Newsifi - Science News

Teach Science Process Over Findings

Few minutes ago

Seismologist and policy advisor Lucy Jones says science education needs to teach how science works more than just what it finds out. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Bonaire: Where Coral and Cactus Thrive, and the Sea Soothes the Soul

2 hours ago

In a dying reef world, the writer explores the underwater bliss of a little Caribbean island that is showing the world just how to save coral.

Becoming Greta: 'Invisible Girl' to Global Climate Activist, With Bumps Along the Way

2 hours ago

A Swedish girl's solitary act of civil disobedience has turned her into a symbol for climate action. But her path hasn't been easy.

For a Black Mathematician, What It's Like to Be the 'Only One'

3 hours ago

Fewer than 1 percent of doctorates in math are awarded to African-Americans. Edray Goins, who earned one of them, found the upper reaches of the math world a challenging place.

The real 'Jaws': Great white shark's genetic secrets revealed

3 hours ago

The great white shark, one of the most fearsome predators in the world's oceans in both fact and fiction, is a formidable creature -- right down to its genes.

Saving the Bats, One Cave at a Time

4 hours ago

Biologists are searching caves and abandoned mines in the West, hoping to spare many species of the winged creatures from the devastating fungus, white-nose syndrome.

Fast fashion: 'Penny on a garment' to drive clothes recycling

4 hours ago

Clothing brands and retailers should pay per item to fund a £35m annual recycling scheme, MPs say.

Liberals and Conservatives Are Both Susceptible to Fake News, but for Different Reasons

4 hours ago

New research suggests both liberals and conservatives are motivated to believe fake news, and dismiss real news that contradicts their ideologies -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Climate change makes summer weather stormier yet more stagnant

5 hours ago

Climate change is shifting the energy in the atmosphere that fuels summertime weather, which may lead to stronger thunderstorms and more stagnant conditions for midlatitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe, and Asia, a new st…

Great white shark genome decoded

5 hours ago

In a major scientific step to understand the biology of this iconic apex predator and sharks in general, the entire genome of the white shark has now been decoded in detail.

Where Climate Change Fits into Venezuela's Ongoing Crisis

7 hours ago

A severe and persistent drought has led to rationing of water and electricity from hydropower -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Trilobites: What's Pink and Pinstriped and Digests Wood? This New Shipworm

7 hours ago

Scientists are eager to learn more about the bacteria that live in this recently discovered clam with an extremely long digestive system.

Brain cells combine place and taste to make food maps

8 hours ago

A select group of brain cells responds to both flavor and location, a specialty that may help an animal find the next good meal.

Antarctica's Ice Shelves Get a Bounce from Ephemeral Lakes

8 hours ago

GPS measurements the flexing movement of one of the ice shelves that act as key backstops to sea level rise -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Do Dams Increase Water Use?

9 hours ago

Reservoirs may promote waste by creating a false sense of water security -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Breeding the "Snot Otter"

9 hours ago

The gigantic Ozark hellbender salamander is in trouble in the wild, but one zoo—and a hard-working team—is helping to boost its populations -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

'Hundreds' of badgers illegally killed each year in NI

9 hours ago

Badger baiting: 'Hundreds' illegally killed every season in Northern Ireland

Plastic waste - what Neath pupils think

10 hours ago

What do these Neath pupils think of plastic waste after a beach clean-up?

A Single Earthquake Can Move Millions of Tons of Carbon into Earth's Deepest Trenches

11 hours ago

Earthquakes may be dumping millions of tons of carbon into the Earth's deepest cracks. And scientists aren't sure what that means.

Why an Outlaw Was Stabbed to Death and Then Buried Face-Down in Medieval Sicily

12 hours ago

The killing was "effective and rapid" by someone who knows human anatomy "very well."

Marvel at This Glittering 'Galaxy' Inside a Fly's Testicles

12 hours ago

The "stars" in this photo aren't what you think.

ZSL London Zoo shares animal X-rays

15 hours ago

X-ray images reveal the inner workings of a variety of different species at ZSL London Zoo.

There's A Gap Between Perception And Reality When It Comes To Learning

16 hours ago

Increasingly, people feel they can master tasks simply by watching instructional videos like the kind you find on YouTube. But sometimes the gap between perception and reality can be deep and wide.

Israel Heads To The Moon

16 hours ago

A spacecraft named Beresheet is set to be Israel's first spacecraft to land on the moon. It came about because Israeli scientists lost a contest - but continued with the work anyway.

Scientific Duo Gets Back To Basics To Make Childbirth Safer

16 hours ago

Remarkably little is known about the fundamentals of how a woman carries a baby inside her. Two Columbia University researchers aim to change that, to reduce the number of kids born too soon.

Japan approves test of iPS cells for treating spinal injuries

17 hours ago

Japanese scientists will test the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat spinal cord injuries, a health ministry panel that approved the research project said on Monday.

Embryo 'Adoption' Is Growing, but It's Getting Tangled in the Abortion Debate

19 hours ago

Many agencies that offer donated embryos, including most of those supported by federal grants, are affiliated with Christian or anti-abortion rights organizations.

Trilobites: Birds of a Feather May Stick Together, but This Bird's Foot Got Stuck in Amber

23 hours ago

Researchers say the feathered specimen known as "Ugly Foot" or "Hobbit Foot" offers long-sought clues to the evolutionary path of birds.

Mendeleev's Periodic Table Draft Is Virtually Unrecognizable - But It Changed Science Forever

1 days ago

Back in 1869, the periodic table of elements had just 63 elements and was scribbled in ink.

