When you think about housework, you likely think of actions: scrubbing the dishes, running errands, chopping vegetables for dinner. And it’s not news to say that mothers often shoulder the burden[1] for most of those activities.
But there’s an invisible dimension of household labor that unfolds behind the scenes: the cognitive effort that...
A surprising technique has helped scientists observe how Earth’s oceans are changing, and it’s not using specialized robots or artificial intelligence. It’s tagging seals.
Several species of seals live around and on Antarctica and regularly dive more than 100 meters in search of their next meal. These seals are experts at swimming...
Cheese is a relatively simple food. It’s made with milk, enzymes – these are proteins that can chop up other proteins – bacterial cultures and salt. Lots of complex chemistry goes into the cheesemaking process[1], which can determine whether the cheese turns out soft and gooey like mozzarella or hard and fragrant like Parmesan.
In...
As a species, humans like to think that we are fully in control of our decisions and behavior. But just below the surface, forces beyond our conscious control influence how we think and behave: our genes.
Since the 1950s[1], scientists have been studying the influences genes have on human health[2]. This has led medical professionals,...