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The Pharmacy that prescribes Monster Spray to kids that are scared of the dark

In the small town of Watford City, North Dakota (population 1,744), the local pharmacy has a cure for kids that are afraid of the dark. The bottle looks like any other drug (more or less), and comes with this simple indication: Spray around the room at night before bed, repeat if necessary. The bottle is […]

For the first time, scientists show coffee works against Alzheimer's disease

As part of a German-French research project, a team led by  Dr. Christa E. Müller from the University of Bonn and Dr. David Blum from the University of Lille was able to demonstrate that coffee consumption works against Alzheimer’s disease. With coffee, it’s a “one step further two steps back” dance. Its benefits, when consumed […]

Simple invention could save many lives - sponge filled syringe receives FDA approval

The average grown man has about 5 liters of blood – and you need most of it to survive. That’s why injured people fall victim not to the wound per se, but to the bleeding caused by it. If we could somehow find a way to stop the bleeding in a timely fashion, then many […]

El Nino likely to develop this year - Australian scientists estimate 70% chances

The scientists from the Australian Meteorology Bureau estimate that there’s a good chance that El Nino will form in the southern hemisphere’s winter (northern hemisphere’s summer). El Nino is  a band of anomalously warm ocean water temperatures that periodically develop off the Pacific coast of South America. The results of this pattern are extreme weather […]

Procrastination influenced by your genes - connection found between impulsiveness and procrastination

A team of researchers from the Colorado University has found that the tendency to procrastinate is also influenced by genetic factors – the same genetic factors which are linked to impulsiveness. Before you start blaming your family for your lack of productivity, you should know that procrastination is still mostly your fault – genes are […]

This sealed bottle garden hasn't been opened since 1972 - still doing just fine

It’s 1960, a nice Sunday, Easter day. David Latimer decides to do something special to mark this day, and he starts a bottle garden in his ten gallon carboy. He poured in some compost, a quarter pint of water and then, carefully added some spiderwort seedling (Tradescantia) using a piece of water. He then placed the […]

Most convincing evidence for Dark Matter found - still not conclusive

Scientists have been analyzing high-energy gamma rays originating from the center of our galaxy and they’ve reported that there’s a good chance that at least some of them come from dark matter. This is the best indication of dark matter to ever be found. What is dark matter? Think about our universe for a moment […]

Country maps made from traditional foods

Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves, use regional foods to create physical maps of countries and continents around the world. This doesn’t mean that the food originally came from that country, just that it is heavily incorporated in the country’s diet. Exploring new places through the food you eat is often a portal to the cultural […]

Ending decades of controversy, researchers find histological evidence for the existence of the G-spot

It’s one of the more… delicate issues of science and anatomy, and amidst lots of contradicting personal testimonies and surprisingly little scientific evidence, the G-Spot remains a topic of hot debate. In other words, some claimed it exists, some claimed it’s all a fairytale, but there was no “hard evidence” – one way or another. […]

Scientist finds the worst places to get stung by a bee - by experimenting on himself. In order, it's the nostril, lip, and penis

Talk about dedication to science! Michael Smith, a graduate student at Cornell University mapped which parts of the body are most painful when it comes to bee stings – by testing it on himself! Smith’s work focuses around the behaviour and evolution of honeybees. It all started when a honeybee flew up his shorts and […]

Tobacco plant might play a role in fighting cancer

La Trobe University research has revealed a tobacco plant’s natural defense mechanisms could be harnessed to kill cancer cells in the human body. The research is still in its initial stages, and has a long way to go before it can even be regarded as a viable anti-cancer possibility, but there are some promising results. […]

Ocean discovered on Enceladus may be best place to look for alien life

Earth is not the only place in the solar system to hold watery oceans: Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons also holds a liquid ocean, albeit one that is covered by ice. However, Enceladus is still an extremely exciting place to find extraterrestrial life – not only because of the water it holds, but because water […]

