Duping a guppy is easier than duping a ring dove — at least when it comes to a classic optical illusion. In the Ebbinghaus illusion, two identical circles placed side…
Category: Life
Vaccine rejectionism spurring continued surge in U.S. measles cases
Nearly two months after a deadly, massive measles outbreak in Texas was declared over, the highly contagious disease continues to spread across the country. The U.S. has now confirmed 1,596 cases this year, according…
Why Teenage Songs Define Us: The Science of Musical Memory
Summary: A global study reveals that our most emotionally resonant music tends to come from our teenage years—typically peaking around age 17. This “reminiscence bump” marks the period when our…
Can a Disconnected Brain Be Conscious?
Summary: A new study reveals that sleep-like slow-wave brain activity can persist for years in surgically disconnected brain hemispheres of awake epilepsy patients. Using EEG recordings, researchers found that the…
A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest
Carly Kay is the Fall 2025 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in science…
Lisieux Fuzessy | Beyond coevolution: The flexible rules of fruit-frugivore interactions – Functional Ecologists
Have you ever wandered through a tropical forest and observed the incredible variety of fruits it contains? From tiny berries to very large, hard-shelled pods, this fruity menu supports a…
What do MAHA and MAGA supporters think about vaccines?
At the start of his second term, President Donald Trump established the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to examine the…
Child Abuse Leaves Lasting Biological Scars on the Brain and DNA
Summary: New research reveals that child maltreatment leaves measurable biological “scars” on DNA, altering brain structure and function. Using a genome-wide epigenetic analysis, scientists identified four key methylation sites—ATE1, SERPINB9P1,…
Why Your Brain and Mine Agree on What We See
Summary: A new study reveals how uniquely wired human brains can perceive the world in strikingly similar ways. Researchers recorded live neural activity in epilepsy patients and found that while…
Feeling the Music: Touch Amplifies Emotional Power of Sound
Summary: A new study shows that combining touch with hearing profoundly intensifies emotional responses to music. Using a custom-built device that transforms sound into tactile vibrations, researchers found that people…
