Narcissistic people aren't just full of themselves – new research finds they're more likely to be aggressive and violent

A meta-analysis of 437 studies found that egomaniacs aren't just a bummer – they can be dangerous, too.

Sophie Kjaervik, PhD Student in Communication, The Ohio State University • conversation
May 25, 2021 ~5 min

Shape-shifting computer chip thwarts an army of hackers

Most computer security focuses on software, but computer processors are vulnerable to hackers, too. An experimental secure processor changes its underlying structure before hackers can figure it out.

Lauren Biernacki, Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science & Engineering, University of Michigan • conversation
May 20, 2021 ~6 min


How to use statistics to prepare for the next pandemic

Many governments, including the US, already collect and make public population statistics that could help them prepare for the next pandemic.

R. Alexander Bentley, Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee • conversation
May 18, 2021 ~6 min

DNA 'Lite-Brite' is a promising way to archive data for decades or longer

DNA has been storing vast amounts of biological information for billions of years. Researchers are working to harness DNA for archiving data. A new method uses light to simplify the process.

Luca Piantanida, Post-Doctoral Research Scientist in Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University • conversation
May 10, 2021 ~5 min

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

Using the incredible wealth of fossil data and a modern ecological theory, researchers estimated population density for the extinct apex predator.

Daniel Varajão de Latorre, Ph.D. Student in Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
April 16, 2021 ~6 min

Astrocyte cells in the fruit fly brain are an on-off switch that controls when neurons can change and grow

Adaptable neurons are tied to learning and memory but also to neurological disorders. By studying fruit flies, researchers found a mechanism that controls neuroplasticity.

Sarah DeGenova Ackerman, Postdoctoral Fellow, UO Institute of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon • conversation
April 12, 2021 ~6 min

Poorer and minority older adults are suspicious of the US health care system – a new study shows why

The findings suggest that many Black and Hispanic Americans don't believe health care providers are listening to them.

Jane Tavares, Research Fellow, LeadingAge LTSS Center, University of Massachusetts Boston • conversation
April 1, 2021 ~9 min

In fish, parents' stressful experiences influence offspring behavior via epigenetic changes

A parent's or grandparent's stressful experiences change how their offspring behave. And it turns out that moms' experiences produce different changes in kids than dads'.

Jennifer Hellmann, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Dayton • conversation
March 30, 2021 ~5 min


Sperm from older rats passes on fewer active genes to offspring because of epigenetic changes

Male rats transfer different hereditary information to their offspring depending on their age.

Alexander Suvorov, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst • conversation
March 16, 2021 ~5 min

Sewage-testing robots process wastewater faster to predict COVID-19 outbreaks sooner

A community's wastewater can predict coronavirus cases that haven't yet been diagnosed. The quicker that information is known, the better.

Rob Knight, Professor of Pediatrics and Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego • conversation
March 11, 2021 ~5 min

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