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Ancient anti-starvation mechanism may be driving modern obesity epidemic
By Rich Haridy – What kept our ancient ancestors from starvation may be exactly the same evolutionary mechanism that makes it so hard to lose weight and keep it off now. (Credit: fffranzzz/Depositphotos). A few years ago scientists examined the metabolic activity …
One Personality Trait Is Key to Whether or Not You Should Own a Dog
An animal behaviorist explains the science behind a “dogpersonship.” By Paul McGreevy – The news of a fatal dog-bite incident in Melbourne recently has shocked dog lovers around the country. A 61-year-old man was dead by the time police arrived at the …
‘Forgotten by society’ – how Chinese migrants helped to build the transcontinental railroad
In a new exhibition, the overlooked contribution of Chinese workers is being brought to light for the 150th anniversary of the railroad’s completion. By Nadja Sayej – Tea carrier at tunnel, about 1867. Photograph: Courtesy of Library of Congress When one thinks of …
FaceApp Uncannily Captures These Classic Biological Signs of Aging
A guide to what it is, exactly, that makes faces look so old. By Emma Betuel – This week, celebrities ranging from the Jonas Brothers to Ludacris gave us a peek into what they might look like in old age, all with the …
A.I. is translating messages of long-lost languages
MIT and Google researchers use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. By Paul Ratner – MIT and Google researchers use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. Researchers from MIT and Google Brain discover how to use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. The …
Why Do We Procrastinate? Scientists Pinpoint 2 Explanations in the Brain
Scientists find biological evidence that it’s not just about laziness. By Emma Betuel – There are an infinite number of excuses for putting off your to-do list. Letting clutter build up feels easier than Marie Kondo-ing the whole house, and filing your taxes …
The “Price of Wakefulness” Is High, Says DNA Study Revealing Why We Sleep
There’s a very good reason we spend a third of our lives passed out. By Sarah Sloat – Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it: No, they don’t fall in love, they sleep. However, exactly why all animals with …
‘Spider-Man’ Super-Disease Devil’s Breath Uses Shockingly Accurate Science
Pesky ethics is the biggest obstacle. Devil’s Breath just looks deadly. By Corey Plante – Spider-Man has never been the most scientifically accurate superhero (we’re pretty sure getting bit by a radioactive spider won’t give you powers, but one detail in the recently …
Tiny ant-inspired Tribots embrace collective intelligence to tackle big tasks
David Szondy – The Tribots can be assigned specific roles similar to ants. (Credit: EPFL/Marc Delachaux). In a demonstration that less can be more, EPFL scientists are working on simple robots that behave and cooperate like ants. The 10-g (0.35-oz) Tribots are …
‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series Spoilers Tease the Night King’s New Role
This villain will loom large in the ‘GoT’ spinoff. By Allie Gemmill – Filming is underway on the Game of Thrones prequel series, and George R.R. Martin recently offered up some new insight into the new plot and setting of the first official …
Lab-Grown Meat Still Faces a Huge Hurdle, but It’s No Longer Taste or Costs
The cost is falling precipitously. But burger lovers remain skeptical. By Mike Brown – Lab-grown meat: techno-wizardry, societal savior, or an impressive imitation of the real thing? As it turns out, which of those three phrases you use to describe lab-grown meat may …
The Mystery of How Some Animals Change Their Sex Is Finally Solved
At least one species can switch from female to male within ten days. By Sarah Sloat – For the majority of organisms, sex is not something that can be changed. This is not true, however, for a fish called the bluehead wrasse. These …
De Tomaso stuns Goodwood, revealing its retro-sensual new P72 supercar
By Loz Blain – The new De Tomaso P72 may end up being more of a design feat than a technical one, but this design is superb. (Credit: De Tomaso). Wealth is concentrating upwards toward the 1 percent of the 1 percent. Instagram …
Common cold virus targets, and kills, bladder cancer in exciting early human trial
By Rich Haridy – A particular strain of the common cold, when delivered into the bladder by a catheter, was seen to selectively attack and kill bladder cancer cells. (Credit: katerynakon/Depositphotos). An early-stage study has found a strain of the common cold …
Astronomers analyze atmosphere of exoplanet unlike any in our solar system
By Michael Irving – Astronomers have analyzed the atmosphere of the exoplanet GJ 3470 b. (Credit: NASA, ESA and D Player (STSci)). So far we’ve spotted more than 4,000 planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, but we know very little about their …
Fresh, Frozen, or Dried: Which Fruit Is Healthiest for You and Why
How healthy is fruit, anyway? By The Conversation – “Eat more fruit and vegetables” is one of the most common recommendations we hear when we’re encouraged to eat healthily. But when it comes to eating more fruit, we get mixed messages about how …
Health Experts Agree on 7 Nutrients to Make You Feel Happy and Healthy
