Shakespeare’s writing style can be challenging to read. Not only did he write four centuries ago, but he also played with language, coining new words, rearranging syntax, and using words as different parts of speech. Now, researchers have discovered that this last feature—using a noun like child as a verb instead, for example—excites the human brain because it is so unexpected.
If you really want to remember something, you take a picture of it. But a new study reveals that using that strategy may actually work against you: people remember more details about something if they don’t take a picture of it. NPR digs into the details and the implications.
Elephants travel in herds and are very social. When a fellow elephant is upset, they have a unique way of consoling it.
Do you think you know what to do during an earthquake, a tornado, or a hurricane? Many people still think these six common myths are true. Learn why they’re untrue and what you should actually do instead during these disasters.
Fear is a basic human response, but scientists still don’t completely understand it. Read about their efforts, using scans of blood flow in the brain, to further comprehend this complex reaction.
Migraine headaches can be frightening as well as painful. While there is no cure for them, scientists are finding new ways to manage them.
From cave paintings to the first written words, human beings have been making themselves “heard” for a very long time. This section of the Museum of Natural History’s website provides a quick tour of how our use of language and symbols has grown over many, many centuries.
Five mass extinctions—the die-off of a majority of species—have occurred in earth’s history. What causes these periodic extinctions? A sudden change in climate or atmosphere that living things can’t adapt quickly enough to survive. Find out what we know about these changes and what species were able to flourish in their wake.
Though we often hear a lot about human activity destroying coral reefs, humans are also taking strides in saving and restoring them. Learn more in this article by science reporter Gaia Vince.
Life on Mars is a work in progress. Six NASA volunteers took part in the HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) experiment to explore how astronauts might one day live on Mars. Investigate the importance of food preparation on such a mission.
