(FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology) Spanish epidemiologists and geologists have found associations between esophageal cancer and soils where lead is abundant, lung cancer and terrains with increased copper content, brain tumor with areas rich in arsenic, and bladder cancer with high cadmium levels. These statistical links do not indicate that there is a cause-effect relationship between soil type and cancer, but they suggest that the influence of metals from the earth's […]

(North Carolina State University) Need stronger timber, better biofuels or new sources of green chemicals? A systems biology model developed over decades of research led by NC State University will accelerate progress in engineering trees for specific needs. […]

(Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares) An international research effort led by the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III will receive $1,250,000 (€1,021,250) over the next three years through an award from The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO). HFSPO funds frontier research projects in the life sciences, fostering collaboration between scientists from different countries (or even continents) and working in different […]

(Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science) Using the photo-sharing site Instagram as a test case, Columbia researchers demonstrate how two common recommendation algorithms amplify a network effect known as homophily in which similar or like-minded people cluster together. They further show how algorithms turned loose on a network with homophily effectively make women less visible; they found that the women in their dataset, whose photos were slightly less likely to be […]

(University of Waterloo) Researchers have developed a new way to improve our knowledge of the Big Bang by measuring radiation from its afterglow, called the cosmic microwave background radiation. The new results predict the maximum bandwidth of the universe, which is the maximum speed at which any change can occur in the universe. […]

Mathematical modeling reveals the mechanical forces that guide the development of mollusk spirals, spines and ribs -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com […]

The University of Washington mathematician talks trees, lattices and a plucky constant that seems to show up everywhere -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com […]

Sara N. Hottinger’s thoughtful book addresses Western cultural narratives about who does mathematics -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com […]

A column about the surprising cultural, structural, philosophical, and mystical features common to mathematics and food -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com […]

The tortured psyche of a misunderstood solid -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com […]