Noam Chomsky on Trump, Climate Change, and Journalism
Renowned linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky predicted the rise of a figure like Donald Trump six years ago. Journalists, pollsters, and pundits, on the other hand, dismissed that...
View ArticleEducation and Automation: Tools for Navigating a Sea of Fake News
"Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector operating inside him," Ernest Hemingway said back in 1965. "It also should have a manual drill and a crank handle in case the machine breaks...
View ArticleAbstracts: Coal Plant Emissions, Women in Science, and More
President-elect Trump’s plan to revitalize the coal industry is bad news for sea life. In light of his election, nearly 9,000 female scientists have signed an open letter to combat discrimination and...
View ArticleFor All They Know
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan — a mass poisoning rife with narratives of social injustice, bigotry, and regulatory ineptitude — belies a less frequently explored truth: Government officials and...
View ArticleAbstracts: HIV, Standing Rock, Spacecraft, and More
Scientists test the next iteration of HIV vaccines in hopes of preventing the disease in Africa. North Dakota's governor issues an emergency evacuation for Standing Rock protesters, but says they will...
View ArticleUndark Podcast #9: The Flint Water Crisis & More
Join our podcast host David Corcoran as he discusses Undark's recent deep dive into the continuing problems with water in Flint, Michigan — and around the country — with Steve Friess. Also: journalism...
View ArticleThe Ancient Magic Power of Alien Creatures from the 17th Dimension
The only science behind the Q-Ray bracelet, sold on late-night television as a cure-all for everything from headaches to sciatica, was that of the placebo effect: the potency of beliefs to trigger...
View ArticleAbstracts: Amazon Deforestation, Martin Shkreli, Pipelines, and More
This week, a group of high school students in Australia recreated Martin Shkreli's Daraprim for just $2 a pill. Illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is the highest it’s been since 2008. The...
View ArticlePrecious Cargo: The Endangered Species Act and the Case of the Yerkes Chimps
The recent arrival of seven former research chimpanzees at a British zoo marked the end of a pitched battle to block the transaction. But in allowing the shipment, a federal judge also issued a rebuke...
View ArticleThis Price Is Not Right
The head of the Department of Health and Human Services has a moral responsibility to care for all people. Based on his track record, U.S. Rep. Tom Price — an orthopedic surgeon himself, as well as a...
View ArticleAbstracts: Fentanyl, Dakota Access, Elements, and More
After months of protests, the U.S. Army Corps denied a key permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that is now the leading cause of fatal overdoses in many areas — is...
View ArticleFive Questions for Judith Edersheim
In this installment of the Undark Five, we asked Judith Edersheim, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and also a lawyer who specializes in forensic evaluations, what brain...
View ArticleGood for the Heart, Good for the Brain
Just as public health campaigns on the benefits of diet, exercise, and quitting smoking have raised awareness that reducing heart disease risk is at least partly within our control, experts say more...
View ArticleA Taste of the House Science Committee’s Twitter Feed
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology took heat last week for tweeting a nonsense climate story by Breitbart News. It has posted twice from that source in the past three months and its...
View ArticleHow to Beat a Fingerprint Scanner
A delicate 3D-printed skin that slips over a user's hand has been shown to trick fingerprint scanners. Although this technology could potentially be used to breach security systems, the presence of...
View ArticleAbstracts: John Glenn, Scott Pruitt, Ancient Eclipses, and More
John Glenn, retired astronaut and senator, has died at age 95. President-elect Trump’s expected pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, a climate...
View ArticleOil and Water
Over 70,000 miles of crude oil pipelines spread like vasculature across the United States. Some of it, like the contentious Dakota Access pipeline, is new and outfitted with the latest safety...
View ArticleA Dubious Golden Elixir
In parts of India, where cows are revered, their urine is thought to have healing powers. Studies investigating these claims come mainly from Indian researchers and their work is rarely published in...
View ArticleAbstracts: Monkeys, Silly Putty, Marijuana, and More
Scientists suspect that, with the proper brain circuitry, monkeys could talk. Silly Putty makes for a fun toy, but an even better addition to heart monitors. Italy's prime minister retires, and...
View ArticleJust Warming Up
Scientists say the stakes for climate research have never been higher. But by questioning employees of the Department of Energy and installing climate skeptics and fossil fuel executives to lead the...
View Article