Science

It's Okay to be Smart (www.itsokaytobesmart.com)

A PhD biologist and science writer. He also hosts PBS's "It's Okay to be Smart" PBS series. In this blog, he examines all aspects of life through a scientific lens.

• Where Did Life Come From?I just realized how long it’s been...
• What Is Luck?Is luck real? Sometimes it might feel like there’s...
• itsokaytobesmart: Seer of SeersSage of Sages Prognosticator of...
• How LEGO Helps Blind People SeeI’ve been a LEGO maniac...
• What happens to a video after it gets uploaded to...
• Meet the Donald Trump caterpillar!I took a trip to the Peruvian...
• This protoplasm was apparently predicting the state of the world...
• I’ve got a NEW VIDEO up on It’s Okay To Be Smart!Why do more...

Smithsonian (www.si.edu)

The gold standard in scientific news and education.

• Thousand-Year-Old Rock Art Likely Served as a Gathering Point for Llama Caravans Crossing the Andes
• Google's New AI Is a Master of Games, but How Does It Compare to the Human Mind?
• China Launches First Mission to Land on the Far Side of the Moon
• The Ten Best Science Books of 2018
• Like Whales and Dolphins, Prehistoric 'Fish Lizards' Kept Warm With Blubber
• The Complicated History of the Human and Elephant Relationship
• Asteroid Sample-Return Mission Arrives to Collect Primordial Rocks of the Solar System
• What's New, and What's Not, in the Reported Birth of the CRISPR Babies

Science Blogs (scienceblogs.com)

Compiles over 60 science bloggers. It covers a huge variety of scientific issues from different, brillaint perspectives.

• Torturing more mice in the name of antivaccine pseudoscience, 2017 aluminum edition
• NASA team provides free satellite public health data to researchers and communities
• There's no place like home (for now)

Institute of Physics (www.iopblog.org)

Official blog of the institute of physics; don't expect any frills here, just a discussion of physics from a very professional perspective.

• IOP at Science and the Parliament 2018
• Teaching physics: spending my days talking about a subject I love
• The seven winners of the IOP’s 2018 Teachers of Physics Awards are named
• Physics-based companies receive IOP Business Awards at parliamentary event
• Teaching physics: I’ve already made magnetic ferro-fluid and squishy Play-Doh circuits!

Reddit Science (www.reddit.com)

Redditors share scientific stories, the latest research, and to discuss it all.

• The analysis of the world's most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor, conducted by a research collaboration, offers conclusive evidence that human ancestors became efficient upright walkers while they were still substantially tree dwelling animals
• A study by Swansea University has revealed that the use of contract cheating, where students pay someone else to write their assignments, is rising rapidly around the world. The study analysed 71 survey samples from 65 studies dating back as far as 1978, covering 54,514 participants.
• Researchers have shed light on how catnip—also known as catmint—produces the chemical that sends cats into a state of wanton abandon. The substance that triggers this state of feline ecstasy is called nepetalactone, a type of chemical called a terpene
• Our future on Earth may also be our past. In a study, researchers show that humans are reversing a long-term cooling trend tracing back at least 50 million years. And it's taken just two centuries
• Approx 10% of intratumoral T-cells recognize​ autologous tumour
• New species of fruit fly from North America described
• Black hole research could someday prove expansion of the universe is driven by its steady increase in complexity
• Humans are reversing a long-term cooling trend tracing back at least 50 million years, and it’s taken just two centuries. Without reductions in our GHG emissions, our climates by 2150 could compare to the warm and mostly ice-free Eocene, an epoch that characterized the globe 50 million years ago.

Retractiion Watch (retractionwatch.com)

Publishes news of scientific journal retractions. The goal is to keep scientific journalists improving.

• Prominent psychologist at Cornell notches second retraction
• Weekend reads: Prominent doctors who don’t disclose conflicts, and the journals that enable them; a “nudge” study faces scrutiny
• Authors try to duplicate bad data, fail miserably
• Researchers retract PNAS paper when they realize they’d been victims of an antibiotic switcheroo
• The Joy of Cooking, vindicated: Journal retracts two more Brian Wansink papers
• Pair of nanotech researchers up to at least two dozen retractions
• Former Colorado “golden boy” earns three-year ban on Federal funding
• A colleague included plagiarized material in your grant proposal. Are you liable?

Mind Hacks (mindhacks.com)

Run by a neuroscientist and a cognitive scientist, and they definitely have fun in this blog about the mind.

