Jill Rosen-Johns Hopkins

  • A knot between a blue and orange rope.
    perception

    Test yourself: Most people can’t tell strong knots from weak ones

    Researchers showed people pictures of knots and asked them to point to the strongest one. They couldn't. Can you?
  • A young girl in a red rain coat holds an umbrella, looks upward, and holds out her hand to check for rain.
    learning

    Toddlers get the idea of possibility

    New research suggests "that humans are equipped from the get-go to think about whether things are possible or unlikely or just can't happen."
  • Two robot hands hold onto a suture during a practice session.
    robots

    Robot trained on surgery videos performs as well as human docs

    A breakthrough training system that uses imitation learning opens a "new frontier" in medical robotics, researchers say.
  • A baby sleeps with a mouse stuffed animal toy.
    cognition

    ‘Surprisingly strategic’ mice think like babies

    "...our view is that animals, like humans, can make hypotheses and they can test them and may use higher cognitive processes to do it."
  • Hundreds of silvery mackerel swim in a school through dark blue water.
    fish

    Fish schools are quieter than one fish alone

    A school of fish moving together in just the right way is stunningly stealthy. A new study shows that seven fish sound like just one.
  • smiling person shakes present
    holidays

    Why scientists are interested in shaking presents

    Researchers studying "pragmatic actions" have some timely findings about what we learn when people shake their presents.
  • older man in suit looks unrepentant, smug
    marriage

    Cheating spouses may not feel guilty

    A survey of people using Ashley Madison, a website for facilitating infidelity, didn't turn up much remorse.
  • A young woman in a classroom looks down at a textbook.
    education

    US textbooks skimp on Latino history

    A study of US history textbooks found 87% of key topics in Latino history were either not covered or were mentioned in 5 or fewer sentences.
  • A black and white extreme close-up of a feather showing what look like sharp spikes.
    biomimicry

    ‘Magnificent’ feathers could lead to better water bottles and more

    Male sandgrouse feathers can carry about 15% of the bird's weight in water. The awesome ability could lead to useful bio-inspired creations.
  • A map of the neurons inside an insect's brain.
    brains

    First map of insect brain could shed light on thinking

    Scientists have completed the first ever map of an insect brain. "Everything has been working up to this," says Joshua T. Vogelstein.
  • A green neon sign reads "Beauty salon."
    jobs

    Hairdressers of color are exposed to dangerous chemical mix

    Black and Hispanic hairdressers are exposed to a mixture of chemicals, many of them potentially hazardous and undisclosed on labels.
  • A bright green inchworm arches its body as it moves along a green stalk.
    drug delivery

    Gummy robot does ‘the worm’ when temps change

    A soft robot powered by nothing more than temperature change may one day be able to crawl through the human body to deliver medicine.