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The Mind

 
A classic 1942 painting by US artist Edward Hopper shows people inside a late-night diner.
 
The Mind

Why we crave company

Neuroscientists are discovering that spending time with others may be a basic biological necessity, like need for food or water

By Elizabeth Preston
 
Colorful illustration shows RNA molecules of various shapes.
Living World

The silent majority: RNAs that don’t make proteins

Once considered cellular junk, non-coding RNAs are emerging as key players in everything from brain development to cancer — with much still to be discovered

Illustration shows big blue blobs (proteins) to which are attached strings of colored shapes (sugar structures).
Living World

Sweet! The cell’s sugary coating comes into view

Built from thickets of glucose, galactose, mannose and more, the glycome plays key roles in cell communication, immunity and the blood-brain barrier

Animation shows a black-and-white voronoi diagram growing from points within a plane. Each “seed” gives rise to a cell, based on uniform outward growth from the initial point. The cells create a tessellation pattern over the entire plane.
Society

A light in the dark: Finding the good in the natural world

OPINION: Is it absurd to think that science can inform our values? Not at all, says writer KC Cole.

A conceptual illustration of a person holding cradling her torso, which is colorful, glowing and special-looking.
The Mind

What is wisdom, and can it be taught?

Scientists are trying to name the qualities that make someone wise and figure out how to cultivate them

Conceptual illustration of a woman looking at her reflection.
The Mind

Brain, think on thyself

What the science of self-awareness can tell us about confident decision-making

Illustration of a guide pulling back a veil of trees, showing the path ahead, as another person walks through a forest.
The Mind

Looking for an ADHD coach? Choose carefully

As diagnoses surge, so does an unregulated coaching industry

Two yellow-colored bodies on the side of an image send out branches that join in the middle.
Living World

Tales of a very clever slime mold

In its quest to feed, avoid nasty substances and just generally live its life, the brainless, one-celled Physarum polycephalum performs some impressive tricks of learning and memory

A face in profile against a background of books, sarcophagi and scent molecules.
Society

Recreating the smells of history

Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields

Photo, with shading, of a young woman holding an infant in her arms. She is leaning against the wall with a despairing look in her eyes.
The Mind

Postpartum depression: Better remedies, and now a predictive blood test

Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth. Treatments are improving and doctors can test for biological markers that flag heightened risk.

Conceptual collage shows a bar chart, police line tape, dollar signs and the shape of a human target.
Society

Property crime and violent crime have different solutions — here’s why

Addressing poverty helps to curb thefts and burglaries, but offenses like assaults and shootings need more innovative approaches

Illustration shows a handshake with money changing hands, and watching eyes.
Society

Corruption: When norms upstage the law

People with good motives may engage in bribery and worse depending on what society expects of them. A political scientist explains.

Illustration of men sitting in a room in a circle.
The Mind

Can a shift in strategy reduce intimate partner violence?

New research, innovative programs and emboldened advocates are challenging decades-old conventions about how to respond to domestic abuse

Conceptual illustration in dark blue tones shows a woman on her knees next to a smashed window; a chair is lying on its side behind her.
Health & Disease

Unsafe at home: The misery of intimate partner violence

Public health researchers explain the levers that can reduce — or worsen — this global blight. A bright spot: There are more data than ever on strategies that can help.

A collage including children tattling, an old-fashioned telephone, an advertisement for a tip line, a pointing finger, police with a detainee, a mugshot and a woman blowing a whistle.
Society

See something, say something? The science of speaking out

From tattling to whistleblowing, a sociologist explores what drives people to tell on one another

An illustration shows a silhouette of a man’s head with the brain highlighted, with viruses and DNA strands around the figure.
Health & Disease

How rogue jumping genes can spur Alzheimer’s, ALS

Our genomes are peppered with DNA segments called retrotransposons that can move from place to place. When unleashed, some can kill nerves and promote inflammation — a discovery that may inspire treatments for neurodegeneration.

Ilustration of a doctor raking in a Japanese rock garden drawn to resemble a person’s profile, symbolically erasing a tumor cell by reducing stress.
Health & Disease

How stress shapes cancer’s course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

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