In the past year, I've had multiple social scientists tell me that people are the hardest thing to study. Sure, you don't need a Large Hadron Collider. And the chances of suddenly requiring a HAZMAT suit are pretty slim. But people almost never give you the kind of solidly reliable data you can get out of subatomic particles or viruses. The hard part isn't doing the research. The hard part is getting trustworthy, universal answers for anything. If you want to see a good example of those problems in action, check out this great piece on drinking during pregnancy, written by Melinda Moyer.
Moms, booze, and why social science is so damn hard
Buzzkill: Fauci and others no longer discuss herd immunity. "It's off the table" says one expert
"Herd immunity" is the magic phrase – the finish line we've all been running toward – that will get us to the other side of the devastating Covid pandemic. Once we get there, masks will be mostly a thing of the past (or so we hope). Handshakes and hugs might even come back. And now… READ THE REST
The many-headed hydra is a real creature that regenerates itself and can live "forever"
Named after the Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed water monster of Greek and Roman mythology, the real hydra is a small fresh-water creature with incredible biological superpowers that enable it to regenerate and live "forever." Unlike the Lernaean Hydra, it doesn't not guard an entrance into the underworld. We think. From KQED's Deep Look: Cut a… READ THE REST
First monkey-human hybrid embryos sparking controversy among scientists
Scientists recently reported a major milestone in the creation of human-animal hybrids. Researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and colleagues, seen above, injected human stem cells into monkey embryos in vitro. Several of the chimera embryos survived for 19 days. Eventually, these hybrid animals could be used for testing new drugs or to… READ THE REST
This tiny little backup battery packs enough punch to jump a car back to life
An extra power bank or charging hub that keeps your smartphone or tablet powered up in a pinch is always a great idea. But those batteries will only handle the needs of your small electronics. They aren't really built for those heavy-duty power tasks that you might encounter. You know…like when your car battery is… READ THE REST
Score a refurbished HP ProBook x360 laptop for almost 50% off right now
If you're in the market for a laptop, it's tough out there. Between companies producing incredibly similar models with only slight tweaks and variations and shoppers starved for reliable sources of information to make sense of it all, you practically have to be a computer science major to untangle what's what. And when shoppers get confused… READ THE REST
This cool 3D build toy sparks creativity and key tech learning for youngsters
If you've ever seen a 3D printer in action, you know it's a pretty wondrous process. Even if you're crafting nothing more than a plastic bauble or a geometric shape, just watching that filament settle and build into something recognizable and useful is fairly awe-inspiring. And man, to a kid…it's like a miracle. And they really,… READ THE REST