Mechanical Turk

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk has Reinvented Research

Online services like Amazon's "Mechanical Turk" have ushered in a golden age in survey research. But is it ethical for researchers to use them?
psychedelics

The Pscience of Psychedelics

Researchers found that Psilocybin and other hallucinogens may prove helpful in their ability to quiet a portion of the brain connected to depression.
3d printing biological

3D Printing Body Parts

3D printing has evolved far beyond printing out a simple item using plastic. For example, scientists Jody Connell and colleagues described an innovative use of the technology to create three-dimensional bacteria cultures.
Axolotl

The Race to Save the Axolotl

When an axolotl loses a limb, it regrows, and nary a scar remains. But this incredible creature is on the brink of extinction.
Illustration of Bombardier Beetle (Pheropsophus) excreting a mixture of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide at speed from opening in abdomen

Bombardier Beetles Are Terrifying Nightmare Insects

In a world full of wild insect defenses, bombardier beetles stand out for the violent chemical reaction they employ to deter enemies.
Steven Pinker

Steven Pinker: We’re Living Better through Enlightenment

Pinker on the dark side of political correctness, the differences between men and women, the media's violence bias, and his differences with Bill Gates on artificial intelligence.
Wild Orangutan Female Eating Red Berries

How Wild Animals Self-Medicate

The range of animals known to make use of available medicinal materials includes orangutans, dogs, parrots, spider monkeys, lizards, and lemurs.
A scientist places a specimen in a container while in a lab

These (Aggressive) Newfound Ocean Viruses May Also Live in the Human Gut

Is the newly discovered, tailless Autolykiviridae virus shaping your microbiome?
Infinite monkeys

The Inevitable Triumph of Iteration over Intellect

By virtue of pure chance, a monkey can come up with Romeo and Juliet. This suggests that we can circumvent comprehension and skip straight to competence.
NOAA researcher prepares to release an ozone sonde

Do We Still Need to Worry About the Hole in the Ozone Layer?

The world tends to forget about the annual ozone hole that appears over Antarctica, though we're facing huge and complex environmental concerns.