Scientists Aim To Pull Peer Review Out Of The 17th Century
Some scientists want to change the old-fashioned way scientific advancements are evaluated and communicated. But they have to overcome the power structure of the traditional journal vetting process.
Would College Students Retain More If Professors Dialed Back The Pace?
Why do we forget so much of what we read? Anthropologist Barbara J. King suggests that the answer might point toward benefits of a slower pace of teaching in the college classroom.
Precision Medical Treatments Have A Quality Control Problem
The goal is to customize treatments for cancer and other diseases to a patient's own biology. But something as simple as failing to take care of tissue samples en route to the lab can derail that.
Climate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding Cuts
After years of budget and political pressure, some climate scientists are changing the way they describe their research, and avoiding the term "climate change."
New Study Highlights Strong Link Between Basic Research And Inventions
A big waste of money or the engine of marketplace innovation? That's how some people see basic scientific research. Now a new study shows how basic research and inventions are connected.
As machine learning surpasses human intelligence, where does that leave us? This hour, TED speakers explore ideas about the exciting — and terrifying — future of human-robot collaboration.
How A Budget Squeeze Can Lead To Sloppy Science And Even Cheating
The hypercompetitive world of biomedical research occasionally drives scientists to cheat. More often, scientists make decisions that undercut their results. That can lead colleagues astray.
U.S. taxpayers pay $30 billion a year to fund biomedical research aimed at finding better treatments. But competition for scarce funding and tenure may be prompting some scientists to cut corners.
Vera Rubin, Who Confirmed Existence Of Dark Matter, Dies At 88
The astrophysicist's groundbreaking research on spiral galaxies provided evidence of invisible dark matter. She was a pioneer in an era when women were excluded from many astronomy programs.
Merging Career And Motherhood, In Simultaneous Practice
Psychologist Tania Lombrozo and a colleague, both moms, built an academic conference keeping in mind parents who are trying to juggle the competing demands of caregiving and professional advancement.
Scientists Say It's Time To End 'Parachute Research'
Researchers drop in. They take specimens. And they head home and don't share. That's no way to fight an epidemic. Can they do things differently when it comes to Zika?