• The Choice Engine
• After the methods crisis, the theory crisis
• Open Science Essentials: Preprints
• Believing everyone else is wrong is a danger sign
• Review: John Bargh’s “Before You Know It”
• Did the Victorians have faster reactions?
• spaced repetition & Darwin’s golden rule
• A graph that is made by perceiving it

The Loom (phenomena.nationalgeographic.com)

Carl ZImmer, contributer to New York Times and National Geographic runs this blog, which covers a variety of scientific issues.

• The map that popularized the word ‘gerrymander’
• Watch What Happens When Scavengers Find a Several-Ton Carcass
• Gorgeous Panoramic Paintings of National Parks Now Online
• Delusions of Infestation Aren't as Rare as You'd Think
• Explore Historic Mount Everest Expeditions Through National Geographic Maps
• Explore 100 Years of National Geographic Pull-Out Maps
• Discover Fascinating Vintage Maps From National Geographic's Archives
• How an Obscure Religious Sect Mapped the Cosmos

Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com)

Offers regular updates on scientific research. Besides traditional scientific topics, they also have a fun "quirks" page that looks at the quirkier science news.

• Increased risk for breast cancer after childbirth may last more than 20 years
• Lifespan extension at low temperatures is genetically controlled
• Small and isolated habitat patches crucial to species survival
• Reducing variations in feeding practices and fortifying breast milk helps micro-preemies grow
• Ocean fertilization by unusual microbes extends to frigid waters of Arctic Ocean
• New study finds bias against women and girls when intellectual ability is sought
• Shape-shifting origami could help antenna systems adapt on the fly
• Rapid genetic evolution linked to lighter skin pigmentation

Last Word on Nothing (www.lastwordonnothing.com)

It Began as a project among many scientists to write stories. Their work covers both sciecne and the art of science writing.

• Slow comet
• Oh, To Follow the Road That Leads Away From Everything
• How much does it cost to save a species? Less than you might think.
• Little Lights
• Redux: Sleep Aids
• They Paved the Maya World and Put Up a Parking Lot
• The End of Animal Farming? A Q&A with Jacy Reese
• I Was Going to Write This Post

Thirty-Seven (thirtyseven.scientopia.org)

Run by Raychelle Burks, Thirty Seven examines crime, chemistry, and culture.

• I created the DIY Science Zone™ in 2013. Where is the #DIYscizone going next?
• UPDATED! My adventures in green screen sci-comm
• Cracked chemical mysteries for #NationalChemistryWeek!
• Why I love @GeekGirlCon's #DIYscizone
• Have I got a #chemistry story for you!
• Back to school: Ally Edition
• What I'm up to at #CVG2015
• Google autofill: Are chemists...?

PLOS Blogs (blogs.plos.org)

Brings together staff writers and independent writers to cover a diverse array of science issues.

• CSI Tromsø: Where Forensics meets Vikings
• PLOS Update
• Gordon Research Conference on Craniofacial Morphogenesis and Tissue Regeneration (February 11 – 16, 2018): Licia Selleri & Ophir Klein
• The Nexus of Data and Community: How Partnership Can Close Achievement Gaps
• Conflicts didn’t kill me, but made me stronger
• The Unitary Fund: a no-strings attached grant program for Open Source quantum computing
• “We need to commit to and invest in the changes we seek”: Insights from the MSF Scientific Research Day
• Meet our Editor-in-Chief at #ACSBOSTON in August | Booth 712

Science Mag (www.sciencemag.org)

Keeps you up to date on the latest science news.

• This 8000-year-old ‘gum’ holds surprises about ancient toolmakers
• Female frogs prefer city slickers
• EPA science adviser allowed industry group to edit journal article
• Dog research at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gets formal review
• Ebola vaccine is having ‘major impact’ but Congo outbreak may still explode
• Newly discovered pain pathway may help explain why animal tests fail to reveal the best painkillers
• Just thinking you have poor endurance genes changes your body
• Trump administration has quietly barred NIH scientists from acquiring fetal tissue

Discover Magazine (discovermagazine.com)

Brings you news and features on all things science.

• A Woman's Uterus May Play a Role in Memory and Cognition
• Can We Blame Our Genes for Our Decisions?
• What Does Mars Sound Like? InSight Just Recorded Martian Wind
• Get Out and Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower This Week
• After More Than 40 Years, Voyager 2 Has Gone Interstellar
• NASA Releases First Data from OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Mission
• SNAPSHOT: Scientists Make Lava, Then Blow It Up
• Why You Shouldn't Worry Too Much About Designer Babies