Andrei Mihai ZME Science

No health care revolution in sight

Though we have to admit there are some small steps toward an improving in general health care, we’ve expressed our opinion about how bad things are on numerous occasions. Only the fact that major pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising than research is a huge problem, that (along with others) leads to a domino-like effect […]

Brain neurons can remodel connections, MIT shows

Contrary to almost a half of century of research, Elly Nedivi, associate professor of neurobiology at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and colleagues found that a certain type of neuron that plays a crucial part in autism spectrum disorders is able in fact to remodel itself. It can do this in a strip […]

Beta Pictoris planet could finally be imaged

Beta Pictoris (β Pic / β Pictoris) is part of a group of hot young stars that have the same age and motion through stage. It’s best known for the fact that it’s surrounded by a dusty ‘debris’ disc. This disc is a result of collisions between planetary ’embryos’ and asteroids, or other such objects. […]

Meet the nanobamas

Meet the world’s tiniest portraits of an elected president ever; meet the nanobamas. Each ‘Obama’ is made up of about 150 million tiny carbon nanotubes, which is about how many Americans voted in this year’s presidential election. An assistant professor professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, John Hart, along […]

Mute man can now speak thanks to brain implant

Frank Guenther of Boston University in Massachusetts and his colleagues worked with a man who was unable to move or communicate; they implanted an electrode into his brain which allowed him to use a speech synthesizer that produces vowel sounds as he thinks them. This work shows promise of going even further and not far […]

Mineral Kingdom Co-evolved With Life

Evolution isn’t just for living organisms, as scientists the Carnegie Institution found. They found that more than 3000 of the 4000+ minerals that exist can be linked more or less directly to biological life. This finding could have a crucial importance for scientists that are searching for life on other planets. Robert Hazen and Dominic […]

The continents and their highest points

There's a great deal of geographical variation on Earth. H

New Enzyme Could Revolutionize Plastic Production

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA for short) is a thermoplastic and transparent plastic that’s called acrylic glass for short. In the not so distant future it could be made from natural products such as sugars, alcohols or fatty acids. This process is much more environmentally friendly than the process used now. PMMA is manufactured by polymerising methyl […]

2000 year old gold earring found

The Israel Antiquities Authority said that archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old gold earring next to the walls of the ancient city, under what was a parking lot. This is not the first amazingly well preserved piece of jewelry found in Israel, but many jewish works of art are often found in other places (such as the […]

'Beauty Machine' turns average into knockout

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, or at least that’s what we used to hear as kids from our parents. Well, scientists say our parents were wrong; after creating a computer that recognizes attractivenes in women , now they managed to create the world’s first beauty machine. While this machine can’t (yet) make […]

Understanding thunder and lightning

In ancient times, people looked up to the sky and thought it was the home of the gods; they found a divine explanation for pretty much all natural phenomena, and thunder was usually a tool of the gods. Strange enough, but today things aren’t really that different. Sure, you’ll say, we know it’s a discharge […]

Female models and their negative effect on men

We all know that seeing female models can have a negative effect on how women think about themselves, but really, it seems hard to believe that they would have the same effect on men. Still, Jennifer Aubrey, a leading researcher of media effects on body image, completed three different studies that led to the same […]

76 recipients of the Nobel Prize endorse Obama

This year’s election is among the most significant in America’s history. The people need a visionary leader that could get the nation out of the way towards the dark ages, and that can make this country play its crucial role in the world. Under the Bush administration, scientific issues have been politicized in such a […]

Hubble Back In Business: Pair Of Gravitationally Interacting Galaxies

A while ago we were a bit worried about the future of Hubble, but it seems the people at NASA managed to once again do an amazing job, so the most well known telescope is back in business, and up to big things actually. Just a few days after it was brought back online, Hubble […]

Secret of spider-man suit revealed

If you ever wanted to stroll “spidy” your way around the big city, your dream is one step closer to becoming reality, as physicists have found the formula for what they call a “spider suit“. To do this, they applied what they learned from the dazzling gecko and it’s ability to climb walls as well […]

Smart amoebas reveal origins of primitive intelligence

Intelligence is very hard to define as a trait, as it’s usually a simplified term used to describe a quantum of related abilities, such as the ability to solve problems, to understand abstract issues, to learn and to plan. But the notion of intelligence should (by any means) be understood at a whole new level, […]

Opals on Mars hint at planet's wet past

As a proud student in geophysics, I can tell you that opal is hydrated silicon dioxide mineral with many astounding properties, but it’s also water hydrated. Since water hydrated minerals have been found on Mars we are led to the logic conclusion that when these minerals was formed, there was water on Mars. Opals have […]

