Neuroscientists Debate A Simple Question: How Does The Brain Store A Phone Number?
Working memory is where the brain keeps bits of information in everyday life handy. But brain scientists don't agree on how working memory works.
Research News
She Chose To 'Go Flat' And Wants Other Breast Cancer Survivors To Know They Can Too
After her double mastectomy, writer Catherine Guthrie came to embrace her new body, without breast reconstruction. But, she has learned, women have to push the medical system to support this choice.
Despite Warnings, FDA Approves Potent New Opioid Painkiller
Critics, including some leading anesthesiologists, say the drug is unnecessary, and they worry it will be diverted and abused. The Food And Drug Administration says it is addressing safety concerns.
How Long Should Older Moms Wait Before Getting Pregnant Again?
As a woman ages, choosing when to try for a second or third child means weighing fertility odds against the risks of getting pregnant again too soon. A new study provides more data to help decide.
For Cervical Cancer Patients, Less Invasive Surgery Is Worse For Survival
Two new studies suggest that minimally invasive surgery for early stage cervical cancer patients leads to death and recurring disease more often than standard surgery through a large incision.
Birds Got Their Colorful, Speckled Eggs From Dinosaurs
A new study found that birds' dinosaur relatives had eggs with traces of two pigments—a red-brown one and a blue-green one. In today's birds that might produce a color such as robin's egg blue.
Social Stigma Is One Reason The Opioid Crisis Is Hard To Confront
The CDC estimated that 72,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2017. There are many reasons why the opioid crisis is so hard to confront. One of them is social stigma.
When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves
When researchers convinced a group of young people to stop smoking pot, their cognition quickly improved. This adds to research warning against teen pot use, despite marijuana's growing acceptance.
Should Self-Driving Cars Have Ethics?
To design a "moral machine," researchers updated a classic thought experiment for the autonomous vehicle age. But do we really want artificial intelligence making decisions on who lives or dies?
Scientists And Parents Band Together To Research Cures For Rare Childhood Cancer
A research start-up is connecting parents with scientists in hopes of sparking new research on diseases whose survival rates and treatment options haven't budged in 30 years