Skydiver nearly struck by meteor, catches it all on film

Anders Helstrup and several other members of Oslo Parachute Club were expecting a good time, and no major events when they went skydiving in Hedmark, Norway. They most certainly weren’t expecting a meteor swooping by past them. This is the first time in history that a meteorite has been filmed in the air after its […]

Cricket virus acts like an aphrodisiac, but effectively castrates its hosts

The characteristic “chirp” a cricket makes is created when the insects rub their legs, in an attempt to draw the attention of any nearby female. If he is successful and finds an interested counterpart, the couple quickly gets down to business. Interestingly enough, it’s the female that mounts the male, but that’s less important here; […]

Lions' origin revealed by genetic analysis

The origin and evolutionary history of modern lions has been revealed through genetic analysis. This recent study suggests that the lions’ most recent common ancestor lived around 124,000 years ago. A fallen king Modern lions evolved in two different groups – one of them currently lives in Eastern and Southern Africa, the other includes lions […]

These mind-boggling artifacts will change the way you see China

Throughout history, Chinese culture has rivaled and many times surpassed other, more famous empires — but many of their achievements are less known, at least in “the West”. You may very well be familiar with some of their achievements (for example papermaking, compass, gunpowder, printing, and many others) but these unusual artifacts will definitely change […]

Gratitude, not 'Gimme!', makes you happier

Materialistic people are more likely to be depressed and unsatisfied, partly because they are not grateful enough for the things they have, according to a study by Baylor University researchers. Generosity and happiness have been linked many times, and most psychologists believe that generally speaking, there is a tight connection between the two. But things […]

Documents reveal that SeaWorld gives its orcas antidepressants and psychoactive drugs

As if SeaWorld didn’t have enough press with the shocking Blackfish documentary, a document released by Buzzfeed reveals that the marine park gives its whales psychoactive drugs and anti-depressants. According to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice affidavit, SeaWorld’s whale trainers give the animals benzodiazepine, which has a valium-like effect on the mammals. The document […]

High speed photography of ink diffusion in water

I’ve been covering more artistic topics lately, but I feel that every once in a while, it’s a good break from all the hard science. As always, we’d love to hear if you like it or not! Feel free to contact us for any positive or negative appreciations. Also, if you’d like to share your […]

8.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Chile

An 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit near the coast of Chile last night, triggering multiple strong aftershocks and a 6-foot (3 meter) tsunami. There have been at least five confirmed casualties, with the victims being crushed or suffering from heart attacks. “The fact is, we will know the extent of the damage as time goes by and […]

Rising Japanese scientist faked heralded stem cell research, lab says

Her short career was absolutely remarkable – before she was 20, Haruko Obokata was accepted into the science department at Tokyo’s Waseda University, but that was only the beginning. Then she studied at Harvard University in what was supposed to be a half-year program, but advisers were so impressed with her research, they asked her stay longer. […]

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death by 42 percent

Everybody knows (or at least should know) that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you; however, most people underestimate their beneficial effects. A new research has shown that eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared to […]

Earth-like planets worried they may someday support human life

As we were telling you a while ago, the Kepler telescope found several potentially life-supporting planets, including a couple of  which orbit the same star and have Earth-like characteristics. Kepler-62f is a rocky world just 1.4 times bigger than Earth, while Kepler-62e is 1.6 times larger than Earth. Both orbit a star called Kepler 22 […]

Scientists baffled as laws of physics still stand

It has to be the most uninteresting year in science – in the 3 months that have passed, absolutely nothing has broken the laws of physics, concludes a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Institute of Science (PNIS). “No faster than light travel, no cloning of extinct animals, all we’ve had is normal, […]

Middle school student shows the US government could save $400 million by switching fonts

How important are details, when it comes to saving money? Any accountant will tell you: really important. A middle school student in Pittsburg thought the same thing – he discovered that the government could save $400 million dollars just by change the typeface it uses. Inspired by a school project on saving ink, he calculated […]

