RealClearScience

"Scientists now know that Neanderthals shared many of the sophisticated abilities of Homo sapiens. So why are we the only humans left standing?" via @nytimes.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/w...

7 surprising habits Cambridge experts swear by to slow cognitive decline. via @sciencefocus.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/7...

"The purchase that Neanderthals have in popular culture—in film, fiction, advertising, and political rhetoric—suggests that our fascination has been mostly about us." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/t...

"As El Niño continues soaring to unrivaled heights, meteorologists are preparing for a winter in the United States that could be just as extraordinary — raising expectations for one of the stormiest seasons in history." via @washingtonpost.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/l...

"We know obesity increases the risk for all sorts of maladies. But according to a new study, carrying extra weight might actually reduce the likelihood of dying from dementia." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/p...

This ancient armored amphibian from the Late Triassic looks like it would fit in Naboo's ocean. via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/27/f...

Unlocking the Secrets of the 'Dragon Man' Skull: "Our analyses showed it was clearly different from fossils of sapiens, neanderthalensis, heidelbergensis and erectus." via @uk.theconversation.com www.realclearscience.com/articles/202...

Why do people who've never smoked get lung cancer? "The disease’s rising incidence among nonsmokers is prompting greater research into its unique characteristics and hopes for more targeted screening and treatment." via @washingtonpost.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/26/w...

Are there more great pyramids hidden in the Amazon? "As recently as 2022, researchers discovered hidden pyramids, some as much as 22m (72ft) tall, hidden in densely forested areas of Bolivia and Ecuador." via @sciencefocus.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/26/t...

Humans over the years have developed strange devices and odd methods to stifle masturbation. via @mcgilloss.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/26/t...

"Scientists have discovered a distinct subtype of cell in the prostate, and it could help solve the mystery of why the gland enlarges with age." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/26/s...

Devin Cooley taught everyone a brief lesson about "flow state" psychology. "I have to let my unconscious brain do the work, because it reacts a lot quicker." via @theathletic.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/26/g...

The Fall of Scientific American: When the beloved science publication got too political, its corporate owners stepped in. Now its future is uncertain. via @thenation.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/24/t...

"This landmark experiment was horrifying. Why is Netflix performing it again? The Stanford Prison Experiment has been rebirthed for your viewing, uh, pleasure." via @washingtonpost.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/24/w...

"The Earth coming to an abrupt stop, as often depicted in viral videos, is inconceivable, according to astrophysicist Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard. The Earth is not a solid lump and that it would break apart if it stopped suddenly." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/24/w...

"An experimental vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna could become the first vaccine of its kind used to treat cancer. Scientists hope it won’t be the last." via @nytimes.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/24/f...

Is greed a mental health condition? "No hormone tells the brain it has accumulated enough, and no fortune is ever too large. That compulsion is the unconstrained pursuit of wealth, and psychiatry has almost nothing to say about it." www.realclearscience.com/articles/202...

What do Zombies have to do with science? More than we may think. A Zombie is a research theme that keeps reproducing and infecting new disciplines even after the premise that first animated it has come under serious doubt. More science monsters here: beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/a-field-gu...

It’s great that CVS feels emboldened to sell both proven medications AND risky pseudomedical garbage. Unfettered capitalism is great. We are all doing great. “Sense of WELL-BEING” Great. Just great. Until some hot wax hits your tympanic membrane.

Lost to Science for 89 Years, a Venomous Primate Has Been Sneaking Into People’s Homes and Gardens. via @gizmodo.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/a...

We should be in an ice age right now. "New research shows that 2,000 years ago, remnants of an Arctic ice sheet began growing again... But by the 1960s, global warming had raised temperatures enough to reverse that growth." - @columbiauniversity.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/w...

"In 2016, John Oliver railed against cherry-picking studies in an excellent segment. But he and his team also have a history of cherry-picking studies to suit their narratives." via @reason.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/j...

Why don't couples have sex? "Interestingly, the most common explanation wasn't a lack of desire, exhaustion, or relationship conflict. More often than not, participants said, "It just didn't happen."" www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/w...

"Could disruptions in the flow of energy through mitochondria cause everything from type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer’s?" via @sciam.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/p...

"The commander of NASA's Artemis II mission briefly feared that he and his crew would never return home from their trip around the moon after overshooting their turn-back point." via @livescience.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/23/t...

