Stories by David Noonan

The incoming Biden-Harris administration wants to launch a new era in higher education that will make it open to everyone

A new study finds that music and some other human phenomena have altered at a pace comparable to that of animals such as Darwin’s finches

Researchers explore how different cultures respond to the same music

An epidemiologist explores the social and economic roots of the 13,060 firearm-related deaths in 48 states in 2015

Researchers link a Catholic Church ban on cousins marrying in the Middle Ages to the emergence of a way of life that made the West an outlier

Scientists use big data to understand what separates winners from losers

A new study identifies the network dynamics that help neo-Nazis and other extremists survive and thrive on social media—and suggests ways to defeat them

A Rhode Island program to prevent ex-inmate relapses and deaths is working

A scientist leverages big data to pin down precepts that extend beyond the self-help aisle

In the search for electoral fraud, researchers use forensic tool kits to detect statistical signs of ballot stuffing and voter rigging

Fans of this violent music report feelings of transcendence and positive emotions; psychologists want to learn why

New research in mice details the mechanism of how caffeine seems to help the heart

A committed few can influence the many and sweep away social conventions, new research shows

A Kavli Prize–winning scientist details the magic of transforming vibrations into sound in the inner ear

Experts disagree, but a number of experiments could offer insight

How an unlikely clue could help solve the mystery of two devastating disorders

A rigorous study validates a cannabis-derived treatment for a rare, drug-resistant childhood epilepsy

Current medicines fail to relieve seizures in about a third of people with epilepsy. What can be done?

The intuitive reasoning behind “magical thinking” may carry an evolutionary advantage

The go-to stroke drug often fails. Now doctors can slide out brain clots with wires and have new tools for other blockages

From flipping the bird to physical confrontation, aggressive driving has become common, a new report shows. Where does the behavior come from? And can it be quelled? 

A new model calls for monitoring social media terror sympathizers as evolving groups, not individuals

As U.S. policy lurches along, researchers say easing DEA rules could lead to big advances

The cause of migraine headaches has eluded scientists for centuries. Now a theory blaming one nerve has led to drugs that prevent attacks