UN court rules against Japan whaling

In what may be a  historic decision, the UN’s top court has ordered Japan to stop its annual whale hunt in the Antarctic. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Tokyo’s arguments that whaling has scientific purposes, in a case which many believe will shape the future of the giant mammals. “Japan shall revoke any […]

Aging successfully reversed in mice - human trials to start next

As incredible as it may sound, scientists have successfully reversed the aging process in mice, according to a new study published in Cell. Reversing aging, a real possibility? Many of the chronic diseases that exist in older adults constitute a highly significant social and economic burden to the community; if you think about it, eliminating […]

Series of earthquakes strike Yellowstone

Seismologists working at the University of Utah reported an earthquake occurring at 06:34 AM on March 30, 2014 (MDT). The epicenter of the magnitude 4.8 shock was located 4 miles north-northeast of Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. A supervolcano This was not a singular event, but was a part of a series […]

Smarter than we give them credit: crows understand water displacement at the level of a child

New Caledonian crows understand ow to displace water to receive a reward, with the causal understanding level of a 5-7 year-old child, according to results published March 26, 2014, in the open access journal PLOS ONE. Just a few days ago, we were presenting a study which showed that goats are smarter than previously believed, […]

Asteroids can have rings, too

When it comes to rings, we usually think about gas giants – Jupiter and Saturn have spoiled us that way. But astronauts have showed that asteroids can have rings too – at just 250 kilometres across, Chariklo is the smallest known body which has rings. Previously, only gas giants in our solar system have been […]

A drug to rule them all: fighting all cancers with one drug

When it comes to fighting cancer, it’s crucial to know what kind of cancer you’re dealing with – different diseases often require different approaches. However, when mice with human tumors received doses of anti-CD47, cancer cells shrank and ultimately disappeared, regardless of their nature; and we’re talking about human breast, ovary, colon, bladder, brain, liver, […]

Prehistoric shrimps traded claws for nets, filtering food like modern whales

Cambrian fossil is earliest example of large swimming filter-feeder. An evolutionary explosion Half a billion years ago, the world was extremely different. We’re in the Cambrian, the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, which lasted from about 541 to 485 million years ago. Life is diversifying at an incredibly fast rate, into what we […]

Stitches to become a thing of the past? Doctors to use polymer nanofibers to promote healing

Throughout the world, tens of millions of people get stitches every year, and researchers have been looking for better options for quite a while. Now, a team of Maryland researchers proposed applying sticky, biodegradable mats of polymer nanofibers onto surgical incisions to seal them and promote healing. This is not a new idea, but the […]

Book Review: Tragic Spirits, by Manduhai Buyandelger

After the collapse of the USSR in 1990, Mongolia, long time a satellite of the Soviet Union, regained its independence, but found itself aimlessly lost. This period brought devastating changes to the country, as it almost forcefully went through liberalization of trade and privatization of publicly owned assets, which led to impoverishment for most of […]

When it comes to global warming "the polar bear is us"

The already iconic global warming images with polar bears sadly floating on small chunks of ice have acted as a double edge sword – on one hand they were impacting visual representations of global warming, showing the extent of damage which has already been done, but on the other hand, they created the idea that […]

IceTee shirt keeps you cool with gel packs

Nowadays, clothing can use some extremely advanced technology to regulate body temperature – and more often than not, this leads to exorbitant prices. The IceTee takes a more low-tech and cheap approach with strategically-placed pockets for holding gel packs to help keep you cool. Made from dry-fit moisture wicking fabric, the IceTee is an athletic […]

Using famous paintings to study Earth's past atmosphere

When it comes to studying the Earth’s atmosphere and pollution, paintings are not really where you usually go to gather information. But team of Greek and German researchers suggest that colors of sunsets painted by famous artists can offer clues about our planet’s past atmosphere. They mainly focused on paintings that depicted ash and gas […]