"Many Worlds demands that our universe actually be a multiverse. The idea is often considered fringe, even silly. Lately, however, experimental progress has been changing the situation." via @sciam.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/w...

"Did the authors of the Energy Department’s controversial 2025 climate report confuse two layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, and then use faulty analysis to question evidence of anthropogenic climate change?" www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/c...

Can genes help explain who gets divorced? "Sociologist Ruth Eva Jørgensen believes they can. In her doctoral research project, she explored the connection between genetics and relationship breakdown..." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/i...

"Winning entries in the 2026 Nikon Small World competitions reveal the hidden interactions that govern everyday life." via @quantamagazine.org www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/s...

"The biggest question most often asked about dark matter is whether it exists. But astrophysically, we've long moved on to the next step." by @startswithabang.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/a...

"Scientists have used human fossils from Morocco to create a digital face from around 315,000 years ago. The result offers a glimpse of what some of the earliest known members of our species might have looked like." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/22/t...

A Lost Schrödinger Manuscript Reveals a Surprising Twist in Quantum Physics. via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/21/l...

"Earning a higher salary... could gradually reshape who a person is... Increases in income tend to be followed by small increases in reliability and emotional resilience, alongside decreases in sociability and interpersonal warmth." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/21/a...

"Marine populations in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico plummeted by roughly 60 percent in the years following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, with little evidence of recovery, a new study has revealed." via @the-independent.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/21/1...

A hormonal bond between cats and their owners: "Owners with higher oxytocin tended to have cats with higher oxytocin, too. Higher feline oxytocin was also associated with fewer negative emotions and lower cortisol in owners." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/21/c...

"A recent paper in Antiquity reports that an international team of archaeologists has uncovered new evidence challenging longstanding claims that Kushite culture was merely a copy of that of its more famous northern neighbor, ancient Egypt." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/21/a...

Life: "Where did it start? How did it grow complex? Why did it get big? Three moments in Earth’s early history when evolution suddenly, inexplicably turned up the dial." via @nytimes.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/h...

"Among the 377 results that OpenAI announced on October 6, 2026, one stood out. It claimed to settle the “quasi-Riemann hypothesis” — a weaker version of the Riemann hypothesis, which is arguably the biggest open question in math." via @quantamagazine.org www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/t...

Norway's Five Foolish Virgins: " These spectacular standing stones have stood here for more than 1,700 years, concealing treasures from the Roman Empire." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/n...

"In a new study, researchers... in the UK detail some reassuring discoveries that suggest quantum fields could become effectively locked in place, which could help explain why the Universe has remained stable." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/o...

"About a month ago, a Chinese rocket took off from a remote spaceport in the Gobi Desert, released 10 satellites into orbit, then reignited its engine and put itself on a trajectory to rain down debris over the American Midwest." via @arstechnica.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/b...

Russian spacecraft maneuvers in “extreme proximity” to satellite used by Ukraine. It came within 500 meters, and likely much closer. via @arstechnica.com www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/20/r...

"What could the motive be for squeezing protein into everything? Protein sells. The food industry’s high-protein drive is not all part of a plan to fix a diet deficiency. In fact... most of us are already eating too much of it." via @sciencefocus.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/w...

The only way to get rid of rats is to prevent them from coming in the first place. www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/t...

"Self-driving cars promise fewer accidents, fewer injuries, and potentially thousands of lives saved. That sounds like good news for everyone—except perhaps the personal-injury lawyers whose livelihoods depend on crashes and harm." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/w...

"AIs can’t get horny, because they’re just software, lines of code. They don’t have genitals that get hard or wet. They don’t have hormones and other biological stuff that comes to mind when you say “horny.”" via @jhorganism.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/d...

"Earth's core constantly sends chemical messengers up through its layers, including the space-borne ingredients of its birth, locked away for about one-third the lifetime of the Universe." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/e...

Researchers report "that the medication tadalafil, currently prescribed for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, could also boost tissue regeneration and repair in muscles." via @sciencealert.com.web.brid.gy www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/19/a...

"We must confront a tough truth about the celebrated human brain. Stupidity is a normal and expected outcome. Our default settings make falling hard for misperceptions, mistakes, and lies routine." www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/17/s...

"Despite how common psychopathy is, most cases simply go undetected. Many people with psychopathic traits live their entire lives without ever knowing it." via @sciencefocus.bsky.social www.realclearscience.com/2026/10/17/h...