Psychology
The Evolutionary Reasons We Are Drawn to Horror Movies and Haunted Houses
Scary play lets people—and other animals—rehearse coping skills for disturbing challenges in the real world
Latest Stories
Aerospace
What It Takes to Grow Crystals in Space
Researcher Debbie G. Senesky builds materials that can work on Venus
Medicine
How New Advances in Organ Transplants Are Saving Lives
Advances are increasing the supply of organs. But this isn’t enough. Enter the genetically modified donor pig
Behavior
See How Humans around the World Spend the 24 Hours in a Day
A new study calculated the average “global human day,” revealing which activities take up most of our time
Evolution
The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong
The influential idea that in the past men were hunters and women were not isn’t supported by the available evidence
Culture
Science News Briefs from around the World: November 2023
Coral trysts by moonlight in French Polynesia, polluted Antarctic wilderness, mummified bees in Portugal, and more in this month’s Quick Hits
Arts
Why Settling Mars Is a Terrible Idea
The downsides of spacefaring, infiltrating Florida’s gator poachers, and more books out this month
Arts
Wildlife Poop Is the Climate Solution You’ve Never Heard Of
A new book reveals the surprising roles of wildlife scat
Public Health
What Went Wrong with a Highly Publicized COVID Mask Analysis?
The Cochrane Library, a trusted source of health information, misled the public by prioritizing rigor over reality
Culture
Readers Respond to the June 2023 Issue
Letters to the editors for the June 2023 issue of Scientific American
