In the U.S., life expectancy is nearly six years older for women than it is for men. And this happens throughout the world. Women's higher life expectancy is attributed to a number of factors, including men's greater risk of heart disease due to a lack of estrogen, the fact that men take bigger risks, are more likely to smoke and drink and drive, and that men are more likely to die by suicide. These are just a few of the reasons why females tend to outlive males. And it’s also true of other s ...read more

Therapy comes in many different forms, but one growing field of study has researchers committed to alleviating patients’ problems with the help of psychedelic substances. Treatments with substances like psilocybin, (a psychedelic compound in certain species of fungi, or “magic mushrooms”), MDMA (known as “ecstasy”), LSD (known as “acid”), and ayahuasca have been studied for potential benefits that may relieve conditions such as depression, PTSD, and addictions. In this emerging br ...read more

Sperm whales live in the depths of the ocean. They dive as deep as 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet) to forage and spend only about 10 minutes of every hour on the surface. Their world is cold and dark, an environment other mammals would find extremely hostile. “Sperm whales have evolved to adapt to a niche that is about as alien from our own as is possible to get without leaving the planet,” says Luke Rendell, biologist and co-founder of the Dominica Sperm Whale Project.Here’s some of what ...read more

A cave in Israel may have once been a ritualistic gathering site for early humans some 35,000 years ago, likely making it the earliest ritual site in Southwest Asia. The multifaceted research team found the ritualistic evidence in Manot Cave — a famous excavation site in Galilee, Israel. The cave is most notable for the discovery of a 55,000-year-old humanoid skull by a team from Case Western Reserve. The skull helped provide evidence that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred.The cave provi ...read more

In September 2024, a river otter dragged a child underwater at a marina in Bremerton, Washington. While the child escaped with scratches and bites, this has not been the only attack recorded of the incredibly cute river otter.“They’ll protect their mates, they’ll protect their young — they are like humans,” says Carin Wittnich, a senior scientist at the Oceanographic Environmental Research Society, a Canadian charity that focuses on aquatic species research.Otter attacks can occur beca ...read more

Centuries ago, Homo sapiens and varieties of archaic humans lived in their own enclaves throughout different parts of the world. Before we spread to the corners of each continent, our original stomping grounds were in Africa. But as we were evolving there between 200,000 years and 30,000 years ago, who had been occupying the other continents? A few thousand miles north of where our species took shape, another archaic human group called Eurasia home: Neanderthals. From England to Central Asia, N ...read more

Spices bring up feelings of comfort, cultural belonging, and holidays. They can make our homes smell amazing and our food taste delicious. They can satisfy our cravings, expand our culinary horizons, and help us eat things that we might normally dislike. Spices have health-enhancing properties and, in medicine, have been used to heal people since ancient times.Recently, however, spices have been getting a bad rep.In September 2024, Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization created to inform con ...read more

Are you looking for gift ideas for that curious person in your life...or yourself?Check out these tools for birdwatchers, skygazers, and weather enthusiasts. They relate to projects on SciStarter that help advance research.These are gifts that keep on giving!Credit: Hachette PublishingWant to get your friends and family hooked on citizen science? The Field Guide to Citizen Science, co-authored by SciStarter founder Darlene Cavalier, is an accessible introduction. It contains tips on getting star ...read more

It’s estimated that 10 million Americans — and many more worldwide — suffer from a condition known as lymphedema — a swelling of various parts of the body caused by fluid blockage in the lymphatic system.Like many health conditions, lymphedema and lymphatic blockage are the targets of various consumer products that claim to provide relief and improvement in symptoms. Devices that range from pumps to vibration plates can be bought and used by anyone, but do these products actually work? A ...read more

Parents of angsty teens have almost certainly heard this line at least once: I didn’t ask to be born.For fish embryos, communication about their impending birth appears quite the opposite. A report in Science details how fish-in-the-making play an active role in determining their delivery.A Fish Embryo Decides When to HatchSuch timing is crucial to baby fish — indeed, to all egg-laying species. Controlling one’s own hatch ensures that the embryo emerges as a newborn, fully developed and re ...read more