Senior Editor for Health & Medicine at Scientific American
500 Dolphins Captured in Annual Hunt in Japan
The annual dolphin hunt at Japan's Taiji Cove, in which fisherman round up hundreds of dolphins for slaughter, ended today (Jan. 21)....
Fantastic Voyage: Tracking Young Salmon's Perilous Migration
Life isn't easy for a young salmon. After being born in fresh water, the fledgling fish travels hundreds of miles to the ocean, often carried by currents tail-first, where it encounters deep, predator-infested waters with strong currents and competition f...
Creature with Interlocking Gears on Legs Discovered
Gears are ubiquitous in the manmade world, from wristwatches to car engines, but it seems that nature invented them first. A species of plant-hopping insect, Issus coleoptratus, is the first living creature known to posses functional gears....
Root Causes of Dyslexia Unraveled
Dyslexia, the learning disability that makes reading and processing speech a challenge, may result from problems with brain connectivity, a new study suggests. Ultimately, understanding the roots of dyslexia could lead to better ways to help people with t...
Can Humans Spontaneously Combust? 'Unexplained Files' Investigates
In Galway, Ireland, 76-year-old Michael Faherty was found burned to death at his home in December 2010. The coroner concluded Faherty's death was a case of spontaneous human combustion — a human being catching fire with no apparent cause....
To the Cold, Bed Bugs Say 'Bite Me'
Controlling bed bug infestations by freezing the pests may not be as effective as once thought, a new study suggests. To survive in cold environments, the bugs use "freeze-intolerant" strategies, such as lowering the freezing point of their bodily fluids....
Thanksgiving Trauma: The 7 Strangest Holiday ER Visits
We asked emergency room doctors about the weirdest, funniest or most unfortunate reasons for a holiday visit to the ER. From deep-fryer burns to in-law anxiety, here are some of the winners....
'Dog Dust' May Combat Allergies and Asthma
Exposure to "dog dust," or the dried flakes of skin that fall from Fido, may protect against developing allergies and asthma in later life by altering intestinal bacteria, a new study in mice suggests....
OK Google Glass, Let's Do a Science Experiment
Google Glass has been making a splash in the tech world, but the high-tech spectacles could also be useful for teaching science. Here at LiveScience, we took Glass for a test-drive while we performed a simple science experiment: making "oobleck."...
1st Fully Bionic Man Walks, Talks and Breathes
Frankenstein's monster was cobbled together from a hodgepodge of body parts. Likewise, the bionic man is an amalgam of the most advanced human prostheses — from robotic limbs to artificial organs to a blood-pumping circulatory system....
Disorder at Work | Science News
Disorder at Work. Proteins without a definite shape can still take on important jobs. by Tanya Lewis. 6:00pm, January 24,...
All About You: Top 10 Human Nature Stories of 2013
Humans are fascinating creatures, capable of love and hate, debauchery and deep contemplation. From political beliefs to social deviation to sexual attraction, here are some of our favorite things science learned about people this year....
Brain zap helps spine-damaged rats walk | Science News
Editor's Note: Science News intern Tanya Lewis is attending the neuroscience meeting in New Orleans on a travel award from the Society for Neuroscience....
Voyager crossing superhighway to solar system exit | Science News
Dec 4, 2012 ... Voyager crossing superhighway to solar system exit. Latest frontier may be last before spacecraft reaches interstellar space. by Tanya Lewis....
Auditory test predicts coma awakening | Science News
Auditory test predicts coma awakening. Patients whose sound discrimination improved in 48 hours eventually awoke. by Tanya Lewis. 8:53pm, November...