These drugs act primarily on the serotonin system, which is implicated in autism, and many people report positive effects — but researchers have more questions than answers || Spectrum
Jacob and Karsten Kirk, twins from Copenhagen, spent 40 years devising a method to grow these mushrooms || The New York Times
Animal welfare researchers are getting creative to pin down subjective experiences || Science News
Chemists look to adapt green infrastructure to manage emerging contaminants || Chemical & Engineering News
In a few classrooms, robots attend for children ailing at home. A researcher wants to know how to make the devices better || Science
Protein might dramatically boost recovery after an ICU stay, but clinicians are just learning how to study its effects. || Undark
Studying the vaccine in dogs could give insight into its effectiveness in people. || ACS Central Science
Research on early-life adversity should pay more attention to the perspective of children themselves. || Knowable Magazine
Q&A with John Constantino || Spectrum
… morels and meaning || The Last Word On Nothing
Machine learning tools that parse animals’ social interactions may boost reproducibility in behavior research || Spectrum
An emerging branch of neuroscience asks a question long on the minds of researchers. Recent stimulus payments make the study more relevant. || The New York Times
Gassy chemicals may tell tales of coral health and climate change. || Hakai Magazine
Research using pet dogs as animal models of cancer is helping to inform treatments for human patients — and vice versa. || Lab Animal
Ferris Jabr follows a forest ecologist into the woods to listen to the conversations that happen above and below ground || Nieman Storyboard
A new type of sensor may help solve a puzzling cellular phenomenon || Scientific American
Misoprostol can prevent and treat postpartum haemorrhage. But because it can also cause abortions, availability of the cheap medication is often tightly restricted. || Nature Outlook
Yes - even you. || SELF.com
A recently recognized biophysical feature in the fluid of living cells has biologists thinking afresh about how cells carve up their space || Knowable Magazine
Chemists explore the role of intrinsically disordered proteins in the origins of life. || ACS Central Science
Scientists want to understand how viruses like SARS-CoV-2 make these so-called zoonotic jumps to help spot the next big outbreak || Chemical & Engineering News
Seismologist Lucy Jones mixes an "alchemy" of hard data and compelling imagery to relay messages about risk and response || Nieman Storyboard
As metagenomics advances, virus hunters are finding novel infections in colonies of laboratory mice across the world. || Lab Animal
Teaching children to respect pets’ feelings and needs will help establish a safe environment for all. || The New York Times
These biomolecules could hold clues to why the virus is so infectious and to how to stop it || Chemical & Engineering News
Probiotics, sensors, and MOFs are among technologies that could keep herds healthy as industry turns away from antibiotics || Chemical & Engineering News
A new study offers insight into the lives lost when Italy’s Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. || SAPIENS
Artificial wombs may give premature babies a better chance of survival. But could they transform reproductive rights too? || BBC Focus
Access to medicines is uneven around the world. Innovative chemical synthesis and engineering technologies could have a profound leveling effect. || The Moonshot Catalog
Carbon monoxide can be deadly, but it also has remarkable healing properties. Scientists need a good way of delivering it to the body. || Chemical & Engineering News
Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot. || Knowable Magazine
A scholarship led Firas Jumaah to graduate studies at Lund University, which then saved him and his family from Islamic State militants || Chemical & Engineering News
Cleverly designed artificial lighting can sidestep negative effects on the body’s circadian clock, and might even bring health benefits. || Nature Outlook
Using the sustainable and ancient method of coppicing, evergreen Christmas trees can be regrown indefinitely || Smithsonian.com
New technologies to predict spoilage time could slash the massive waste between farm and fork || Knowable Magazine
It depends on what you mean by a wellness program. Offerings by companies are all over the map, but most are skimpy and scattershot. It takes more than that to boost employees’ health or a company’s bottom line. || Knowable Magazine
Chemical ecologist Shannon Olsson and neuroscientist Karin Nordström employ 3-D printing and virtual reality to answer pressing questions about pollinators || Chemical & Engineering News
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Bikini Atoll are still devoid of humans. But without the threat of our presence, could wildlife thrive in a radioactive environment? || BBC Focus
Profiles of scientists in the golden years of their careers take the measure of a life in science and reveal the motivations that have guided their work. Here’s how to ask questions to elicit the details as well as the big ideas || The Open Notebook
Tests for unusual behavior in mice are notoriously prone to operator error. Many scientists conduct or interpret them incorrectly, and the problems then taint the literature. || Spectrum
In theory, innovative techniques using stem cells, computer modelling and 3D-printing could reduce the number of animals used in medical research. But in practice, the picture is more complicated. || BBC Focus
Autism researchers are using gene editing to move from mice to monkeys and thereby improve model validity. But old challenges remain, and new concerns await. || Lab Animal
Genetically engineered gut bacteria hold promise for safe, targeted therapies || Knowable
Researchers are finally getting the tools to understand just how the microbial communities in and on our bodies affect health. But there are many mysteries left to solve — and many technological challenges. || Knowable
New nanothermometry techniques give cell biologists ways to measure temperature at the subcellular level || Chemical & Engineering News
The evolution of animal models for drugs to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions || Nautilus
Researchers use cheese, kombucha, and kimchi to study the ecology of relationships within microbial communities || PNAS Front Matter
Despite decades of research into chemical communication, scientists are no closer to determining whether a human pheromone exists || Chemical & Engineering News
How 'sham' brain surgery could be killing off valuable therapies for Parkinson's disease. || Nature
Proteins work like rigid keys to activate cellular functions — or so everyone thought. Scientists are discovering a huge number of proteins that shape-shift to do their work, upending a century-old maxim of biology. || Quanta
Neuroscientists are investigating whether growing up poor shapes children’s brains in ways that might also shape their lives. || PNAS Front Matter
Spinning off stories from a work-in-progress ranks among freelancers’ top underused skill sets. Here’s how you can make it happen. || The Open Notebook