Commentary / World Jan 8, 2018
Food science caught between the head and the heart
"Heart-healthy" foods could be bad for the brain, new research suggests. What's a careful eater to do?
Faye Flam
For Faye Flam's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Commentary / World Dec 30, 2017
Benjamin Franklin's guide to spotting quacks
Benjamin Franklin's classic test of "mesmerism" was an early win for experimental psychology.
Commentary / World Dec 28, 2017
Science stories you might have missed in 2017
Birds barter shrewdly, brainless jellyfish sleep and researchers raise their statistical standards.
Commentary / World Dec 12, 2017
How not to get fooled by the world's randomness
There's a common thread to the dubious claims and irreproducible results that have plagued some fields of science — illusory patterns in the randomness of our world.
Commentary / World Nov 25, 2017
Take hypertension news with a grain of salt
U.S. doctors may be changing how they define hypertension, but the need to exercise and eat less junk food remain the best ways to fight off high blood pressure.
Commentary / World Oct 30, 2017
Giant pumpkins a marvel of science
Record-breaking pumpkins have long since passed the ton mark, and they get bigger every year. The only constraint may be the laws of physics.
Commentary / World Sep 16, 2017
Is curiosity a casualty of the post-truth era?
Commentary / World Sep 5, 2017
Most Americans are a little too relaxed about nukes
A new survey has revealed that Americans are surprisingly willing to make a first nuclear strike — and kill millions of civilians abroad.
Commentary / World Aug 1, 2017
Big data offers big promise in medicine
In handling some kinds of life-or-death medical judgments, computers have already surpassed the abilities of doctors.
Commentary / World May 31, 2017
Nuclear war could come with a flub, not a bang
There are no smart ways to start a nuclear war, but there are an infinite variety of stupid ones.