Massive Storms Lead to Elevated Landslide Hazards for the West Coast

1 days ago

Saturated slopes can be very bad news. The good news: Congress may be ready to do something about it -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

'Every Day Is A Good Day When You're Floating': Anne McClain Talks Life In Space

1 days ago

Kindergartners from Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C., help NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro field questions to McClain, who's an astronaut serving on the International Space Station.

Smarter Driving: What's on Your Car? Winter Tires, We Hope

1 days ago

All-season tires can indeed be driven all year, but for maximum control and safety, there's no substitute for tires that provide strong traction in snow. Here's why you need them.

Astrophysicists Find New Clue in Search for Universe's Missing Matter

1 days ago

Astronomers think they've found a new clue in their continuing quest to solve one of the most substantial mysteries of the cosmos: where about a third of the universe's matter is hiding.

What the Heck Happened to This Yo-Yo Champ's Index Finger?

1 days ago

A yo-yo champion experienced dramatic ups and downs for the circulation in his index finger.

Clothing conscience

1 days ago

How sustainable are your fashion habits? Take our quiz.

The Couple That Studies the Intermediate Value Theorem Together Stays Together

1 days ago

Mathematicians Nikita Nikolaev and Beatriz Navarro Lameda share their favorite theorem and their mathematics-themed wedding -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Tooth plaque shows drinking milk goes back 3,000 years in Mongolia

1 days ago

The hardened plaque on teeth is helping scientists trace the history of dairying in Mongolia.

On Itchiness in Science Writing

1 days ago

Spotting and scratching the places where something just feels off -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Stores accused of 'watering down' bottle deposit scheme

1 days ago

Campaigners say retailers want fees to apply only to smaller containers, rather than all plastic bottles.

Volunteers Fight Bad Science

1 days ago

James Heathers is a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, who looks for mistakes for fun. He speaks to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks about errors published in scientific papers.

Why Men Who Can Do 40 Pushups May Have Better Heart Health

2 days ago

The ability to do a lot of pushups may be a sign not only of strength, but also of good heart health, a new study suggests.

A Mother Learns the Identity of Her Child's Grandmother. A Sperm Bank Threatens to Sue.

2 days ago

The results of a consumer genetic test identified the mother of the man whose donated sperm was used to conceive Danielle Teuscher's daughter. Legal warnings soon followed.

Human Diet Drugs Kill Mosquitoes' Appetite, Too

2 days ago

When researchers fed mosquitoes a drug used to treat people for obesity, the insects were less interested in hunting for their next human meal ticket. Karen Hopkin reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Does Eating Organic Reduce Cancer Risk?

2 days ago

A recent study claims to confirm that eating organic can reduce your risk of getting cancer. But a closer look at the details reveals a different story -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Opinion: Good Night Oppy, A Farewell To NASA's Mars Rover

2 days ago

NASA's admission this week that the agency has lost contact with a Mars rover brings an end to a compelling story of usefulness and resilience.

Grazing Deer Alter Forest Acoustics

2 days ago

Deer populations have exploded in North American woodlands, changing forest ecology—and how sounds, like birdsong, travel through the trees. Christopher Intagliata reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Why some Georgia O'Keeffe paintings have 'art acne'

2 days ago

Tiny protrusions are from chemical reactions in the paint, say scientists who developed an imaging method that could help curators track the knobs.

Spectacular Fossil Bird Foot Preserved in Amber

2 days ago

A rare amber inclusion underscores the importance of carnivores to the fossil record -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Talkin' Birds: The Great Backyard Bird Count

2 days ago

Bird lovers around the world are counting birds this weekend for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which provides valuable data for avian research.

AAAS: Machine learning 'causing science crisis'

2 days ago

Techniques used to analyse data are producing misleading and often wrong results, critics say.

Antarctic ice shelves: Searching for clues on climate change

2 days ago

In a remote island outpost on the edge of the Antarctic, hundreds of miles from the southern tip of Chile, scientists at a research base are scouring the ice for clues about everything from climate change to cures for cancer.

Talkin' Birds: The Great Backyard Bird Count

2 days ago

For years, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Great Backyard Bird Count have provided valuable data for avian research. Ray Brown from the Talkin' Birds podcast talks with Scott Simon about it.

The Voices of Black Mathematicians

2 days ago

Black History Month in the U.S. is a good time to celebrate these important people -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Remembering Why Curiosity Should Be Boundless

2 days ago

Young children provide gentle and chaotic reminders of how to be open to the world around us -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Ph.D. Student Breaks Down Electron Physics Into A Swinging Musical

2 days ago

John Bohannon, founder of Science magazine's "Dance Your Ph.D." contest, presents the 2018 winner, Pramodh Senarath Yapa. He won over judges with his choreographic rendition of some chaotic electrons.

Rarely Glimpsed Scaly Pangolins Caught Hugging Trees in the Dark

2 days ago

New videos show a rare glimpse of strange, scaly mammals.

Remembering Mars Rover, 'Opportunity'

2 days ago

Space scientists pay tribute to the Mars rover, Opportunity, which died this week after 14 years sending data back to Earth. The rover was expected to last only three months.

Out There: In Science, as in Sports, the Sidelines Matter

2 days ago

Tomorrow's Nobel prizes are won today off-season and in the back office.

