthood. That’s when they suck blood — and can transmit disease.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    Don’t use dinner-table spoons for liquid medicines!

    Kids are safer when parents use precise tools to measure liquid medicines. Switching from teaspoons to metric tools could help, a new study finds.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    U.S. mosquitoes now spreading Zika virus

    Scientists had worried that if people sick with Zika came to America, local mosquitoes might bite them and spread the disease. That’s now happened.

    By
  10. Tech

    Moral dilemma could limit appeal of driverless cars

    Driverless cars will have to be programmed to decide who to save in emergencies — passengers or pedestrians. Many people aren’t yet sure they are ready to choose cars that make the most moral decision.

    By
  11. Science & Society

    Strict gun laws ended mass shootings in Australia

    Australia enacted tough gun laws in 1996, which cut gun exposure — especially to semiautomatic weapons. Since then, new data show, that nation has experienced zero mass shootings.

    By
  12. Humans

    Cave holds earliest signs of fire-making in Europe

    Ancient burned bone and heated stones in a Spanish cave are the oldest evidence of ancient fire-making in Europe.

    By