Waste-cooking solar toilet unveiled in India

An innovative project which addresses both environmental and health concerns has been revealed in Delhi, India. It’s estimated that 2.5 billion people in the world (almost 1 in 3 people) lack proper sanitation – something unimaginable in the developed world. With that thought in mind, a team at the University of Colorado Boulder has designed […]

Meet General Sherman

General Sherman is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in California. It is, by volume, the largest single stem tree on Earth. It has a height of 83.8 metres (275 ft), a diameter of 7.7 metres (25 ft), an estimated bole volume of 1,487 cubic metres (52,513 […]

Using a million suns to shed light on a fossilized plant

Scientists have used one of the brightest light sources in the Universe that we know of to expose the biochemical structure of a 50 million-year-old fossil plant to stunning visual effect. The mixed team of paleontologists, geochemists and physicists bombarded the fossils with extremely bright X-rays and showed that the chemical makeup of the plant […]

Goats are far more clever than previously believed, study shows

New research from Queen Mary University of London shows goats quickly learn how to solve complicated puzzles and can remember the solution for at least 10 months, which might explain their remarkable ability to adapt to harsh environments. Basically, scientists trained a group of goats to retrieve food from a box using a sequence of […]

Research shows less makeup makes you more attractive

What do you think the opposite sex wants in a partner? Stone-hard abs, broad shoulders? Skinny girls, nice makeup? If you’re thinking something along these lines, then you’re almost certainly mistaking. Research has already shown that we’re pretty bad at understanding what the opposite sex finds attractive in us. These misunderstandings are more than a […]

Study shows BP oil spill to blame for heart defects in fish

Last December, scientists showed that dolphins in Louisiana were suffering from abnormal lung diseases and low birthrates in the wake of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill that released more than 636 million liters of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Now, another study illustrates that potentially lethal heart defects in two […]

Electric device can increase or decrease learning speed

For most college students, caffeine fueled sessions are part of a routine. But what if there was a way to accelerate learning when needed? What if a real, scientific “thinking cap” were developed? According to a new study conducted by Vanderbilt psychologists, that may not be that far away. Robert Reinhart, a Ph.D. candidate, and […]

Bugs have already developed resistance to GMO corn, study shows

According to a study published Monday, the Western Corn Rootworm (actually a beetle larvae) has already developed a resistance to not one but two strains of generically modified corn; this happened mostly thanks to the over-reliance and improper implementation of the crops by farmers. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for all the bad rep they get, […]

Island Nation of Palau declares 100% marine sanctuary, bans all commercial fishing in an area roughly the size of France

Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau Jr. has declared the Pacific nation will become a marine sanctuary – where absolutely no commercial fishing will take place. Palau is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean with a population of only 21.000 people which is spread across 250 islands. However, they have a 200 nautical mile […]

Watch a livestream from the International Space Station - 24/7

If you’ve been living in a cave or just don’t care about science at all, then you don’t know what the International Space Station is, and I’ll explain here. The ISS is a a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. It’s been launched in 1998, and since then, it has been continuously operating. Astronauts […]

Scientists question the link between fatty acids and heart disease

It’s common sense, right? If you eat foods rich in fatty acids, you’re gonna have some heart problems. Not so fast – scientists say. New research finds that the current level of evidence does not support guidelines restricting saturated fatty acid consumption. Challenging the norm An international research team led by the University of Cambridge analyzed […]

Sea anemone is genetically half animal, half plant

Sea anemones are remarkable creatures. They are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals, but if you look at them, they look like plants more than animals. Now, a team of evolutionary biologists from the University of Vienna has discovered that sea anemones display a remarkable genome, featuring a complexity of regulatory elements similar to that of fruit […]

Scientists develop non-toxic paint that never fades, by mimicking bird feathers

A team of Harvard engineers has developed a way of producing color that could produce paint that never fades, and displays that never go dark. How color works If you’ve never wondered how color works, it’s a pretty nifty thing. The color we usually see, like on paints and trees works by absorbing certain wavelengths […]