Ancient Earth's Weakened Magnetic Field May Have Driven Mass Extinction

3 days ago

When our planet’s magnetosphere nearly disappeared 565 million years ago, it may have almost taken all life with it -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Concludes a 15-Year Mission

3 days ago

Silent since a giant dust storm last summer, the rover was the longest-lasting robot on another planet ever.

STEM professors' beliefs on intelligence may widen the racial achievement gap

3 days ago

Seeing intelligence as fixed can result in lower grades, especially for certain minorities

LIGO will be getting a quantum upgrade

3 days ago

Quantum squeezing of light will help scientists make better gravitational wave detectors.

Space harpoon skewers 'orbital debris'

3 days ago

A British-led mission demonstrates a projectile that could one day be used to clear up space junk.

Hiker speaks after taking on mountain lion... and winning

3 days ago

Travis Kauffman was hiking in Colorado when he came toe-to-toe with a young mountain lion

A Solar Flare '10 Billion Times More Powerful' Than Earth's Sun Blasted Out of Orion's Sword

3 days ago

This crazy solar flare is more powerful than any ever blasted by Earth's sun.

Is This the Footprint of One of the Last Neandertals?

3 days ago

The fossilized print, found in Gibraltar, is said to date to 28,000 years ago, which might mean it belonged to a Neandertal. But not everyone agrees with that interpretation -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The Risks of Water Insecurity

3 days ago

It’s found all over the world and in nearly every corner of the U.S., and it’s especially dangerous for children -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Photos From the Opportunity Rover's Mission on Mars

3 days ago

Scientific highlights and snapshots from the journey of NASA's long-lasting robotic explorer.

Humpback Whale Calls Remain Constant over Decades

3 days ago

Whales in southeastern Alaska produce “shrieks,” “moans” and “squeegies” that persist over generations -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Venezuela Is Unraveling—So Is Its Science

3 days ago

Research has ground to a halt, and many scientists have left the country out of desperation -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Why Do Humans Hear So Well? You Can Thank the Tiny 'Jell-O' Violin Inside Your Ear

3 days ago

A teensy little "Jell-O" membrane in our ears may partly explain why humans have such amazing hearing.

Gene-edited animal plan to relieve poverty in Africa

3 days ago

Researchers in Edinburgh develop gene-edited farm animals for poor farmers in Africa.

Climate strike: Schoolchildren protest over climate change

3 days ago

Students in cities around the UK walked out of school to call for action from the government.

Call to ban killer robots in wars

3 days ago

Scientists have called for a ban on the development of weapons controlled by AI.

Reindeer Cyclones Are Real, and You Definitely Don't Want to Get Caught in One

3 days ago

Threatened reindeer herds literally run circles around their predators.

NASA mulls buying new rides to space from Russia amid program delays

3 days ago

NASA said on Friday it was weighing an option to buy two additional astronaut seats aboard a Russian rocket as a contingency plan against further delays in the launch systems being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Boeing Co.

Life Really Is Harder for Night Owls. Here's Why.

3 days ago

"Night owls" have different patterns of brain activity compared with "morning larks," a new study finds

J. Marshall Shepherd: How Does Bias Shape Our Perceptions About Science?

3 days ago

Why do many people dismiss issues like climate change, despite strong scientific evidence? Climatologist J. Marshall Shepherd examines how different forms of bias shape how we perceive science.

Amazing Images: The Best Science Photos of the Week

3 days ago

Here are the stories behind the most amazing images in the world of science this week. A recap of the coolest photos featured on Live Science.

Trilobites: Searching Tardigrades for Lifesaving Secrets

3 days ago

Researchers are drawing inspiration from the proteins that they think let hearty water bears cheat time by decelerating their biology.

Elephant Weight Cycles with New Teeth

3 days ago

Elephants have six sets of teeth over their lives, sometimes two sets at once. At those times, they can extract more nutrition from food and put on weight. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Q&A: A Tree Grows in - Well, You Don't Want to Know

3 days ago

Fruit on trees grown near outhouses and latrines usually is safe. That's not true of produce found on the ground in the same areas.

Be Kind to Extraterrestrials

3 days ago

We need to tread lightly if we encounter alien ecosystems -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Climate march students: 'We need change and we need it now'

3 days ago

Students have protested across the UK to air their views on the issue of climate change. We talked to some of those in Manchester.

A nearby river of stars

3 days ago

Astronomers have found a river of stars, a stellar stream in astronomical parlance, covering most of the southern sky. The stream is relatively nearby and contains at least 4000 stars that have been moving together in space since they formed, about 1 billion y…

Humans Crossed the Bering Land Bridge to People the Americas. Here's What It Looked Like 18,000 Year…

3 days ago

The Bering Strait land bridge is now underwater, but a newly created digital map reveals how the landscape likely appeared about 18,000 years ago.

Andreas Ekström: Can We Solve For Bias In Tech?

3 days ago

We think of search engines as unbiased sources of information. But they're not - and they can be manipulated. Andreas Ekström asks: who should hold the burden of addressing bias in search engines?

Tom Cade, a Savior of the Peregrine Falcon, Dies at 91

3 days ago

After DDT had wiped the bird out on the East Coast, he led the effort to bring it back. It was eventually removed from the federal endangered species list.

Russia Claims Strobe-Light Weapon Causes Nausea & Hallucinations. Is That Even Possible?

3 days ago

How flashing light can overwhelm the brain

Yellow, Blob-Like Cell Transforms into Wriggling Salamander in Surreal Time-Lapse Video

3 days ago

A mesmerizing 6-minute time lapse shows a single cell dividing seemingly endlessly until what was once a yellow blob has become a wriggling, darting salamander tadpole.

