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Machine turns water into wine for just $2/bottle

A Silicon Valley start-up have developed a machine capable of a biblical feat: turning water into wine. They call it the Miracle Machine: “the world’s first accelerated winemaking device for the home”. Pricing in at $500, the Miracle Machine looks like a cross between a vase and a Goa’uld communication device, but it comes pretty […]

Fungus threatens global banana production

During the harvest last year, many farmers from Jordan and Mozambique reported that their plants looked nothing like what they’ve been harvesting for decades, instead turning into something like this: Scientists first discovered that this fungus was wreaking havoc in Southeast Asia in the early 1990s. Since then, the pathogen, known as the Tropical Race 4 […]

Female elitism? Women in Academia less likely to cooperate with lower-ranked colleagues

In society, there’s a general idea that women are more cooperative than men. But in academia, at the very least, that’s not the case. According to a recent study published in Current Biology women in academia are simply less likely to cooperate than men. The findings are based on an analysis of the publications from […]

Environmental refugees? Wealthy Chinese depart mainland in search for clean air

The low quality of the Chinese air is more than simply a nuisance – China has by far the worst air quality out of all the industrialized countries, and it’s estimated that 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in China. Needless to say this significantly raises mortality and causes a myriad of […]

Physicians' stethoscopes more contaminated than their hands

Hygiene is extremely important for hospital workers – regardless of the type of medicine they practice – because they run a high risk of further transmitting any contamination they might have. But now, research has shown that while healthcare workers’ hands are the main source of bacterial transmission in hospitals, physicians’ stethoscopes appear to play […]

Watch Bill Nye Explain Climate Change to GOP Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn

I love Bill Nye, and I think the world needs more people like him. I don’t mindlessly follow him, I don’t always agree with what he does, but ultimately, his reasoning and actions speak very clearly to me. You can watch the video below and I highly recommend watching it to the very end, especially […]

San Francisco experiments with planter-based public pee stations

San Francisco, for the nice and laid back city that it is, has many problems – and I was pretty surprised to hear that public urination is one of them. Now, they’ve come up with a solution that could not only solve this problem, but also green up the city. PPlanter is a smart and […]

New Hebrides trench: First pictures of unexplored deep sea

For the first time, researchers have taken a look at the life that thrives in one of the deepest spots in the ocean. They investigated the New Hebrides trench, located just West of Vanuatu, and revealed that cusk eels and crustaceans teem more than 7,000m (23,000ft) down. They used cameras fitted on an unmanned lander […]

Digital atlas shows oceans' iron levels

Researchers have developed a three dimensional atlas which shows the concentrations of iron dissolved in the world’s oceans. This monumental achievement can be very valuable for scientists, but also for policy-makers. Why is mapping iron in the oceans such a big deal ? Well for starters, iron plays a crucial role in the oceanic carbon […]

Stonehenge Rock Source Identified, Mystery Still Stands

The Stonehenge is one of the most impressive and mysterious constructions left behind by our ancestors. Now, scientists have found the exact source of Stonehenge’s smaller bluestones: over 200 km away from Stonehenge. The stones’ composition revealed that they came from a relatively nearby outcrop about 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) away from the site originally. […]

Water detected in a planet outside our solar system

Astronomers have recently discovered water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system, using a novel technique – they believe that this new method could reveal more and more planets which feature water; so far, all life as we know it, is based on water. They made their discovery on a Jupiter-like planet […]

Largest lunar impact ever recorded

A piece of rock traveling at at 61,000 km/h punched a crater 40 metres wide on the surface of the Moon, producing a flash that could be seen from Earth. I feel like Hollywood can ruin your expectations when talking about huge meteoritic impacts – we’re dealing with a meteorite here that’s way smaller than […]

Dogs’ Brains Respond to People’s Voices the Same Way We Do, MRI study shows

If you’ve ever had a nice fuzzy feeling whenever you heard the voice of a loved one, then, you’re not alone. If somebody’s ever told you that ‘we need to talk’ and out of their tone  you understood that something’s bad, then again, you’re not alone. A new study has shown that dogs have an […]

DNA analysis shows Native Americans have European roots

When researchers wanted to conduct DNA analysis on the remains of a Stone Age child, Native American tribes met the idea with opposition. However, after a period of discussing and explaining, despite general resistance, representatives of tribes in the US recently gave their blessing for the DNA analysis. The results were fruitful, as the boy’s […]

Average Obese Woman Gets 1 Hour of Exercise a Year

The average obese woman gets less than 70 minutes of exercise per year; if you were to average it out, that’s about 11 seconds per day. Obese men don’t have it much better either: they break a sweat only 3.6 hours annually, researchers say. You can talk about obesity in terms of culture and psychology, […]

Extremely thorough study casts doubt on usefulness of mammograms

Mammograms have been controversial since their inception – many researchers argued that reduction in mortality from breast cancer comes from improved treatment, and not from the procedures. Now, a very large and thorough study involving 90.000 women and lasting 25 years casts a big doubt on the value of mammograms. Basically, what they found was […]

