Stories by Rachel Nuwer

Female chimps who migrate to new social groups bring skills and technology with them, helping to drive development of increasingly complex tool sets

Researchers directed electric current to activate targeted facial muscles and then asked study participants how they felt

Famous people who die at age 27, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse, get even more famous because of the mythology surrounding that number—an example of how modern folklore emerges

New research dispels the notion that human beings can continue to radically extend their lifespan

Replacing research animals with tools that better mimic human biology could improve medicine

Many experts criticize the FDA’s recent negative ruling on MDMA therapy for PTSD, saying the agency ignored solid overall results from clinical trials

Warm-blooded island species tend to evolve a slower metabolic rate compared with their mainland counterparts, making it harder for them to bounce back when under stress

Ultrathin gold was achieved with the help of a century-old sword-making technique

Greater awareness is needed around auto-brewery syndrome, which can cause dangerous accidents and trigger social ostracism if it is not correctly diagnosed

Counting crows proclaim “caw, caw, caw, caw” when staring at the number four

What the neuroscience of near-death experiences tells us about human consciousness

By cutting trees in response to international demand for tobacco, farmers induced wildlife to start eating virus-laden bat guano

Researchers used tinned fish to reconstruct parasitic population change, giving new meaning to the phrase “opening a can of worms”

A new study corrects a biased assumption promoted by Charles Darwin 150 years ago and repeated ever since

New studies in bees and chimps challenge the long-held assumption that only humans can learn from innovative peers

Contrary to popular lore, insects do not confuse artificial light for the moon

Russia makes up nearly half the terrestrial Arctic, but global collaboration with researchers there has ground to a halt since the invasion of Ukraine

These projected findings about depopulation in U.S. cities are shaped by a multitude of factors, including the decline of industry, lower birth rates and the impacts of climate change

In combat veterans, a single dose of ibogaine improved symptoms of TBI, PTSD, depression and anxiety

A new thermal transistor can control heat as precisely as an electrical transistor can control electricity

For the first time, researchers have used behavioral measures, brain imaging and molecular biology to test how odorless chemicals from human tears affect people

A subset of exceptional pooches can identify by name more than 100 different objects, mostly toys

As interest and support for psychedelic research grows, scientists share their hopes for the future.

Psychedelic researchers are engaged in heated debate over whether the mind-altering effects of the drugs are necessary for realizing their therapeutic potential.