Hong Kong seizes $1m worth of rhino horn at airport

3 days ago

Two men carrying at least 24 severed rhino horns have been arrested at Hong Kong airport's customs.

BP: Plastic ban 'could have unintended consequences'

3 days ago

The oil and gas company believes a prohibition on single-use plastic could increase CO2, but is that true?

Space junk: Harpoon tested to clean up space

3 days ago

New footage from a space mission shows the latest idea to collect space junk.

The New Old Age: Dialysis Is a Way of Life for Many Older Patients. Maybe It Shouldn't Be.

3 days ago

So-called conservative management can ease symptoms without dialysis in some people with kidney disease. But many of them are never given the option.

Scientists Track the Source of Soot That Speeds Arctic Melt

3 days ago

Heat-absorbing black carbon comes from fossil fuels in winter and biomass burning in summer -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Black Snow Is Falling from the Skies in Siberia, and It Is Toxic

3 days ago

Don't eat the black snow.

Rare 12th-Century Triple Toilet Let Three People Go Number Two at Once

3 days ago

This toilet built for three is a gross gem of London history (and soon, you can take a selfie with it).

The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week

3 days ago

Here are the most interesting, amazing and unusual things that happened in the world of science this week. A recap of Live Science's best.

Climate strike: Why are students striking and will it have an impact?

3 days ago

Across the UK, students are set to take part in a climate strike, but will it make a difference?

Muons reveal the whopping voltages inside a thunderstorm

3 days ago

Particle physics sheds new light on the electric potential of thunderstorms.

England's Oldest Cave-Art Site Is Covered with Signs to Ward off Evil Spirits

3 days ago

The marks, meant to protect against evil spirits, are out of place in a cave known for ancient animal carvings.

They've Taken America's Temperature - and It's Running High

3 days ago

Data from Kinsa, which makes internet-connected smart thermometers, indicates it's a bad year for colds, but not the flu.

Gravitational waves will settle cosmic conundrum

4 days ago

Measurements of gravitational waves from approximately 50 binary neutron stars over the next decade will definitively resolve an intense debate about how quickly our universe is expanding, according to new findings.

Massive Bolivian earthquake reveals mountains 660 kilometers below our feet

4 days ago

Geophysicists used data from an enormous earthquake in Bolivia to find mountains at the base of the mantle's transition zone, located 660 kilometers below our feet. Their statistical model didn't allow for precise height measurements, but these mountains may b…

Trilobites: An Icy Superhighway Once Carried Glaciers From Namibia to Brazil

4 days ago

Researchers matched up a jigsaw puzzle of ice that once flowed between two landmasses now separated by an ocean.

Africa's Black Panthers Emerge From a Century in the Shadows

4 days ago

The last documented sighting of the animals on the continent was in Ethiopia in 1909. But now they've been spotted in Kenya.

Search for Shackleton's lost Endurance ship called off

4 days ago

Thick ice and a lost sub bring an end to the search for the famous Antarctic explorer's sunken polar yacht.

Orangutans make complex economic decisions about tool use

4 days ago

Flexible tool use is closely associated to higher mental processes such as the ability to plan actions. Now a group of cognitive biologists and comparative psychologists found out that the apes carefully weighed their options. To do so the apes considered the …

Can Big Science Be Too Big?

4 days ago

A new study finds that small teams of researchers do more innovative work than large teams do.

LIGO gravitational waves: Black hole detectors to get upgrade

4 days ago

The UK and US governments announce a £25m project to improve the sensitivity of the LIGO facilities.

Cambridge anglers win fish loss compensation

4 days ago

Anglian Water admits ammonia discharge from a recycling unit killed big bream in the River Cam.

NASA bids adieu to Opportunity, the Mars rover that kept going and going

4 days ago

Opportunity, a remarkably durable NASA rover designed to roll along the surface of Mars for three months, has stopped communicating with Earth after 15 years of service, officials said on Wednesday, ending a mission that astounded the U.S. space agency.

50 years ago, DDT pushed peregrine falcons to the edge of extinction

4 days ago

In 1969, peregrine falcons were at risk of extinction. But a ban on the pesticide DDT and new captive breeding programs allowed the raptors to recover.

Climate change could increase foodborne illness by energizing flies

4 days ago

Warmer, more lively house flies could spread more Campylobacter bacteria by landing on more food.

Paying tribute to the nation's forests

4 days ago

Britons are being urged to write a poem, letter or story to celebrate the woodlands of the UK.

Skipping School to Save the Earth

4 days ago

Inspired by a 16-year-old Swede, thousands of young people are expected to take Friday off to march for action on climate change.

Found but Lost: Newly Discovered Shark May Be Extinct

4 days ago

Carcharhinus obsolerus (that’s Latin for “extinct”) swam in the waters of the western Pacific, but it hasn’t been seen in 80-plus years -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

New molecules reverse memory loss linked to depression, aging

4 days ago

New therapeutic molecules show promise in reversing the memory loss linked to depression and aging. These molecules not only rapidly improve symptoms, but remarkably, also appear to renew the underlying brain impairments causing memory loss in preclinical mode…

Travel Tips: How to Be a Green Traveler

4 days ago

You may live a sustainable lifestyle at home, but what about while on vacation? Here are some practical steps you can take to limit your impact on the environment.

Ultra-lightweight ceramic material withstands extreme temperatures

4 days ago

Researchers have created an extremely light, very durable ceramic aerogel. The material could be used for applications like insulating spacecraft because it can withstand the intense heat and severe temperature changes that space missions endure.

