Science + Technology – The Conversation – new research, AI, space, psychology and more

two youg boys in a classroom look at a tablet screen

two youg boys in a classroom look at a tablet screen

Screen time guidelines for kids and adolescents have shifted as research paints a more nuanced picture

Gabriel E. Hales, Michigan State University

bee on the orange center of a bright yellow flower

bee on the orange center of a bright yellow flower

Bees of many species contain tiny magnetic particles – suggesting they may have an innate magnetic compass for navigation

Laura Russo, University of Tennessee

A photo image shows a bright red 'buy now' button on a computer keyboard.

A photo image shows a bright red 'buy now' button on a computer keyboard.

Why you let down your guard on ads when scrolling on social media

Matthew Pittman, University of Tennessee

What science loses when T. rex becomes a trophy

Kristi Curry Rogers, Macalester College

What does it mean to be ‘quantum’? A physicist explains the basics behind Einstein’s spooky actions at a distance

Aldo Romero, West Virginia University

A graphic showing two particles connected by light

A graphic showing two particles connected by light

Reptile fossil found in Brazil helps shed light on the common origins of dinosaurs and crocodiles

Mauricio Garcia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM)

Illustration showing Silescelida acristata among plants and animals from the Middle Triassic Period

Illustration showing Silescelida acristata among plants and animals from the Middle Triassic Period

A goalkeeper stretches for a ball.

A goalkeeper stretches for a ball.

The ball is round – and contrary to some keepers’ views, in this World Cup it has performed just fine

John Eric Goff, Purdue University

Building a long-term base on the Moon will require extensive planning – a planetary geologist describes the considerations that go into it

Clive Neal, University of Notre Dame

An illustration of the lunar surface, with rockets, rovers, astronauts and small structures sprinkled across it.

An illustration of the lunar surface, with rockets, rovers, astronauts and small structures sprinkled across it.

A lack of pies for a pack of lies – what spoonerisms reveal about how the brain produces speech

Karen Stollznow, University of Colorado Boulder; Griffith University

colorful cakes and desserts in a display case

colorful cakes and desserts in a display case

Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, when Mercury is closer to the Sun?

Vahe Peroomian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A reconstructed image showing the surface of Venus, with a large volcano in the center.

A reconstructed image showing the surface of Venus, with a large volcano in the center.

Can Ozempic prevent cancer? A doctor explains why the headlines are easy to misread

Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis

Close-up of person injecting a dose of Ozempic into a pinched fold of their stomach

Close-up of person injecting a dose of Ozempic into a pinched fold of their stomach

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Space

An illustration of a black hole, which looks like a small black dot with bright dust and gas swirling around it and a jet of particles coming from its center.

An illustration of a black hole, which looks like a small black dot with bright dust and gas swirling around it and a jet of particles coming from its center.

What are supermassive black holes? Everything you need to know – and what astronomers are still learning – about these mysterious objects

Mary Ogborn, Penn State

NASA announces its Artemis III crew, which will test important equipment and systems in Earth orbit and is testing public opinion

Margaret Landis, Arizona State University

The Artemis III crew standing together in front of several flags and a NASA sign, wearing blue jumpsuits.

The Artemis III crew standing together in front of several flags and a NASA sign, wearing blue jumpsuits.

Asteroid or comet? Meteor or meteorite? How to identify and classify the rocks you see streaking through the sky

Adam Lark, Hamilton College

Streaks of light cross the sky, with the Milky Way galaxy visible in the background.

Streaks of light cross the sky, with the Milky Way galaxy visible in the background.

Building data centers in space is an intriguing idea on paper, but major engineering challenges must be solved

Sven Bilén, Penn State and Wangda Zuo, Penn State

An illustration of a satellite with two large solar panels over Earth.

An illustration of a satellite with two large solar panels over Earth.

Upcoming telescopes could shed light on dark matter – astronomers are looking for these ‘fingerprints’ of the elusive substance

Marco Ajello, Clemson University and Christopher Karwin, Clemson University

A building with an observatory tower atop it under a starry sky showing the Milky Way galaxy.

A building with an observatory tower atop it under a starry sky showing the Milky Way galaxy.

More articles about space

Digital life

a crowd, seen from behind, makes its way over a large pedestrian bridge

a crowd, seen from behind, makes its way over a large pedestrian bridge

World Cup propels surveillance to new heights

Anne Toomey McKenna, Penn State

Supreme Court rules your cellphone location data is protected by the Fourth Amendment

Anne Toomey McKenna, Penn State

aerial view of commercial and retail buildings and parking lots

aerial view of commercial and retail buildings and parking lots

What 20 million bans reveal about the strain on Wikipedia’s volunteers

Ryan McGrady, UMass Amherst

a horizontal smartphone against a multicolor background

a horizontal smartphone against a multicolor background

Drone use poised to soar as FAA homes in on rule change allowing pilots to fly them out of sight

Agamemnon Crassidis, Rochester Institute of Technology

two small windowless aircraft in the air with a tree line in the background

two small windowless aircraft in the air with a tree line in the background

Powerful AI is making facial recognition better at identifying you

Vijayan Asari, University of Dayton

A man looks into a device with an aperture and green lights that illuminate his face.

