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Huge 7.4 Magnitude Quake Just Hit Near Fukushima Days After Disaster Anniversary

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Authorities lifted a tsunami advisory and electricity was restored after a powerful 7.4-magnitude quake jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday night in waters near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.   At least one person died in the coastal city of Soma and dozens more were injured in the quake, local news agency Kyodo reported, … Read more

The Pandemic Showed the Promise of Cities with Fewer Cars

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Residents learned what was possible. Some politicians fought to keep it that way Credit: James Olstein Advertisement During COVID’s first wave, the streets of New York and other major cities became eerily empty. Mournful sirens replaced the usual bustle and din. But urban dwellers also heard something new: an abundance of birdsong. During walks outside—the … Read more

It Has Been 100 Years since a Quantum Experiment Showed Why We Don’t Fall through Our Chair

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The moment I meet Horst Schmidt-Böcking outside the Bockenheimer Warte subway stop just north of the downtown area of Frankfurt, Germany, I know I have come to the right place. After my “Hi, thank you for meeting me,” his very first words are “I love Otto Stern.” My trip on this prepandemic morning in November … Read more

It Has Been 100 Years Since a Quantum Experiment Showed Why We Don’t Fall Through Our Chairs

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The moment I meet Horst Schmidt-Böcking outside the Bockenheimer Warte subway stop just north of the downtown area of Frankfurt, Germany, I know I have come to the right place. After my “Hi, thank you for meeting me,” his very first words are “I love Otto Stern.” My trip on this prepandemic morning in November … Read more

This Medieval Italian Man Replaced His Amputated Hand With a Knife

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In 2018, archaeologists described a truly fascinating puzzle. It looks like this medieval Italian man went through life with a knife attached to his arm, in place of his amputated hand.   The skeleton in question was found in a Longobard necropolis in the north of Italy, dating back to around the 6th to 8th centuries … Read more

Some People in Greenland Metabolize Sugars Differently

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For millennia, populations in Greenland enjoyed a relatively sugar-free diet. Without the need to rapidly process certain carbohydrates, many lost the function of a key sucrose-processing enzyme.   To learn what this loss means for the health of today’s populations, a team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen analyzed the health … Read more

We Just Got Closer to Understanding Why Asthma Might Protect From Brain Tumors

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Neurologists in the United States think they have finally figured out why people with asthma seem to develop fewer brain tumors. The findings could one day help us develop better treatments for both conditions.   The curious connection between asthma and brain tumors first began popping up in global epidemiological research about 15 years ago, … Read more