7 Beliefs of Emotionally Healthy People

4 days ago

How does our outlook on life, the world, and the future affect our health and well-being? -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Racial Disparities In Cancer Incidence And Survival Rates Are Narrowing

4 days ago

African-Americans still have the highest death rate and the lowest survival rate of any U.S. racial or ethnic group for most cancers. But the "cancer gap" between blacks and whites is shrinking.

After 16 Months Of Dead Fish, Manatees And Dolphins, Florida's Red Tide Ebbs

4 days ago

The red tide algae bloom that has plagued coastal communities in Florida since 2017 is starting to dissipate, much to the relief of local communities and tourism officials.

A new insulation material is practically weightless yet still durable

4 days ago

Extreme heat and temperature swings are no match for this lightweight insulator.

The Perfect Valentine? A Math Formula

4 days ago

Nothing says 'I love you' like a customizable algebraic equation.

World Health Organization Forms Committee To Guide Editing Of Human Genes

4 days ago

WHO acted in reaction to a Chinese scientist's announcement in 2018 that he had created the world's first gene-edited babies, a step that highlighted the need for uniform gene-editing guidelines.

Chernobyl: The end of a three-decade experiment

4 days ago

The abandoned Chernobyl exclusion zone could be about to change for the first time since the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Chemicals 'repair damaged neurons in mice'

4 days ago

Some early studies in mice suggest drugs can be developed to halt mental decline, say scientists.

Ecosystem changes following loss of great white sharks

5 days ago

A new study has documented unexpected consequences following the decline of great white sharks from an area off South Africa. The study found that the disappearance of great whites has led to the emergence of sevengill sharks, a top predator from a different h…

'I'm standing up for our planet'

5 days ago

Every Friday morning, 13-year-old Holly Gillibrand skips school for an hour to demand more is done over climate change.

Nasa calls time on silent Opportunity Mars rover

5 days ago

The 15-year mission of "Oppy" the robot is declared over after repeated failed attempts to contact it.

Photons reveal a weird effect called the quantum pigeonhole paradox

5 days ago

Quantum particles seem to disobey a fundamental principle of mathematics.

Developable mechanisms can reside inside the surface of a structure

5 days ago

Engineers detail new technology that allows them to build complex mechanisms into the exterior of a structure without taking up any actual space below the surface. This new class of mechanisms, called 'developable mechanisms,' get their name from developable s…

New 'mysterious' frog species discovered in India's Western Ghats

5 days ago

The new species were found after three years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats.

Giant 'megalodon' shark extinct earlier than previously thought

5 days ago

'Megalodon' -- a giant predatory shark that has inspired numerous documentaries, books and blockbuster movies -- likely went extinct at least one million years earlier than previously thought, according to new research. This is a substantial adjustment as it m…

Nasa's InSight mission: Mars 'mole' put on planet's surface

5 days ago

The US space agency's InSight mission positions the second of its surface instruments on Mars.

What You and Your Family Need to Know About Maternal Depression

5 days ago

A government panel's new recommendations could bring hope to many women at risk for the condition. Here is what the group said and how you can use the information.

Antarctic ice shelves buckle under weight of meltwater lakes

5 days ago

The filling and draining of meltwater lakes has been found to cause a floating Antarctic ice shelf to flex, potentially threatening its stability.

Tanzanian 'beast' sheds light on gigantic dinosaur group

5 days ago

A relatively complete skeleton of a long-necked, long-tailed plant-eater excavated from a rocky cliff above a Tanzanian river is providing insight into the early evolution of a dinosaur group that later included Earth's largest-ever land animals.

Depression During and After Pregnancy Can Be Prevented, National Panel Says. Here's How.

5 days ago

The task force of experts recommended at-risk women seek certain types of counseling, and it cited two specific programs that have been particularly effective.

Tiger Found in Abandoned House by Person Who Just Wanted to Smoke Pot

5 days ago

Alerted by a tipster, the authorities could hear a tiger and smell a tiger. When they entered the home, they found a tiger.

Why getting enough sleep reduces cardiovascular disease risk

5 days ago

Getting enough sleep is key to good health, and studies have shown that insufficient sleep increases the risk of serious problems, including cardiovascular disease. Now investigators have discovered one way that sleep protects against the development of athero…

Manfred Eigen, 91, Nobel Winner Who Put a Clock to Chemicals, Dies

5 days ago

He shared the 1967 prize for finding a way to time "immeasurably fast" chemical reactions. His research advanced the study of enzymes, among other things.

Breakthrough toward developing blood test for pain

5 days ago

Researchers have developed a test that objectively measures pain biomarkers in blood. The test could help physicians better treat patients with precision medicine, and help stem the tide of the opioid crisis.

New dinosaur with heart-shaped tail provides evolutionary clues for African continent

5 days ago

A new dinosaur that wears its 'heart' on its tail provides new clues to how ecosystems evolved on the African continent during the Cretaceous period.

Slow sperm may fail at crashing 'gates' on their way to an egg

5 days ago

A new study describes how sperm navigate narrow straits in the reproductive tract's obstacle course to reach an egg.

NASA's Opportunity rover mission on Mars comes to end

5 days ago

One of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration, NASA's Opportunity rover mission is at an end after almost 15 years exploring the surface of Mars and helping lay the groundwork for NASA's return to the Red Planet.

