baboons

The Sweet Spot: New Study Shows Optimal Group Size for Baboons

A new study on the Amboseli baboons of East Africa shows that there is a “sweet spot,” or optimal group size for surviving predators and gathering food.
Periodic elements

The Ever-Evolving Periodic Table of Elements

Four new elements--113, 115, 117, and 118--have been added to the periodic table. But the search for new elements hasn't always been so systematic. 
Compost Heap

Should You Compost?

The science is clear: composting organic waste is good for the environment. 
Feeling blue

The Weird Ways Humans Have Tried Curing Hangovers

From ancient Egypt to modern times, the various cures suggested to relieve the hangover. 
Comparison of skull features of Homo naledi and other early human species.

Dear Paleoanthropology, Homo Naledi Just Shifted Your Paradigm

A new fossil human ancestor has made its way into the media spotlight, and it’s causing quite a ruckus.
Rings of a tree

What Tree Rings Tell Us About the Climate

Tree rings provide scientists with helpful clues regarding the planet's climate patterns, past and present.
Based on the PDB crystallographic coordinates 1QPS

The Revolution Will Be Geneticized: From Restriction Enzymes to CRISPR

Advancement in DNA cutting using restriction enzymes helped pave the way for the CRISPR revolution. 
Ghost fishing

“Ghost Fishing” Is Killing Coastal Wildlife

Ghost fishing is the process by which fishing equipment no longer under human control continues to trap and kill wildlife.
Promo image from The X Files with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson

Reopening The X-Files: Is ESP Possible?

"Here I am again, Scully, up late pursuing this obsession with ESP." "It's a fraud, Mulder."
Katma Airfield Sandplain Grasslands. Photo courtesy of Christopher Neill/MBL

Why the Sandplain Grasslands Are So Special

Sandplain grasslands, a kind of East Coast prairie, are some of the rarest habitats in the world, and sheep-grazing may be key to their survival.