With the Chevron Doctrine overturned, the new ‘judicial veto’ of regulations will be bad for science and business

A colleague and I wrote about recent Supreme Court decisions that produced sweeping changes in how government regulation works in the United States— shifting power from regulatory agencies to the courts.…

Electronic Tongue Uses AI to Detect Differences in Liquids

Summary: Researchers have developed an AI-powered “electronic tongue” capable of distinguishing subtle differences in liquids, such as milk freshness, soda types, and coffee blends. By analyzing sensor data through a…

Why We’re Confident with Only Half the Story

Summary: A new study reveals that people often overestimate the amount of information they have when making decisions, a phenomenon researchers call the “illusion of information adequacy.” Participants who were…

The largest arthropod to ever live finally has a head 

Two newly discovered fossils are helping scientists wrap their heads around the anatomy of the largest arthropod of all time — a millipede that grew longer than a king-sized bed…

To tell a right-trunked elephant from a lefty, check the wrinkles

There’s a Sherlock Holmes tale in here somewhere: A clever observer could check wrinkles and whiskers on an elephant trunk to catch a left-trunker pachyderm perp masquerading as a righty,…

Optimism Boosted by Psilocybin, Hinting at Depression Relief

Summary: Researchers have discovered that psilocybin, a psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, increases optimism and motivation in rats, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits for treating depression. Using computational modeling, scientists observed…

How Conscious Thought Fades Under Anesthesia

Summary: A new study has shown that conscious thought relies on synchronized brain rhythms to maintain communication between sensory and cognitive brain regions. Under general anesthesia, this rhythm-based communication breaks…

These sea creatures can fuse their bodies

In a Frankenstein-y feat, a small, gelatinous sea creature can merge its body with a neighbor’s. The animals — called sea walnuts, a type of comb jelly — can then…

Does Stress Lead to Premature Hair Graying?

Summary: Hair turns grey due to a decrease in melanin production in hair follicles, a process influenced by both genetics and environmental factors like stress. Contrary to myths, plucking a…