Senate Passes a Sweeping Land Conservation Bill

5 days ago

Years in the works, the measure designates more than a million acres of wilderness for environmental protection and permanently reauthorizes a federal program to pay for conservation.

Neanderthal footprints found in Gibraltar

5 days ago

This work started 10 years ago, when the first dates using the OSL method were obtained. It is then that the first traces of footprints left by vertebrates were found. In subsequent years the successive natural collapse of sand has revealed further material an…

After 15 years on Mars, it's the end of the road for Opportunity

5 days ago

After 15 years of exploring Mars, a dust storm led to the demise of NASA's longest-lived rover.

F.D.A. Panel Recommends New Depression Treatment

5 days ago

The active ingredients of ketamine, a popular club drug, show promise in battling deep despair.

Possibility of recent underground volcanism on Mars

6 days ago

New research suggests liquid water is present beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. Now, a new study argues there needs to be an underground source of heat for liquid water to exist underneath the polar ice cap.

The unexpected creates reward when listening to music

6 days ago

If you love it when a musician strikes that unexpected but perfect chord, you are not alone. New research shows the musically unexpected activates the reward centre of our brains, and makes us learn about the music as we listen.

Climate of North American cities will shift hundreds of miles in one generation

6 days ago

In one generation, the climate experienced in many North American cities is projected to change to that of locations hundreds of miles away -- or to a new climate unlike any found in North America today. A new study and interactive web application aim to help …

Top Leader at Interior Dept. Pushes a Policy Favoring His Former Client

6 days ago

David Bernhardt, the agency's acting chief, wants to roll back endangered-species protections on a tiny fish, a change that benefits few outside a California group he once represented as a lobbyist.

Robots are becoming classroom tutors. But will they make the grade?

6 days ago

Educational robots show promise for helping kids in the classroom or at home, but researchers are still figuring out how these bots should behave.

Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering: GPS pioneers lauded

6 days ago

Four Americans are celebrated for their roles in developing the sat-nav Global Positioning System.

Pangolins: Rare insight into world's most trafficked mammal

6 days ago

Scientists release rare footage of the secretive giant pangolin to highlight the scaly mammal's plight.

Trending: Need a Breath of Fresh Air? Hotels to the Rescue

6 days ago

More hotels are adding air purifiers and filters to their guest rooms, either because the outside air is prone to smoke or pollution, or because guests demand them for health reasons.

Hong Kong, Crossroads of the Criminal Wildlife Trade

6 days ago

Despite reforms, the territory is a linchpin in the global traffic in illegal animal parts.

Kings of the jungle on top in photo award

6 days ago

The winning pictures in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award.

Greenland may have another massive crater hiding under its ice

6 days ago

There may be yet another large crater buried beneath Greenland's ice sheet. But it's probably not related to the first one found last year.

China and India help make planet leafier

6 days ago

There are now more than 2 million sq miles of extra leaf area per year, compared with the early 2000s.

Green New Deal : Can this plan pushed by some Democrats really work?

6 days ago

A radical plan to tackle climate change pushed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may now come to the Senate for a vote.

Dirty secret

6 days ago

One small town has become a dumping ground for the world's waste and it's causing a stink.

A new 2-D material uses light to quickly and safely purify water

6 days ago

A newly designed material uses only light to speedily remove 99.9999 percent of microbes from water.

Moving artificial leaves out of the lab and into the air

6 days ago

Researchers have proposed a design solution that could bring artificial leaves out of the lab and into the environment. Their improved leaf, which would use carbon dioxide -- a potent greenhouse gas -- from the air, would be at least 10 times more efficient th…

Earth's earliest mobile organisms lived 2.1 billion years ago

7 days ago

Scientists have discovered in 2.1-billion-year-old black shale from a quarry in Gabon the earliest evidence of a revolutionary development in the history of life on Earth, the ability of organisms to move from one place to another on their own.

NASA finds possible second impact crater under Greenland ice

7 days ago

A NASA glaciologist has discovered a possible second impact crater buried under more than a mile of ice in northwest Greenland.

The spread of Europe's giant stone monuments may trace back to one region

7 days ago

Megaliths spread across the continent due to seafarers' influence, researcher says.

Discovery of the oldest evidence of mobility on Earth

7 days ago

Scientists have uncovered the oldest fossilized traces of motility. Whereas previous remnants were dated to 570 million years ago, this new evidence is 2.1 billion years old. They were discovered in a fossil deposit in Gabon, where the oldest multicellular org…

A rare, ancient case of bone cancer has been found in a turtle ancestor

7 days ago

A 240-million-year-old fossil reveals the oldest known case of bone cancer in an amniote, a group that includes mammals, birds and reptiles.

Congo's Ebola outbreak is a testing ground for new treatments

7 days ago

The first multidrug clinical trial of Ebola treatments is underway amid an outbreak in Congo.

'Orange water'

8 days ago

Families in West Virginia say the coal mines have poisoned their water. Now they're fighting back.

Readers marvel at AI, space missions and wombat poop

8 days ago

Readers had comments and questions about defining artificial intelligence, the New Horizons space mission and more.

Brain discoveries open doors to new treatments

8 days ago

Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the history of neuroscience and new techniques scientists are using to influence the brain.

University of California to be granted pioneering CRISPR patent

9 days ago

The University of California will soon be granted a potentially valuable patent on the revolutionary gene-editing technology known as CRISPR, according to a document filed by the U.S. patent office on Friday.

