Nathan Collins studied astrophysics and political science and managed to get a job as a tenure-track professor before realizing he wanted to learn about all kinds of science while avoiding faculty meetings as much as possible. He's written for Scientific American, ScienceNOW, and others.
Americans' beliefs about politics are as inaccurate and bizarre as ever. Is there a way to fix that?
Researchers tally the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that pile of Thanksgiving delights.
A rock picked up on a Sussex beach in 2004 looked a whole lot like part of a reptile brain. In a manner of speaking, it was.
A new study argues population booms drove the advent of agriculture in prehistoric North America.
No, of course not. But nearly three quarters of Americans think so.
Your best strategy depends on whether you're an outsider—but don't forget the hard work.
A study in Bangladesh highlights markedly different disease dynamics in the urban core versus the more rural periphery.
The discovery of bones in the Kenyan highlands suggest early human relatives were even more adaptable than anthropologists thought.
While investment in renewable energy is up in developing countries, it's actually down in developed economies, according to a U.N. report.
But a CDC database that began in 2003 may help solve that problem.
New rules that go into effect in May could prevent scientists from discussing their work with Parliament, public-health researchers say.
An experiment suggests that confusion about mixed-race faces underlies prejudice against people with mixed-race backgrounds.
Dietary changes and simple stone tools may have helped our early ancestors chew more efficiently.
Mortgage loan originators discriminate against people with black-sounding names, according to a new study.
An applied mathematician wonders whether his environmental management models are doing anyone any good. Turns out, they probably are.
Quoting both sides leads people to think there's controversy, even when they're told there's consensus.
Statisticians say it's time to end the cult of "statistical significance."
Overly-connected groups may stifle innovation, new experiments suggest.
Building on past work, scientists create wheelchairs controlled directly by electrical signals inside monkeys' brains.
Theoretical psychologists show that when the world is being random, the best option leads to oddly inconsistent preferences.
Economists in Germany find that expressing feelings to someone who hurts you could make you more generous to others.
A study of ancient inhabitants of Sanak Island, Alaska, points to a new understanding of our impact on the natural world.
Researchers find the disease may have long-term effects on the brain, but a treatment may be on the way.
Holding back tears and pretending to be overjoyed is bad for parents' well-being, according to new research.
Basically, by scaring the crap out of raccoons (but really we should let the bears do that).
It depends on their attitudes toward risky sex, pregnancy, and birth control, a new study finds.
A new study of the ancient Laurentide Ice Sheet suggests that Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets may not accelerate as quickly as previously thought.
A new analysis finds mixed evidence that salt is bad for you—and, more importantly, that the two sides in the debate aren't talking to each other.
A new study suggests that "grit," the now-celebrated ingredient to success in education and life, isn't so important for academic success.
A new study shows the brain's learning mechanisms make distractions like snack foods—or drugs—harder to avoid.
The sharing economy continues to evolve, suggesting a need for "algorithmic regulation."
A Danish study finds a small but important effect of the time of day on standardized test scores.
A study finds "ready to use treatment foods" may help prevent malnutrition—in certain circumstances.
Research finds exposing students in a massive open online course to the best of their peers' work lowers their grades and increases dropout rates.
The electrical weapons prevent people from thinking clearly, raising concerns about Miranda warnings, a new study argues.
A massive study finds women's voices are less likely heard in news stories. Curiously, it's a little bit less of an issue for their faces.
While social scientists should continue to study the social meaning of race, the concept has no place in biology, scientists argue.
Wash your hands, football fans: Sending a team to the Super Bowl increases a town's flu deaths by 18 percent.
Not today, not tomorrow, but positive daydreaming may lead to depression down the road.
A new study puts recent European summer heatwaves in ancient context.
They figured out a math problem related to the path of Jupiter—14 centuries before top British and French scientists did.