Astronomers discover the oldest known star

A team led by astronomers at The Australian National University has discovered what they believe to be the oldest star in the known Universe – forming shortly after the Big Bang, some 13.7 billion years ago. This is the first time astrophysicists get the chance to study the chemistry of the oldest stars, giving scientists […]

Scientists explain the munchies: it's all about smell

It’s one of the most known effects of marijuana – you get a powerful surge in appetite (especially a craving for sweets) after smoking (or inhaling or ingesting the drug) – something colloquially referred to as “the munchies”. While for casual users this is a minor and not troubling side effect (often times even enjoyable), […]

Smoking ban in public places helps people quit, research shows

As a non-smoker with many smoking friends living in a country without a smoking ban, going out can be quite a hassle sometimes. Staying in smoky rooms, the way the clothes smell after getting home… I feel like I may be smoking just as well. But as it turns out, smoking bans help smokers just […]

Amputee feels in real-time with bionic hand

Dennis Aabo Sørensen is the first amputee in the world to feel sensory rich information (in real time), thanks to a prosthetic hand hard-wired into the nerves in his upper arm. After nine years ago he lost his left hand, Dennis Aabo Sørensen got lucky. Silvestro Micera and his team at EPFL (Switzerland) and SSSA […]

Bill Nye debates Ken Ham - and why this is so important

I’m gonna go into a little more details about both people and the discussion, but I just want to get out the main idea for people who don’t have the time/don’t want to watch the entire debate. Bill Nye is a scientist, Ken ham is a creationist who advocates taking the Bible literally. At one […]

Scientists claim incredibly small stars emerge from black holes

Black holes have fascinated both researchers and laymen for decades. Without a doubt, they are the point of maximum interest in terms of astrophysical research – objects with an incredibly large mass – so large that even light itself can’t escape it… what secrets do these objects still hold? According to Carlo Rovelli at the […]

If you want to be happier, spend more money on others

A new research paper written by psychologists Elizabeth Dunn and Lara Aknin, along with Michael Norton of Harvard Business School shows that there’s a clear and simple way to be more happy in life – spending more money on others. The notion of generosity has been greatly debated among scientists lately – and it’s not […]

Physicists explain 'gravity-defying' chain trick

It seems more like a magic trick than pure physics – the fountain-like motion of a chain of beads has puzzled millions around the world with its apparently gravity-defying behaviour. Now, physicists have found an explanation for it – but it’s far from intuitive. British science presenter Steve Mould, who made the experiment famous with […]

In 2009, 50% of the world's Polio cases were in India; today, there are none - vaccines to thank

Good news is not something you see very often in India. The lack of food and sometimes even water is still a problem, women discrimination is big, being gay has been criminalized (again), and poverty is the common standard. But among that, there’s still some good news: India is now, officially, polio free. Poliomyelitis, often […]

Scientists model for awesome 2014 pin-up calendar

When you think about calendars, scientists are pretty much the last thing that comes to mind – models, animals, cars, or landscapes usually fill that role. But just for moment picture a climate scientist in a slinky red dress and high heels, brandishing a fire extinguisher as she tries in vain to save the last […]

Fossil pigments show the true colors of ancient sea monsters

During the Mesozoic, dinosaurs weren’t just roaming the land – giant reptiles, such as mosasaurs and ichthyosaurs, ruled the seas. But while scientists have a fairly good idea about how they looked like, until now, they had no idea what colors they featured. Paleontologists conducted new analysis at the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden […]

Star surveyor Gaia enters its operational orbit

The European Space Agency‘s billion-dollar star surveyor ‘Gaia’ is now in its operational orbit around a gravitationally stable virtual point in space, at about 1.5 million km from Earth. Gaia has been traveling to reach that point since December 19, following a spectacular launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Last night, the surveyor […]

International Space Station life 'to be extended' until at least 2024

Good news everybody – the International Space Station won’t be sunk into the ocean in 2020! In case you don’t know what I’m taking about, in a previous article, we were telling you about the plans to sink the International Space Station in the ocean, in 2020. However, the ISS will be on at least […]

Study shows Amazon jungle was dotted with significant towns and perhaps even cities

A hundred, fifty, or perhaps even 20 years ago, this idea would have seemed preposterous. Just imagine the Amazonian jungle, riddled with towns and cities – how can this be? Besides, if this was the case, then why haven’t we found any ruins, or other viable evidence? Still, more and more archaeologists are embracing this […]

Smog in Beijing reduces life expectancy by 15 years

The effects of urban pollution in China are started to get out of hand, and by now, it’s pretty safe to say that they are dealing with a major pollution crisis – the smog in Beijing particularly is so severe you can easily see it from outer space. Now, a new study has concluded that […]

Making Asimov proud: New algorithm can detect where atrocities will occur

If you’re a sci-fi geek like me, you’ve most likely read at least a few Asimov novels, and you know what psychohistory is – a fictional science which combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people. Now, researchers have made important steps towards […]

All Intel microprocessors are 'conflict-free' starting today

Whenever you buy an electronic, that ‘Made in [country]‘ label only shows where it was maufactured or put together – there’s no way of knowing where the materials for it came from; usually, they come from troubled countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. But today Intel CEO Brian Krzanich promised at the Consumer […]

The stoat: one of the most invasive animals in the world

The stoat may look cute, but it's one of the most invasive species in the world.