Highest Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Ever Reached

The efficiency of the solar cells is the first thing needed to be improved in order to improve the quality of the solar panels, and it is the aim of more and more scientists as time passes. Still, very few manage to obtain a breakthrough, and that’s exactly what researchers at University of New South […]

9 amazing displays of fossil art

Art is a relative term, especially in these modern times. In its most accepted term, art is the deliberate process of arranging certain elements in such a way that appeals to the senses, trying to achieve beauty. But what these elements are and how they are arranged is up to the artist. So it shouldn’t […]

The world's most advanced microscope

It’s the equivalent of taking the Hubble telescope (before it was damaged) and directing it towards atoms and molecules instead of stars and galaxies, according to Gianluigi Botton, director of the new Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster, where the world’s most advanced and powerful microscope works. It’s called Titan 80-300 Cubed and it […]

Why Women Get More Cavities

It’s not because they deserve it, if that’s what you’re thinking – you mysoginistic bastard; and it’s not because they’re just much sweeter than man. Actually, the old tale that a woman loses a tooth every time she delivers is not as far from the truth as you’d think. A study published in this month’s […]

Serendipitous events show rare events in distant quasar

According to Murphy’s Law, all great discoveries happen by mistake. This is not the case here, but scientists had the opportunity to observe something they weren’t expecting at all. Astronomers at the University of California-Santa Cruz had the fortune of witnessing the birth of a young galaxy. They were the first to observe the onset […]

India launches first mission to the moon

Chandrayaan-1 is the name of the first mission India has ever launched towards the moon, and it was launches succesfully in the morning of October 22, from inside their country. This started the journey which will also imply a major manoeuvre – the lunar orbit insertion – about 2 weeks from the launch date. After […]

NASA doesn't see a quick fix for Hubble

Despite the fact that they have worked round the clock for fixing Hubble, it seems NASA engineers have once again hit a snag and they’re currently trying to figure out what is the next step. The telescope stopped sending pictures three weeks ago, and at first it was believed that it wouldn’t take that long […]

Rare white lions go into the wild

In what is the culmination of years and years of work in the White Lion Project, a pride of white lions has been released in the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa’s Western Cape Province. The project is sponsored by Shamwari Dubai World Africa Conservation team. Here is a small video of these African white […]

Creating anticancer beer

Every once in a while you hear about such a good idea that you just know it deserves a prize. Such is the idea of a few students from Rice University, who are taking drinking beer to a whole new level; the genetically engineering level. They are entering it in the International Genetically Engineered Machine […]

First sparks of life could have appeared from volcanoes

Jeffrey Bada is a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He and his colleagues reanalyzed the classic experiment concerning the origins of life conducted by Stanley Miller who along with Harold Urey realized what we know today as the Miller-Urey experiment. This experiment showed that organic compounds can be created with no relative difficulty from […]

Pushing Species To The Brink

We don’t usually want to face it, but the fact is that mankind is pushing virtually ever other species to the very brink of their existance, in our quest for resources of every kind. Just a few days aco, IUCN published a study which concluded that thirty-five percent of the world’s birds, 52 percent of […]

Glowing jellyfish earns Nobel Prize

This year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry has been earned by three scientists who researched into the mysterious green glow of a jellyfish. They will split the prize which has been given to them for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein GFP. Osamu Shimomura of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; […]

First firm prediction of an incoming space rock confirmed

A very small asteroid exploded over the continent of Africa this week, confirming the prediction of astronomers. Despite the fact that nobody has seen and photographed the asteroid due to the fact that it entered in a very remote area, it was detected with an infrasound array in Kenya; it exploded without striking the Earth. […]

Deepest living fish filmed

Nearly five miles below sea level, at 7700 metres to be more exact, in the Pacific oceans, scientists found fish living in the world’s deepest ocean trenches and filmed them. This is the first time a camera has been sent to such a depth. ‘We got some absolutely amazing footage from 7700 metres. More fish […]

Feeling amuck makes people see inexistant patterns

It’s natural that when you are stressed out, you tend to search for an explanation for your current situation and to search for answers; too many people have felt this and this is a global issue even without the economy crisis that struck us. But in such times when you feel that your finances are […]

The man who got his head into a particle accelerator

We’ve all heard stories about soviet scientists, and Hollywood played quite an important role in that. Really few of those stories are actually true, but here’s one that will probably baffle you; it did this to Russian physicists and doctors. First of all, it has to be said that by the time the USSR divided, […]