A man looks into a device with an aperture and green lights that illuminate his face.

More articles about artificial intelligence

New research

Creating synthetic life in a lab? SpudCell falls short of the goal, but raises even more useful questions

Tara Deans, Georgia Institute of Technology

3D illustration of concentric spheres clustered together

3D illustration of concentric spheres clustered together

Cacti spines, snake fangs, snail love darts – oh my! How function drives the evolution of nature’s puncture tools

Philip Anderson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Several spiny cacti on the desert

Several spiny cacti on the desert

Ivermectin isn’t a cancer miracle drug, but influencers claim otherwise – here’s how to avoid sprinting past scientific evidence

Dannell D. Boatman, West Virginia University

Syringe reading 'IVERCARE' lying on a package with a silhouette of a horse

Syringe reading 'IVERCARE' lying on a package with a silhouette of a horse

Fishing for DNA – how a cup of river water can reveal secrets about human health, pollution and biodiversity

Jenny Whilde, University of Florida

Trees and other greenery lining a river, a small cooler set on rocks in the foreground

Trees and other greenery lining a river, a small cooler set on rocks in the foreground

The drawer problem: Why so many of us can’t let go of our old electronics, and what we can do about it

Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology; Payam Saeedi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Stacey Watson, University of Waterloo

various old electronic devices in a drawer

various old electronic devices in a drawer

Quantum sensors could spot hidden damage in the thousands of US bridges rated ‘structurally deficient’

Alex Krasnok, Florida International University

A large bridge over water

A large bridge over water

Killing cancer requires immune cells to infiltrate tumors’ hostile microenvironment – sugar shields can help them break in

Charles J. Dimitroff, Florida International University and Lee Seng Lau, Florida International University

Digital illustration of a hostile tumor microenvironment depicted as a dark, ruined alleyway. A blue-glowing CAR-T cell soldier attacks a red cancer cell while green galectin-3 (Gal-3) blobs are released from a “Gal-3 Nest” and spread through the environment; warning signs label the area as a “Cancer Zone” and “Immune Suppression.” A translucent blue glycan shield protects the CAR-T cell from an incoming Gal-3 molecule secreted by a cancer cell.

Digital illustration of a hostile tumor microenvironment depicted as a dark, ruined alleyway. A blue-glowing CAR-T cell soldier attacks a red cancer cell while green galectin-3 (Gal-3) blobs are released from a “Gal-3 Nest” and spread through the environment; warning signs label the area as a “Cancer Zone” and “Immune Suppression.” A translucent blue glycan shield protects the CAR-T cell from an incoming Gal-3 molecule secreted by a cancer cell.

Glucosamine supplements may speed memory loss from Alzheimer’s, new research shows

Ramon Sun, University of Florida

Different sized bottles of glucosamine/chondroiton on a supermarket shelf.

Different sized bottles of glucosamine/chondroiton on a supermarket shelf.

Brain and mind

Kids learn to bully from adults’ threats, manipulation and criticism – a child psychologist explains how parents can model better tactics

Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver

Displeased girl leans on table while man and woman have heated discussion in background

Displeased girl leans on table while man and woman have heated discussion in background

Eroding a virtue: AI trains people to expect instant answers – and that’s bad news for patience

Christian B. Miller, Wake Forest University

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

closeup of fingers on table surface with motion blur effect

Is my brain wired to never see a ghost? A psychologist on three factors that make a paranormal experience more likely

Melissa Maffeo, Wake Forest University

Dark hallway with a shadowy light at the end

Dark hallway with a shadowy light at the end

How you map numbers in your mind isn’t universal, even among people who read the same language

Olga Lazareva, Drake University and Reggie Gazes, Bucknell University

Several rows of numerals 1 through 9 with 0 at the end

Several rows of numerals 1 through 9 with 0 at the end

More articles about psychology

Curious Kids

Real kids ask real questions and real experts answer them

A young child's hand against a white background

A young child's hand against a white background

Why are our fingers different lengths?

Steven Lautzenheiser, University of Tennessee

Can you make a black hole in a laboratory?

Stephen DiKerby, Michigan State University

A jet of light and dust exploding from the center of a galaxy.

A jet of light and dust exploding from the center of a galaxy.

Kids ask the questions. Scholars answer them.

Be sure to include your name, age and where you live. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Send in your question!

Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'

Graphic that says 'connecting experts with curious kids', with words in background saying 'how? why? who?'

Why do baseball players put a black mark under their eyes?

Adam Annaccone, University of Texas at Arlington

A baseball player with cap on looks in the mirror and applies eye black.

A baseball player with cap on looks in the mirror and applies eye black.

Who was the first transgender person?

Ky Merkley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nick Winters, Northwestern University

statue of a sphinx

statue of a sphinx

More Curious Kids articles

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