300 million year old shark nursery found

Imagine salmon in reverse: long-snouted Bandringa sharks migrated downstream from freshwater swamps to a tropical coastline to spawn 310 million years ago – leaving behind a fossil nursery, which researchers found. The bandringa sharks The surprising conclusion was drawn by University of Michigan paleontologist Lauren Sallan and a University of Chicago colleague; they analyzed every […]

Mongooses synchronize births to escape despotic females

When you think about mongooses, cruel, despotic females probably don’t come to mind – but according to a new study, that’s exactly the case. To ensure groups remain ‘productive’, some social animals ‘police’ selfish reproduction by subordinate animals by killing any offspring they produce. In order to adapt to this behavior, some mammals may have […]

Green spaces deliver lasting mental health benefits

We need more green spaces in town and cities – the myriad of advantages they provide is simply undeniable. Now, a team of researchers has shown that they also lead to significant and sustained improvements in mental health. Analyzing a consistent amount of data over a five year period, they found that moving in a […]

Team discovers lost, 100-year old pictures from Antarctica expedition

Photographic negatives left a century ago in Captain Scott’s last expedition base at Cape Evans have been discovered and conserved by New Zealand’s Antarctic Heritage Trust. The pictures were found in photographer Herbert Ponting’s darkroom and have now been revealed, showing never before seen Antarctic images. In total, the negative revealed 22 images, after detailed […]

High tech farm aims to clean up Fukushima and provide energy

Japanese authorities have approved the construction of a futuristic farming project in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, in a part of the land which has been radioactively contaminated. It seems the most unlikely place to try to put a utopian blueprint into practice, since the prefecture was severely contaminated by the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear […]

What a polar vortex is, and why it is affecting the US

A big part of the US and Canada is currently in the grip of a polar vortex – extreme colds, strong winds, cancelled flights and overall chaos in many parts of the continent – it’s big, and it’s nasty. But what is a polar vortex, and what’s causing it? What’s a polar vortex anyway? A […]

Gifted children rarely achieve their potential, 30-year study shows

Gifted children are supposed to be tomorrow’s leaders, scientists, and innovators – but the exceptionally smart are often invisible in the classroom, don’t do so well on the curriculum, and aren’t motivated by society to achieve their full potential. This conclusion comes after the longest study that monitors exceptional children, a 30-year study conducted by […]

Epilepsy drug helps adults learn like when they were kids

An international team of researchers believes they have found a way to reopen critical learning periods in the brain, allowing adults to learn as if they were children, even abilities thought to be restricted to early ages, such as new language learning and absolute pitch development. The drug is known as valproate or valporic acid […]

Wind power was Spain's top source of electricity in 2013 - CO2 emissions go down by 23%

It may be one heck of a coincidence, or it could be the fact that renewable energy causes a major drop in emissions – choose your pick. Remarkable new figures from Spain’s grid operator have revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s energy sector have fallen by approximately 23.1% last year, as wind and […]

New fossil sheds light on the ancestor of dogs, bears and tigers

Cats, dogs, as well as many well known and loved wild animals such as seals, lions, tigers and bears trace their ancestry to primitive carnivorous mammals dating back to 55 million years ago, at the beginning of a time period called the Eocene. A study, published in the most recent issue of the Journal of […]

Odor receptors discovered in lungs

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have found out that we don’t just smell with our noses, we also smell with our lungs… sort of. But while your nose might tell you that something is or isn’t good for you, your lungs might make you cough it out. Smelling […]

What made the strange web towers in Amazon

A while ago, we were telling you about the mysterious “fenced” white cocoons – of which researchers knew nothing about. The strange structures were photographed by graduate student Troy Alexander in the Peruvian Amazon. Now, we finally know what built them. Finding such a peculiar and unknown structure quickly went viral on the internet and […]

Mapping our bodily emotions

Researchers from the Aalto University in Finland have revealed how the most common emotions are experienced in the body. Emotions are a very good way of preparing us for environmental challenges. It has been known for quite some time that our emotions trigger physical reactions in our body, and the bodily maps of these sensations […]

Amber fossil shows early reproduction in flowering plants

A cluster of 18 flowering plants from the Cretaceous (100 million years ago) has been found preserved in amber Among the flowers, one shows the earliest reproduction of flowering plants Based on microscopic imaging, paleontologists conclude that the pollination mechanism has remained virtually unchanged Amber is fossilized tree resin, valued as a gem since prehistoric […]

Why some big earthquakes cause strange lights

Scientists have developed a new catalogue of earthquake lights, glows sometimes reported during the seismic shaking, and sometimes even before it. The phenomenon has been reported by eyewitnesses for centuries, but only recently did scientists start taking them seriously. The science of glowing earthquakes Even though they have been described both before and during the […]

Things you wish you knew about Tylenol

Tylenol is one of the most common drugs, and for good reason: it’s good, and it gets the job done – it’s one of several drugs which use acetaminophen as the active substance. There are two main reasons for which it should be administrated: it’s a mild analgesic and it reduces fever. While it’s also […]