SCIENCE

It's not exactly the "safety in numbers" situation you might be imagining.

What Is Herd Immunity?

The facts on where it comes from, how it works, and whether it could happen with the novel coronavirus.

How Many Lives Could You Save Wearing a Face Mask? This Calculator Tells You

An online calculator developed by Ph.D. students in Poland estimates how many people could be spared from infection or even death when you opt to wear a mask.

The Psychological Reason You’re Feeling So Unfocused—And What To Do About It

Feeling listless, tired, and out of it? Here are some tips for reducing cumulative stress and anxiety, collectively called your 'allostatic load.'

Getting your flu shot this year is more important than ever.

The Best Time to Get a Flu Shot in 2020, According to the CDC

July and August were too early for flu shots, but September and October? Just right, according to experts.

Kenya's Wangari Maathai isn't a household name, but she should be.

Meet Nina Chhita, the Artist Celebrating Diverse Female Scientists With Her Instagram Illustrations

From ‘Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson to female Nobel Laureates you may not have heard of, Nina Chhita's Instagram is giving us some important history lessons.

Fabric softener acts as a lubricant for your laundry.

What Does Fabric Softener Actually Do?

Fabric softener is supposed to reduce friction and wrinkles and prolong the life of your clothing. But there are some downsides to using it.

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

Your cat's habit of sleeping all day isn't a sign of laziness—it's a survival instinct that's baked into their genes.

A baby's laugh can offer a lot of insight into their development.

Why Do Babies Laugh?

Tiny people giggle at everything from tickling to peek-a-boo to silly faces. But do they really have a sense of humor?

Grad Student Solves the Conway Knot, a Math Problem That Has Stumped Experts for 50 Years

It took University of Texas grad student Lisa Piccirillo less than a week to write a proof that solved the famous Conway Knot.

Two asteroids are expected to come close to Earth soon, but there's no cause for alarm.

Worried About Asteroids Hitting Us in 2020? Don't Be

Two asteroids are projected to swing by Earth in the coming months, but the odds of them causing a problem are very low.

A juvenile saddleback tamarin is measured as part of an annual health check of a population of three primate species in southeastern Peru.

Zoonotic Diseases 101: How Viruses Jump From Animals to Humans

From the plague to the novel coronavirus, myriad animal viruses have caused problems for humans—and many others haven’t.

There's an inexpensive way to protect cows from predators. It involves painting their butts.

Want to Save a Cow From Being Attacked By a Predator? Paint Some Eyes on Its Butt

A new study demonstrates that cows who had fake eyes painted on their rear ends were protected from lions who were fooled into thinking the cow had spotted them.

These hikers's gut microbes are running the show.

Craving Nature? Your Gut Microbiome Might Be Responsible

Your gut microbes might be yearning for their outdoor counterparts—and telling your brain to go find them.

Coronavirus vaccine trials pose a lot of questions for those looking to volunteer.

10 Questions About Joining a Coronavirus Vaccine Trial, Answered

Thinking of enrolling in one of the coronavirus vaccine trials being conducted around the country? Here's what you need to know.

Even if this lemon is caked in coronavirus pathogens (which is unlikely), she'll be fine as long as she washes her hands.

Contracting COVID-19 From Food or Food Packaging Is Unlikely, According to WHO

As long as you wash your hands and don’t touch your face, your chances of catching COVID-19 from food are basically zilch.

© Jorge Royan, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

The Psychological Tricks Disney Parks Use to Make Long Wait Times More Bearable

Wait times at Disney World and Disneyland can get long, but Imagineers use clever strategies to make the hours move faster.

Sperm have been duping us for nearly 350 years.

A Stroke of Genius: New Research Shows That Sperm Don’t Slither—They Corkscrew

This new revelation about how sperm propel themselves to eggs could inform future studies on male infertility.

Earthquakes don't cause giant cartoonish chasms to open up, but they can tear up the landscape like this.

9 Rockin' Facts About Earthquakes

Fear not: the chances of “The Big One” hitting while you read this article are very, very slim. But that doesn't mean you should let your guard down.

Val Kilmer stars in Martha Coolidge's Real Genius (1985).

10 Brilliant Facts About Real Genius

Martha Coolidge's 1985 film 'Real Genius,' starring Val Kilmer, ranked first among equals from that decade for its stellar cast, sensitive direction, and genuine-nerd bona fides.

10 Secrets of Epidemiologists

Maybe you know what the definition of ‘epidemiology’ is, but do you know what epidemiologists actually do?

Cheap tests may be the key to fighting coronavirus.

Why Researchers Believe a 'Crappy' Coronavirus Test Can Help Fight the Pandemic

Tests that offer low sensitivity and more false negatives are still valuable in the fight against coronavirus. But will the FDA agree?

A piece of fatberg from the sewer systems under London's Whitechapel neighborhood on display at the Museum of London. And if you think this piece is gross, you should have seen the fatberg when it was in the sewer.

15 Fascinating Facts About Fatbergs

Lurking in the sewer systems under your feet is a threat so horrifying, so disgusting, that the mere mention of it sends a shiver down the spines of sanitation specialists everywhere. Here’s what you need to know about fatbergs.

The lobster boat Lydia will soon be transformed into the Orca III.

The Orca Boat From Jaws Is Coming Back, This Time to Promote Shark Conservation

The familiar shark-hunting vessel from the 1975's 'Jaws' is being recreated for ocean research and to encourage shark conservation.

Veronique de Viguerie/Stringer/Getty Images

Lead from the 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire Detected in Paris’s Beehives

Honey from hives downwind from the Notre-Dame fire contained 3.5 times as much lead as Parisian honey collected before April 2019.

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