Improve brain health by incorporating these key foods into your diet. By Mark Alfano – Dietary nutrients are critical for brain structure and function, so they have a potentially profound impact on mental health. An increasingly robust body of research points to the …
A Common Assumption About White Meat Is Wrong, Say Nutritionists
“No one has done a comparison of these meat sources.” By Emma Betuel – Red meat has a bad reputation, and it is well-deserved. From its impacts on climate change to its effects on health, it’s clear eating red meat comes with serious …
Cockroaches are evolving to become invincible
They’re hiding in your house, carrying germs, and now there’s virtually no way to kill them. By Matt Davis – Not only are German cockroaches a major health concern, but they reproduce rapidly and are notoriously difficult to eradicate. A new study shows …
Tufts of quartz clean water of toxic heavy metals
By Nick Lavars – According to the team, the filter could potentially be scaled up to treat mine wastewater. (Credit: voldemar992/Depositphotos). When they find their way into landfill, electronic waste like phones and computers can wreak havoc on groundwater supplies, contaminating them …
Nearly a decade later, production of the 1,750-hp SSC Tuatara begins
C.C. Weiss – The Tuatara looks sharper than ever and has now gone into production. (Credit: SSC). Way back in 2011, a year after Bugatti had set its long-standing world speed record, SSC showed it had no intention of relinquishing the title …
Sublime snaps from the 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist
By Rich Haridy – Eye of Mordor: This stunning image is the result of narrowband data on the Helix Nebula, gathered over two months from suburban Melbourne, Australia. (Credit: Andrew Campbell, Australia). Now entering its 11th year, the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the …
How to build your own motorized monowheel
By Loz Blain – The Make it Extreme team show how to build this funky monowheel from scratch. (Credit: Make it Extreme). Monowheels are kind of ridiculous, largely pointless and far from a practical way to get around. On the other hand, they’re …
Swarm of drones spray-paints crowdsourced graffiti mural
By Ben Coxworth – Each drone was equipped with a paint tank and a spray nozzle. (Credit: Carlo Ratti Associati). A couple of years ago, architecture and design firm Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) unveiled Paint By Drone, a system that utilizes quadcopters …
Great, a Poop-Borne Swimming Pool Parasite Can Survive Chlorine Now
It’s the stuff of pool party nightmares. By Emma Betuel – Somewhere in America this summer, a small child will have a diarrhea incident in a pool. The kid will freeze, waiting for that embarrassing blob of shame to envelop them, forever labeling …
Alcohol’s secondhand effects are more serious than we think, study says
A new study highlights the secondhand effects of drinking, arguing that higher taxation could curb problems. By Derek Beres – A new study reveals that 21 percent of females and 23 percent of males have suffered the consequences of someone else’s drinking. The …
All Near-Death Experiences Share Surprisingly Common Themes, Say Scientists
“I saw angels, and they were singing the most beautiful music I have ever heard.” By Emma Betuel – Among those who have had a brush with death, the stories are often similar: Dark tunnels capped with bright lights, conversations with dead relatives, …
Potent, Lethal Pufferfish Poison Has Unexpected Role in Relieving Pain
“A very small amount of stuff has a very big effect.” By Emma Betuel – When a pufferfish is filleted, one wrong slip of the knife can turn the seaborne delicacy deadly. Even in death, the pufferfish’s natural poison, called tetrodotoxin, is more …
Towering Cloud of Volcanic Ash and Smoke Visible From Space
The full fury of Mother Nature was captured on camera by the current crew of the ISS. By Scott Snowden – A towering mushroom cloud of ash and smoke rose from a volcano in the Pacific Ocean so high that an astronaut aboard …
Why Flowers May Be Partially to Blame for the Deaths of Wild Bumblebees
“We wanted to test this widely stated but largely untested hypothesis.” By Peter Hess – Imagine picking up a half-empty soda on the sidewalk and taking a big sip. You have no idea what you’d be exposing yourself to. But this is basically …
There’s a Hidden Health Danger to Wearing Your Shoes Indoors
Trust us on this one. By Gabriel Filippelli – You vacuum it, sweep it, and wipe it off your furniture. But do you know what it actually is — and how it may affect your health? Don’t feel bad if you’re clueless about …
A Mystery of Peru’s Nazca Lines Has Been Unraveled by Ornithology
“This could be a clue as to why they drew them in the first place.” By Sarah Sloat – If you drove six hours south of Lima on the Pan-American Highway, got out of the car, and walked onto the arid, coastal …
“Lost City of the Monkey God” reveals treasure trove of rare, new and rediscovered species
By Michael Irving – A red-eyed tree frog was one of the amphibian species observed during an expedition to the Lost City of the Monkey God in Honduras. (Credit: Trond Larsen). In 2012, centuries-old legends of a lost city in Honduras were …
“Zombie Cicada” Mystery Solved by Hallucinogenic Fungus Researchers