Shedding light on the science of auroral breakups

10 days ago

Scientists have quantitatively confirmed how energetic an auroral breakup can be. Using a combination of cutting-edge ground-based technology and new space-borne observations, they have demonstrated the essential role of an auroral breakup in ionizing the deep…

Gummy-like robots that could help prevent disease

10 days ago

Scientists have developed microscopic, hydrogel-based muscles that can manipulate and mechanically stimulate biological tissue. These soft, biocompatible robots could be used for targeted therapy and to help diagnose and prevent disease.

Life thrived on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, research suggests

10 days ago

Three and a half billion years ago Earth hosted life, but was it barely surviving, or thriving? A new study provides new answers to this question. Microbial metabolism is recorded in billions of years of sulfur isotope ratios that agree with this study's predi…

Plants with a hidden history

10 days ago

Many of our best loved garden plants are there because they were once recommended to heal the sick.

How a fungus can cripple the immune system

10 days ago

Scientists have now discovered how the fungus knocks out the immune defenses, enabling a potentially fatal fungal infection to develop.

How the brain responds to texture

10 days ago

New research by neuroscientists shows that as neurons process information about texture from the skin, they each respond differently to various features of a surface, creating a high-dimensional representation of texture in the brain.

A better eyeshot of the makeup of ancient meteorites

10 days ago

A team of scientists has visualized meteorite components at resolution powers much higher than ever before. Their efforts resulted in a much better look at -- and enhanced understanding of -- substances inside carbonaceous chondrites, the organic-containing me…

A thousand new objects and phenomena in night sky

11 days ago

The Zwicky Transient Facility, based at the Palomar Observatory, has identified over a thousand new objects and phenomena in the night sky, including more than 1,100 new supernovae and 50 near-Earth asteroids. The alert system informs science teams of possible…

Brick by Lego brick, teen builds his own prosthetic arm

11 days ago

David Aguilar has built himself a robotic prosthetic arm using Lego pieces after being born without a right forearm due to a rare genetic condition.

Scientists develop first fabric to automatically cool or insulate depending on conditions

11 days ago

Researchers have engineered a new fabric from synthetic yarn with a carbon nanotube coating that is activated by temperature and humidity, releasing heat in warm humid conditions and trapping heat when conditions are cool and dry.

Periodic table still influencing today's research

11 days ago

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table, and the principles that drove Dmitri Mendeleev to construct his table are still influencing today's research advances.

Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells

11 days ago

A simple combination of molecules converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons, which could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and brain injuries.

The Franklin rover

11 days ago

The rover Europe sends to Mars in 2020 to look for life will carry the name of an unsung hero of DNA discovery.

Fish Appear to Recognize Themselves in the Mirror

11 days ago

The cleaner wrasse fish (Labroides dimidiatus), responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror test -- a method considered the gold standard for determining self-awareness in animals. The finding suggests that fish might …

New pill can deliver insulin through the stomach

11 days ago

A research team has developed a drug capsule that could be used to deliver oral doses of insulin, potentially replacing the injections that patients with type 2 diabetes have to give themselves every day.

Liberal sprinkling of salt discovered around a young star

11 days ago

New ALMA observations show there is ordinary table salt in a not-so-ordinary location: 1,500 light-years from Earth in the disk surrounding a massive young star. Though salts have been found in the atmospheres of old, dying stars, this is the first time they h…

Mirror test hints at surprising cognitive abilities in fish

11 days ago

A small tropical reef fish was able to recognize itself in a mirror, scientists said on Thursday in a finding that raises provocative questions about assessing self-awareness and cognitive abilities in animals.

Charting a path to cheaper flexible solar cells

11 days ago

Researchers have reported new findings about perovskite solar cells that could lead the way to devices that perform better.

Promising approach for analyzing atmospheric particles from space

11 days ago

A new analysis has revealed that advanced satellite-based instrument capabilities are needed for global monitoring of microscopic particles, or aerosols, in the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere.

Earliest known seed-eating perching bird discovered in Fossil Lake, Wyoming

11 days ago

The 'perching birds,' or passerines, are the most common birds in the world today -- they include sparrows, robins, and finches. They used to be very rare. Scientists have just discovered some of the earliest relatives of the passerines, including a 52-million…

This is a neuron on nicotine

11 days ago

Newly developed sensors visually illustrate how nicotine affects cells from the inside out.

Dynamic atmospheres of Uranus, Neptune

11 days ago

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered another mysterious dark storm on Neptune and provided a fresh look at a long-lived storm circling around the north polar region on Uranus.

Unusual microbes hold clues to early life

11 days ago

A new study has revealed how a group of deep-sea microbes provides clues to the evolution of life on Earth. Researchers used cutting-edge molecular methods to study these microbes, which thrive in the hot, oxygen-free fluids that flow through Earth's crust. …

In six objects

11 days ago

The National Museum of Scotland unveils the final three galleries of its £80m redevelopment.

Scientists discover new type of magnet

11 days ago

A team of scientists has discovered the first robust example of a new type of magnet -- one that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies.

Evidence for a new fundamental constant of the sun

11 days ago

New research shows that the sun's magnetic waves behave differently than currently believed.

Melting ice sheets may cause 'climate chaos' according to new modelling

12 days ago

The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century -- in part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the globe. A new study is the fir…

A very small number of crops are dominating globally: That's bad news for sustainable agriculture

12 days ago

A new study finds that globally we're growing more of the same kinds of crops, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability on a global scale.