NASA shows that Sun is not a sphere

Using the RHESSI spacecraft, scientists managed to calculate the Sun’s roundness with a level of precision that surpasses anything of this type that has been attempted before. They found that the star which the Eart rotates around is not quite a sphere, but it has a thin “cantaloupe skin”. This skin causes the equatorial radius […]

Alternative energy could be the key to the economic crisis

With the US economy tanking, natural disasters caused by climate change, several wars being fought in the world and with Italy announcing they will go back to nuclear power, it seems that nobody is looking deeper into the source of these problems and the solution that solving this problem brings. Climate change causes natural disasters, […]

Rhode Island goes for offshore energy

In the ever developing struggle for alternative energy, Rhode Island made a significant step towards achieving their goal of fifteen percent offshore energy when they awarded Deepwater Wind the right to build a wind farm that will cost more than 1 billion dollars. This will also give the state more green jobs, as well as […]

Chinese claim to be building 'Impossible' space drive

Chinese researchers confirmed the theory that they are building an “impossible” space drive, and at this stage they are building a demonstration version; if things go according to their plans, this could revolutionize space exploration and the economy of satellites, giving China a significant military and economical advantage over other countries. This year, “Emdrive” (short […]

Blondes really do have more fun, study shows

It’s often believed that blondes have more fun, but now, we finally have proof for that; scientists claim that not only does bleaching hair does wonders for your look and self-confidence, but it also makes a women feel more attractive, more daring when it comes to asking someone out, and even more adventurous in […]

Fish that communicate by getting red

Most fish can’t even recognize the color red – let alone use it for some precise purpose. However, the exception here are some deep sea fish, yet Enneapterygius pusillus found a really interesting way of communicating. It literally glows in a deep red color, signaling different forms of intent. According to a study conducted in […]

World could head for a global pandemic caused by antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics are agents that act against microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi or protozoa. It’s obvious that since the development of antibiotics, the world has changed significantly. Basically, in developed countries people take pills for anything, which could have a damaging long term effect, creating newer types of damaging microorganisms, which are more resistant to antibiotics. […]

'Green Gasoline' from sugar

This month, two independent teams have announced that they have succesfully converted sugar-potentially derived waste from agriculture and non-food plants into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other chemical substances of high importance. Randy Cortright, a chemical engineer at Virent Energy Systems of Madison, Wisc. announced that carbohydrates and sugars can be processed into a number […]

'Upside down rainbow' caused by freak weather

It's one of the rarest phenomena you can see.

First pictures of the okapi or the African 'unicorn'

An African animal so rare that people used to believe it is the mythic ‘unicorn’ has been caught on camera in the wild, for the first time. The okapi is a mammal similar to a deer in the front and to a zebra in the back and with the blue tongue of a giraffe. It […]

7 wonders of modern engineering

In a previous article you had the chance to read about the seven wonders of the ancient world, which remained famous for thousands of years and still amaze people from all over the world due to their magnificent traits. But time passed and nowadays people take pride in other accomplishments, from scientific experiments to stadiums. […]

Century old milestone broken: spotless month for the Sun

Our old Sun has broken a milestone that has not happened for almost a hundred years, as an entire month has passed without a single sun spot being noted. This is relevant because many climatologists believe there is a tight connection between solar magnetic activity which is responsable for the sun spots and climate on […]

Taking a glance at space food

Astronauts definitely don’t have it easy; preparing and training for most of your life, to go on a mission that is dangerous in most cases, and that has many difficulties to say the least. But perhaps the most interesting aspect in the life of an astronaut is eating. Because there’s not any room for your […]

'Cutting By Color'; new technique for cancer surgery

One of humanity’s fiercest enemies in the modern world is without a doubt this terrible malady, which has caused an endless number of deaths and suffering; while news and developments in treatment appear every day, there is still no safe receipe for curing it. However, if things get bad, there is now a new technique […]

Incredible waster; half of Earth's food is wasted

It’s hard to believe that about half of the food produced on our planet is wasted, especially when about a quarter of Earth’s inhabitants are suffering from hunger; this, my friends is the wonderful world we live in. Not a world without resources, but a world in which we do not know how to use […]

9 Dinosaurs that marked the planet

How the dinosaurs appeared is clear, but it’s not so clear how they dissapeared. One thing’s for sure, they ruled this planet for a significant amount of time. But how much truth is behind this avalanche of publicity and fiction, and which dinosaurs are the true leaders of these amazing lizards?? Here’s just a small […]

Ear infections make fat foods sound better

It may seem weird, but ear infections don’t attack only your ears, but your weight too. If you get them during your childhood, there’s a big chance you will develop a taste for fat foods, and thus this affinity will probably lead to obesity. Scientists that made this study suggest that this appears because middle […]

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