“I wouldn’t take that risk.” By Sarah Sloat – Like a buzzing embodiment of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” periodical cicadas emerge from the ground in swarms after spending more than a decade below ground. Some, however, encounter an attacker during their crawl …
As the FDA Warns Kratom Sellers, Utah Takes a Proactive Approach
As regulation grows, the truth emerges: Kratom could benefit consumers, if used safely. By Peter Hess – If you want to make a claim, you’d better be prepared to back it up. That’s the stance the US Food and Drug Administration took recently …
The Effects of Sitting for Over 6 Hours a Day Are Both Deadly and Costly
Sitting is the scourge of our time, but fighting back doesn’t have to be hard. By Emma Betuel – A lack of physical activity is projected to put nearly 1.4 billion people worldwide at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease. …
Scientists teach a seal to sing Star Wars theme, plus other hits
By Nick Lavars – Scientists have trained seals to mimic the sounds of human voice. (Credit: vwalakte/Depositphotos). Taking into account even the most horrendous of shower-time singers, the vocal prowess of humans goes mostly unmatched in the animal kingdom. But scientists in Scotland have …
New research sheds light on a possible cause of autism: processed foods
The more we learn about the microbiome, the more the pieces are fitting together. By Derek Beres – A new study from the University of Central Florida makes the case for the emerging connection of autism and the human microbiome. High levels of …
Antler Genes
Future cancer research may come from studying antler growth. By Mike Colagrossi – While sequencing the genomes of some 44 ruminants — among them cows, giraffes, and other mammals that have chambered stomachs for plant digestion — Chinese scientists closely studied those that …
Before 2017, Scientists Had No Idea These 5 Freaky Animals Existed
Scorpions, slugs, and Dracula ants, oh my. By Sarah Sloat – While we’re seemingly surrounded on this world by fantastic fauna and flora, we don’t actually have a great sense of all the critters that are out there. Scientists estimate that more than …
Ancient anti-starvation mechanism may be driving modern obesity epidemic
By Rich Haridy – What kept our ancient ancestors from starvation may be exactly the same evolutionary mechanism that makes it so hard to lose weight and keep it off now. (Credit: fffranzzz/Depositphotos). A few years ago scientists examined the metabolic activity …
One Personality Trait Is Key to Whether or Not You Should Own a Dog
An animal behaviorist explains the science behind a “dogpersonship.” By Paul McGreevy – The news of a fatal dog-bite incident in Melbourne recently has shocked dog lovers around the country. A 61-year-old man was dead by the time police arrived at the …
‘Forgotten by society’ – how Chinese migrants helped to build the transcontinental railroad
In a new exhibition, the overlooked contribution of Chinese workers is being brought to light for the 150th anniversary of the railroad’s completion. By Nadja Sayej – Tea carrier at tunnel, about 1867. Photograph: Courtesy of Library of Congress When one thinks of …
FaceApp Uncannily Captures These Classic Biological Signs of Aging
A guide to what it is, exactly, that makes faces look so old. By Emma Betuel – This week, celebrities ranging from the Jonas Brothers to Ludacris gave us a peek into what they might look like in old age, all with the …
A.I. is translating messages of long-lost languages
MIT and Google researchers use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. By Paul Ratner – MIT and Google researchers use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. Researchers from MIT and Google Brain discover how to use deep learning to decipher ancient languages. The …
Why Do We Procrastinate? Scientists Pinpoint 2 Explanations in the Brain
Scientists find biological evidence that it’s not just about laziness. By Emma Betuel – There are an infinite number of excuses for putting off your to-do list. Letting clutter build up feels easier than Marie Kondo-ing the whole house, and filing your taxes …
The “Price of Wakefulness” Is High, Says DNA Study Revealing Why We Sleep
There’s a very good reason we spend a third of our lives passed out. By Sarah Sloat – Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it: No, they don’t fall in love, they sleep. However, exactly why all animals with …
‘Spider-Man’ Super-Disease Devil’s Breath Uses Shockingly Accurate Science
Pesky ethics is the biggest obstacle. Devil’s Breath just looks deadly. By Corey Plante – Spider-Man has never been the most scientifically accurate superhero (we’re pretty sure getting bit by a radioactive spider won’t give you powers, but one detail in the recently …
Tiny ant-inspired Tribots embrace collective intelligence to tackle big tasks
David Szondy – The Tribots can be assigned specific roles similar to ants. (Credit: EPFL/Marc Delachaux). In a demonstration that less can be more, EPFL scientists are working on simple robots that behave and cooperate like ants. The 10-g (0.35-oz) Tribots are …
‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series Spoilers Tease the Night King’s New Role
This villain will loom large in the ‘GoT’ spinoff. By Allie Gemmill – Filming is underway on the Game of Thrones prequel series, and George R.R. Martin recently offered up some new insight into the new plot and setting of the first official …