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Jan 17, 2025 | 
scientificamerican.com | Rachel Feltman |Allison Parshall |Fonda Mwangi
Rachel Feltman: If you stubbed your toe right now, what sound would you make? According to linguists, the chances are pretty good that your answer would be surprisingly similar to the one given by someone on the other side of the planet—even if you speak totally different languages. For Scientific American, I’m Rachel Feltman. I’m here today with our friend Allison Parshall, an associate news editor at Scientific American who often covers biology, health, technology and physics.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
scientificamerican.com | Allison Parshall
Firefighters in southern California are battling the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which have killed at least 25 people, burning a cumulative 37,700 acres and at least 12,000 structures. The plumes of smoke are even visible from space. Residents of many fire-prone areas—as well as those far downwind—have grown familiar with the orange, apocalyptic haze of wildfire smoke as these blazes have become more common because of climate change.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
brnw.ch | Allison Parshall |Jeanna Bryner
When Lene was a child, she took comfort in a strange nighttime routine. While lying in bed just before she fell asleep, her bedroom would begin to warp, and her body would do so along with it. The far wall would stretch away from her head, her legs lengthening to meet it until she felt like she could touch the door with her toe if she tried. And all the while, it seemed as if she was floating in the corner, observing her distorted body.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Rachel Feltman |Allison Parshall |Fonda Mwangi
Rachel Feltman: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, this is Rachel Feltman. If you’re one of the many folks who eagerly awaits the arrival of Spotify Wrapped each December, you might have noticed something a little extra in this year’s drop: an AI-generated “podcast” where two “people” discuss your music preferences and trends.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Allison Parshall
This week the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a case that challenges Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices are considering whether these bans discriminate on the basis of sex under the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
spektrum.de | Allison Parshall
Maschinelle Übersetzung Lesedauer ca. 5 Minuten DruckenTeilen Sprachlaute: Der Ursprung von »Aua«Schmerzen verbinden Kulturen: Sprachübergreifend klingen die Ausrufe nämlich verblüffend ähnlich. Woran liegt das? Exklusive Übersetzung ausDies ist eine maschinell erzeugte Übersetzung eines Artikels der internationalen Partner von Spektrum.de. Er wurde von uns überprüft, jedoch nicht redaktionell bearbeitet. Gerne können Sie uns Ihr Feedback am Ende des Artikels mitteilen.
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Nov 27, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Allison Parshall
What would you say if you suddenly stubbed your toe on a doorframe? Depending on how much it hurt, you might cry out in pain, unleash a stream of expletives—or utter a very specific exclamation, such as “ouch” or “ow.”Most languages have a word that that serves as interjection for expressing pain.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Allison Parshall
The year-end holidays are a time to gather and celebrate with loved ones—and to enjoy rich, delicious foods. But for many people, these special meals come with anxiety and guilt. In a recent survey by Orlando Health, 39 percent of U.S. respondents reported worrying about how much they eat during the holidays. And a quarter agreed they should skip meals to “save” calories before a feast such as Thanksgiving dinner.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Rachel Feltman |Andrea Thompson |Meghan Bartels |Gary Stix |Allison Parshall |Madison Goldberg | +1 more
[CLIP: Theme music]Rachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, this is Rachel Feltman. We usually start off the week with a news roundup, but today we’re doing something a little different. On Friday we talked to a few Scientific American editors about how the upcoming election could impact issues of science and health policy. Today we’re back to hear from a few more SciAm staffers before we run out of time to hit the polls.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
scientificamerican.com | Allison Parshall
Less than a week from Election Day, the polls show U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a dead heat—an unsatisfying result for anyone looking for a way to reduce the suspense. “The stakes are so high,” says David Karpf, who researches technology and elections at George Washington University.