Beaked whales' incredible diving abilities confirmed

12 days ago

A new study provides the first record of the diving behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales in US Atlantic waters. The species is Earth's deepest-diving mammal but spends very little recovery time at the surface. The new data, from 5,926 dives recorded off Cape Hat…

'The gates of hell'

12 days ago

Ten years ago, the nation had its worst-ever bushfire disaster - and it has left a profound legacy.

Fossils of new oviraptorosaur species discovered in Mongolia

12 days ago

A new oviraptorosaur species from the Late Cretaceous was discovered in Mongolia.

Fate of the subducted oceanic crust revealed by laboratory experiments

12 days ago

Laboratory experiments at extreme pressures and temperatures lead to precise measurements of the sound velocity of CaSiO3 perovskite which is one of the important constituent minerals in the Earth's mantle. The measurements suggested the accumulation of the su…

Millions of tons of plastic waste could be turned into clean fuels, other products

12 days ago

A new chemical conversion process could transform the world's polyolefin waste, a form of plastic, into useful products, such as clean fuels and other items. The conversion process incorporates selective extraction and hydrothermal liquefaction. Once the plast…

Bees can do basic arithmetic

12 days ago

Researchers set out to test whether bees could do math, building on a groundbreaking finding that bees understand the concept of zero. The new study shows bees can be taught to recognize colors as symbolic representations for addition and subtraction, and use …

Social behavior of western lowland gorillas

12 days ago

A new study reveals one of the enigmas related to the social behavior of the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the heart of the African equatorial rainforest. These primates show a dynamic social structure -- individuals change frequently be…

Controllable electron flow in quantum wires

12 days ago

Scientist have found they can turn on and off the flow of current in a bismuth crystal subjected to a high magnetic field, making a new type of controllable quantum wire.

2018 fourth warmest year in continued warming trend, according to NASA, NOAA

12 days ago

Earth's global surface temperatures in 2018 were the fourth warmest since 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Bubbles of brand new stars

12 days ago

This dazzling region of newly forming stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was captured by the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument (MUSE) on ESO's Very Large Telescope. The relatively small amount of dust in the LMC and MUSE's acute vision allowe…

Sharp bends make rivers wander

12 days ago

Left to their own devices and given enough time, rivers wander, eroding their banks and leaving their old channels behind. It's a behavior that engineers have to keep in mind when managing rivers or planning projects near them. But new research has revealed th…

Massive collision in the planetary system Kepler 107

12 days ago

Two of the planets which are orbiting the star Kepler 107 could be the result of an impact similar to that which affected the Earth to produce the moon.

Memories made of this: USB stick found in frozen seal poo

13 days ago

Scientists in New Zealand say they have found a USB memory stick containing holiday photos inside a frozen slab of seal poo.

Study reveals unsettling multidrug antibiotic resistance in remote Arctic soil microbes

13 days ago

Analysis of soil samples show antibiotic-resistant genes have transferred into soil-microbe populations in one of Earth's most remote locations.

Scientists study organization of life on a planetary scale

13 days ago

In astrobiology, there is an increasing interest in whether life as we know it is a quirk of the particular evolutionary history of the Earth or, instead, if life might be governed by more general organizing principles.

The first dexterous and sentient hand prosthesis has been successfully implanted

13 days ago

A Swedish patient with hand amputation has become the first recipient of an osseo-neuromuscular implant to control a dexterous hand prosthesis. In a pioneering surgery, titanium implants were placed in the two forearm bones (radius and ulnar), from which elect…

'Thar she blows!' Scientists use drones to monitor whale health

14 days ago

The old cry of sailors sighting a whale's waterspout is taking on new meaning as scientists turn to drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, to gather samples of the fluids exhaled by the huge mammals and track their health.

Brazil dam collapse: The crucial questions

15 days ago

The full story of the Brumadinho dam disaster could take many months to emerge, the BBC's David Shukman says.

America colonisation 'cooled Earth's climate'

18 days ago

European settlement of the Americas killed so many people, it disturbed Earth's climate.

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin signs launch deal with Canada's Telesat

18 days ago

Jeff Bezos' rocket company, Blue Origin, has signed a deal with Canada's Telesat to launch part of a satellite constellation aimed at providing speedy internet access to governments and businesses globally, the companies said on Thursday.

Russian rocket glitch to delay satellite launch for U.S. startup OneWeb

18 days ago

The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket set to carry satellites into space for U.S startup OneWeb has been delayed after an anomaly was discovered on the rocket, company chairman Greg Wyler said on Thursday.

Siberian cave findings shed light on enigmatic extinct human species

19 days ago

Scientists using sophisticated techniques to determine the age of bone fragments, teeth and artifacts unearthed in a Siberian cave have provided new insight into a mysterious extinct human species that may have been more advanced than previously known.

Defect found on Russian rocket ahead of U.S. OneWeb launch: agencies

19 days ago

A defect has been discovered on part of a Russian space rocket that is due to launch next month carrying satellites into orbit for U.S. startup OneWeb, two Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

Israel Aerospace, Germany's OHB parter in European moon mission

20 days ago

State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries on Tuesday said it has partnered with Germany's OHB System for a European Space Agency moon mission, which includes developing a lunar lander.

150 years of the periodic table: Test your knowledge

21 days ago

How much do you know about the iconic symbol of science pinned to every classroom wall?

Nuclear, climate threats keep Doomsday Clock close to apocalypse

25 days ago

A renewed nuclear arms race, rising greenhouse gas emissions and the emergence of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns have left the modern world as close to annihilation as it was at the height of the Cold War, atomic scientists said on Thursday.

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