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The weirdest things we learned this week: the origin of moron, forgotten scurvy cures, and bisexual space stations
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The weirdest things we learned this week: the origin of moron, forgotten scurvy cures, and bisexual space stations

Our editors scrounged up some truly bizarre facts.

Researchers may finally know what’s causing the mysterious polio-like illness in kids
Diseases

Researchers may finally know what’s causing the mysterious polio-like illness in kids

A new study adds weight to a growing body of evidence that a virus may be causing acute flaccid myelitis.

Boeing’s new fighter jet trainer features stadium seating and touchscreens
Aviation

Boeing’s new fighter jet trainer features stadium seating and touchscreens

Whether in World War II or the 21st century, elite pilots have honed their skills in training aircraft.

The government’s plan to collect migrant DNA could send us down a slippery slope for surveillance
Security

The government’s plan to collect migrant DNA could send us down a slippery slope for surveillance

This is the first time the U.S. will mass test people who've never been accused of a crime.

Baseball’s black magic: How psychology, math, and culture created a curse-ridden sport
Psychology

Baseball’s black magic: How psychology, math, and culture created a curse-ridden sport

From the Curse of the Billy Goat to the disrepute of Steve Bartman, one Cubs fan dissects the strange science behind her team’s superstitions.

Uninsured children are still less likely to get vaccinated
Vaccines

Uninsured children are still less likely to get vaccinated

Kids who had private insurance were more likely to be up to date on their vaccines by their second birthday than those who were uninsured or eligible for Medicaid.

Ohio opioid trials end quickly with a $260-million settlement—but the national lawsuit rolls on
Health

Ohio opioid trials end quickly with a $260-million settlement—but the national lawsuit rolls on

The deal did not require any admission of guilt by any of the companies.

The Forest Service wants to open 9.2 million acres to potential logging. Here’s your chance to say something about it.
Land

The Forest Service wants to open 9.2 million acres to potential logging. Here’s your chance to say something about it.

The announcement came just days after a report of a $600-million loss from logging operations in the Tongass National Forest.

Stigma against polyamory could put families’ health at risk
Health

Stigma against polyamory could put families’ health at risk

Nevertheless, research shows polyam families offer serious benefits to their kids.

How to stay safe around moose
Life Skills

How to stay safe around moose

Don't end up on a wild moose chase.

How microgrids could protect California from blackouts during fire season
Energy

How microgrids could protect California from blackouts during fire season

These systems can build resiliency in a state increasingly prone to destructive wildfires.

The artist responsible for those gold-leafed Nobel portraits would like to paint something other than old white men, please
Science

The artist responsible for those gold-leafed Nobel portraits would like to paint something other than old white men, please

Meet the official portrait artist for the Nobel Prizes.

Naloxone, available as a nasal spray called Narcan
Health

A key tool to fighting the opioid crisis is in short supply

Is a price tag of $40 too high to save a life?

Bed bugs once ate bat blood—so why do they bite us?
Insects

Bed bugs once ate bat blood—so why do they bite us?

The blood sucking critters are not as scary as you might think.

I spent 13 hours trying to make mac and cheese in a bag. It was a disaster.
Projects

I spent 13 hours trying to make mac and cheese in a bag. It was a disaster.

You can't mac this up.

Last week in tech: Google’s Pixel 4, Fortnite’s apocalypse, and space pajamas
Technology

Last week in tech: Google’s Pixel 4, Fortnite’s apocalypse, and space pajamas

All the tech news that's fit to look at on your phone while you avoid your friends and coworkers.

These ancient trilobites are forever frozen in a conga line
Animals

These ancient trilobites are forever frozen in a conga line

We can’t tell if they were dancing, but we can learn something about their social lives—up until their untimely deaths.

Wild burros on a dry lake bed
Animals

Does Death Valley have a wild ass problem?

The national park’s exotic donkeys might not be the nuisance we thought they were.

Here’s how life could thrive on a planet orbiting a black hole—and other alternative suns
Black Holes

Here’s how life could thrive on a planet orbiting a black hole—and other alternative suns

The universe is full of warm bodies. Why should life limit itself to sun-like stars?

Watch the first all-female spacewalk live
International Space Station

Watch the first all-female spacewalk live

NASA will stream the historical event early on Friday morning