SSS 2010-06-14

Its probably happened to you: a friend says, I know this place like the back of my hand, and then proceeds to get you hopelessly lost. Well, it could be that they really did know it like the back of their hand. Because researchers have found that peo

SSS 2010-04-01

Spotted hyenas grunt and growl. But you know what they're famous for. So what's all the laughing about? Well, field researchers have noticed that groups of hyenas tend to giggle around a kill, while they're waiting for their hunk of meat. Now a study

SSS 2010-04-02

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? A direct effect on human health related to climate change is the likely increase in infectious diseases transmitted by insects or through contaminated water. In the Marc

SSS 2010-04-05

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? The National Safety Council estimates that 28 percent of all highway accidents and deaths are caused by drivers paying poor attention to the road because theyre holding

SSS 2010-04-06

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky. Got a minute? Quality truffles can sell for more than a $1000 a pound. Theyre also valuable in environmental research, work thats discussed in an article called The Hidden Life of Tru

SSS 2010-04-07

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This'll just take a minute. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to entering numbers into a calculator or spreadsheet. Its not such a big deal if youre tracking how much

SSS 2010-04-08

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This'll just take a minute. If you want to shell a walnut, it helps to have a nutcracker. And if you want to digest seaweed, it helps to have the right enzymes. Now, a study in the jo

SSS 2010-04-09

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This'll just take a minute. As scientists delve deeper beneath the oceans surface, they find bizarre creatures that have adapted to harsh and extreme environments. Now comes a new o

SSS 2010-04-12

Here in New York, the pending state budget includes one provision thats probably making more news than the rest of the budgets contents combined: a tax on non-diet soda and other high-calorie drinks. If the budget is passed by the legislature, sugary

SSS 2010-04-13

People start stereotyping early. Even toddlers react positively to members of their own race, but often distrust those from different groups. The seeds of racism are planted in most everyone. Everyone, that is, except people with a rare genetic condi

SSS 2010-04-14

One main goal in the renewable energy field is to find an efficient, inexpensive way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen could then be used as a fuel source for vehicles or fuel cells. Typically, an electric current breaks the water

SSS 2010-03-15

The Texas Board of Education has long promoted the teaching of creationism in schools instead of actual science. Its former chairman and current member Don McLeroy uttered this immortal line when confronted with numerous actual scientists urging that

SSS 2010-08-12

Ahhh, sleep. Theres nothing better than a nice, long, uninterrupted [LOUD NOISE]. Awwgh. I cant sleep when theres [NOISE]. But dya ever notice: noise [NOISE] doesnt wake everyone. Now scientists have a better idea why. Because sound sleepers show a c

SSS 2010-08-16

This is Scentific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky, got a minute? At Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California, a plant called Tidestroms lupine is holding on for dear life. Its survival has been threatened by the appear

SSS 2010-08-17

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. Most of us know we should rein in our energy use. But to be successful, it'd help if we knew the best way to do it. So scientists asked more than 500 peo

SSS 2010-08-18

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Shakespeare noted that a worm may eat a king, after that king is dead. Sadly, parasitic worms infect people who are still alive, especially kids. Publi

SSS 2010-08-19

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Karen Hopkin. This will just take a minute. When you think of someone who's trusting, you may assume that theyre gullible. But that's not necessarily truea fact that your Pollyanna pal might be in

SSS 2010-09-01

Theres been an unexpected development in our understanding of drug resistance in bacteria. The accepted scenario was a simple case of evolutionary selection. In a bacterial population exposed to a killer drug, a few lucky individuals might have a gen

SSS 2010-09-02

We all know that elephants arent really scared of mice. But a new study shows that theyre really not crazy about something even smaller: ants. In fact, elephants dislike ants so much that they avoid acacia trees that harbor the tiny, six-legged necta

SSS 2010-09-03

Diseases can spread quickly. Someone with a cold infects a few casual contacts, who in turn infect others. Ideas can also spread that way, along so-called random networks. But Damon Centola at MIT says that ideas and beliefs spread faster and more ef