Science

National Magazine Samples:

• Darwin in Love. Charles Darwin, who of all people should have known better, married his first cousin. Did his love for Emma color his later works?

• The Brain Science Behind Conspiracy Theories. It might not be a lack of intelligence that leads many to believe wild—and wildly inaccurate—information, but instead our mind’s way of protecting us from feelings of isolation and despair.

• Bison versus Mammoths: New Culprit in the Disappearance of North America’s Giants. A scientist turns up new clues to the disappearance of North America’s giant beavers, saber-toothed cats and other large mammals.

• Outsmarting Dengue Fever. Why one scientist is vaccinating mosquitoes, not patients.

• Corals in Lust. Why they spawn only at twilight, and only a few times a year.

• Beauty and the Beasts. The sight of a pretty woman brings out the war monger in men.

• Hiking Las Vegas. Just a few miles from the perfectly enclosed, artificial worlds of the Strip’s casinos, there lie some beautiful and accessible spectacles of nature.

• Winemaking: Science, Nature, and Fancy Footwork. Each glass tells you something about the wine’s milieu as well as the vintner’s approach.

• A host of articles including many “20 Things You Didn’t Know about…” ones, for Discover Magazine. (Page upon page. Just keep clicking.)

Science-Based Op-Eds:

• All the President’s White Women (NY Daily News)

• Actually, Truth Isn’t Truth (NY Daily News)

• What Would Sigmund Freud Say about Gay Conversion Therapy? (Seattle Times)

• The Supreme Court Meets Sigmund Freud (Chicago Tribune)

Column Samples:

• The Human Animal. Our animal nature is undeniable. Is beastly behavior inevitable?

• Intimacy Across Cultures—and Species. Do rats and pigmy chimps dream of electric kisses?

• The Naked Truth about The Wives of Tall Men. Are they really happier?

• Mean vs. Kind Humor. Louis C. K., the Dobie Gillis show, and borderline personality.

• Tough Love for Dog Lovers. New research shows he (or she) is just not that into you.

• Why Don’t Women Leave Batterers?. Knocks to the head may diminish them so much that they can’t.

• Is America Safer When Good Guys Have Guns?. Homicide data + Crime Victimization Survey Results = Surprise

Video:

• For Beck and Branch, Rebecca produces the Science Bits series.