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<p>Abracadabra! How magic can help us understand animal minds</p>
Living World

Abracadabra! How magic can help us understand animal minds

By Betsy Mason

By performing tricks for birds, monkeys and other creatures, researchers hope to learn how they perceive and think about their world

<p>A lifetime of love for the charismatic narwhal</p>
Living World

A lifetime of love for the charismatic narwhal

By Nicola Jones

An independent scientist working with the Inuit has unraveled many mysteries of the one-tusked ‘unicorn of the sea’

<p>Invasive species are transforming the Everglades</p>
Food & Environment

Invasive species are transforming the Everglades

By Katarina Zimmer

From Burmese pythons and Asian swamp eels to Old World climbing ferns, South Florida hosts hordes of non-native animals and plants. What can be done about the ecological havoc they are wreaking?

<p>To pee or not to pee? That is a question for the bladder — and the brain</p>
Health & Disease

To pee or not to pee? That is a question for the bladder — and the brain

By Emily Underwood

How do we sense the need to urinate? The basic urge is surprisingly complex and can go awry as we age.

<p>Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns</p>
Living World

Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns

By Amber Dance

More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model — and adding new twists — to gain a deeper understanding of animal markings.

Food & Environment

The hornet has landed: Scientists combat new honeybee killer in US

An invasive yellow-legged wasp has been decimating beehives in Europe — and bedeviling Georgia since last summer. Researchers are working nest by nest to limit the threat while developing better eradication methods.

By Hannah Hoag
The Mind

Time for half-year resolutions?

If your good intentions from a few months ago haven’t led to much, take note. A psychologist tells us what we can learn from studies on willpower.

By Tim Vernimmen
<p>Fit for a dog? The latest science on CBD for pets</p>
Health & Disease

Fit for a dog? The latest science on CBD for pets

By Ula Chrobak

Though studies are still mixed, and products often inconsistent, many scientists have hope that cannabidiol can help canines and other furry patients suffering from arthritis, allergies and anxiety

<p>In defense of wild meat’s place at the table</p>
Food & Environment

In defense of wild meat’s place at the table

By Tim Vernimmen

Sustainable and safe consumption of wildlife is possible, and important for those who depend on it, says a conservation researcher

<p>The wasps that tamed viruses</p>
Living World

The wasps that tamed viruses

By Nala Rogers

To protect and rear their young, some insects have transformed wild viruses into tiny biological weapons

<p>From toxic fungus to soy sauce superstar</p>
Food & Environment

From toxic fungus to soy sauce superstar

By Rachel Ehrenberg

Today the koji mold is a master fermenter, but it has a checkered past

<p>The tender art of tadpole parenting</p>
Living World

The tender art of tadpole parenting

By Tim Vernimmen

From poison frogs to worm-like caecilians, some amphibians are hardworking and surprisingly creative caregivers

Multimedia

<p>When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?</p>
Society

When are parents responsible for their kids’ behavior?

By Elise Hansen

A researcher weighs in on who’s accountable, when and why, in the eyes of the law — and whether the measures work as intended

<p>They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders</p>
Living World

They swim and they spin: Meet the aquatic spiders

By Amber Dance

Some make nests inside seashells, others tote bubbles of air on their backs. The spiders that went back to water evolved lots of slick survival strategies.

<p>How next-gen data analytics is changing American football</p>
Technology

How next-gen data analytics is changing American football

By Dana Mackenzie

At the NFL’s Big Data Bowl, scientists compete to develop new stats that better capture player performance

<p>Should you take vitamin D? Here’s the science</p>
Health & Disease

Should you take vitamin D? Here’s the science

By Katarina Zimmer

Some people take too much, and too many get too little. Experts explain who needs D supplements, and why.

<p>What’s next in the Ozempic era?</p>
Health & Disease

What’s next in the Ozempic era?

By Matías A. Loewy

Diabetes, weight loss and now heart health: A new family of drugs is changing the way scientists are thinking about obesity — and more uses are on the horizon

Technology

Geothermal power heats up

Long confined to regions with volcanic activity, geothermal promises to become a much more versatile energy source thanks to new technologies

By Katarina Zimmer
Society

Why do some people always get lost?

Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction

By Bob Holmes
<p>Why are there so many beetle species?</p>
Living World

Why are there so many beetle species?

By Lesley Evans Ogden

Diet played a key role in the evolution of the vast beetle family tree

<p>How to control chronic wasting disease</p>
Living World

How to control chronic wasting disease

By James Gaines

A prion sickness similar to mad cow is spreading rapidly through North America’s deer and elk populations. A veterinary microbiologist discusses the options for keeping it in check.

<p>Inching toward a global treaty on plastic pollution</p>
Food & Environment

Inching toward a global treaty on plastic pollution

By Nicola Jones

Delegates from 175 nations are working on an international agreement that would tackle the vast amounts of plastic waste in the environment. A marine scientist specializing in plastic pollution discusses the problem and her hopes for the proceedings.

<p>Why isn’t dental health considered primary medical care?</p>
Health & Disease

Why isn’t dental health considered primary medical care?

By Lola Butcher

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed.

<p>Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world</p>
Food & Environment

Nuclear’s role in a net-zero world

By Nicola Jones

Is nuclear power a necessary part of the energy transition away from fossil fuels? As the debate rages on, new technologies and smaller reactors may be shifting the balance.

Society

Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?

The push to legalize magic mushrooms, MDMA, LSD and other hallucinogens is likely to heighten tensions between state and federal law, drug law expert Robert Mikos says

By Ben Seal
Food & Environment

How to overcome political polarization on climate change

Conversations — in real life — can help bridge the partisan divide, but the trick is to have some structure to the discussion, says a human ecologist

By Ula Chrobak

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