Scientists are taking a second look at the effect of cooperation on evolution.
Science & Nature
Treating the Insects of the Mind
In STAT, Eric Boodman examines delusional parasitosis, a psychiatric condition neither science nor medicine understand much about.
A Nuclear Bomb at Ground Zero, and What Happens Next
At the Atlantic, two researchers discuss their study of how humans might respond after a nuclear attack on Manhattan.
Welcome to Mars, Sorry About the Face-Melting!
The Red Planet presents scientists with kinks they’ll need to figure out before you can book a shuttle.
Oh, Give Me a Home Where the Woolly Mammoths Roam
Ross Andersen’s captivating profile of Nikita Zimov and his quest to re-create a Pleistocene ecosystem is worth reading, not least for a fascinating explanation of how grasses went from being slimy ocean plants to covering huge swaths of the planet.
‘When Neanderthals Disappeared From Here, We Became the Sole Inheritors of Our Continent’
In Gibraltar, science writer Gaia Vince discovers that analyzing the genetics of ancient humans means changing ideas about our evolution.
Drug Addicted and Autistic: A More Common Combination Than You Think
The unexpected biological and psychological commonalities of addiction and autism, and some new science that suggests that combination may be more common than you think.
The Race to the Bottom of the Sugar Bowl
Beth Kowitt, in Fortune, explores food manufacturers’ race to find a better sugar stand-in. But if sugar is a known health hazard, why don’t we just put less of it in food?
The Telescope That Sees into the Heart of Hawaii
Trevor Quirk reports on how native Hawaiians protested the construction of a telescope on spiritual grounds — the presence of which cuts to the very question of who gets to decide what happens on Hawaiian soil — and who the soil belongs to.
Learning About Memory from a Woman Who Lost Hers
Lonni Sue Johnson was a successful illustrator, when the herpes simplex virus attacked her brain; she lost almost her entire lifetime of knowledge, along with the ability to form new memories. Michael Lemonick describes how she’s invaluable to neuroscientists working to understand how we make and store memories.
