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A world map of Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestry in modern humans

Last week, a team published results showing that some areas in South-East Asia carry significant Denisovan DNA and now, another team has published a map of that DNA spread.

A woman's tweet sparked a much needed discussion about food and waste... but there's a twist

A London-based customer of Whole Foods tweeted a photo of peeled oranges, packed in plastic. Her photo and comments are on point.

Guy tries to fold paper seven times and succeeds... sort of

They say you can’t fold a paper seven times, because its resistance gets too strong. The Hydraulic Press Youtube Channel set up to see if that myth really is true – with a hydraulic press, of course. The result was quite surprising (more info after the video): The first folds went pretty easily by hand, […]

The Hyperloop is about to be built - in Europe

The Hyperloop could become the next big thing in transportation. It’s a train-like tube-based transportation system which can move at extremely high speeds of up to 760 miles per hour – 1220 km/h. Currently, it would take some six hours to travel from Košice, Slovakia, to Vienna. Even a direct flight would still take you a bit over […]

GeoPicture of the Week: The Geological map of Mars

This is the geological map of Mars. That we have a geological map of another planet, as accurate as it may be, is simply amazing to me. More info after the scroll. Mars doesn’t have any tectonic plates, but that doesn’t stop it from having a very interesting geology. Most of our current knowledge about […]

Japanese fleet returns with 333 slaughtered whales, most of them pregnant females

The Japanese whaling fleet has returned home with a gruesome catch

The coal industry alone consumes as much water as 1 billion people, report shows

We all know the coal industry's shortcomings and negative impacts - it pollutes, it releases CO2 into the atmosphere and so on.

No safe haven in Africa: African rhinos are being relocated to Australia for protection against poachers

In most parts of Africa, rhinos are hunted to extinction. Out of desperation, authorities have opted for an unlikely solution.

Enjoy your ice cream while you still can - we may be having a vanilla crisis this year

It’s been a bad year for vanilla growers in Madagascar. The African island is the world’s biggest producer of this tasty commodity, and this year’s poor harvest could bring the prices up by 150%, or even create a global vanilla shortage. A while ago, we were telling you about the global chocolate shortage the world […]

Returning the world's last wild horses to the wild

Przewalski's horses are the only breed which was never domesticated. They were once common across Russia's and Mongolia's steppes, but were slowly hunted down. Now, coming back from the brink of extinction, these wild horses are slowly returning to their habitat.

Scientists may be able to read scrolls burned by lava in AD 79

In the year 79, the Vesuvius volcano erupted, wiping out the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing at least 1,500 people. But while Pompeii usually takes the spotlight, it's Herculaneum that may provide us with key information.

FossilFriday: Ammonite Growth Chambers

Ammonite fossils are among the most common in the world, with their characteristic shape and chambered shell. But did you ever wonder what the deal is with those chambers? Ammonites are a group of cephalopod animals that lived as swimmers in the shallow parts of the ancient oceans. They were extremely successful, emerging in the early […]

Scientists achieve a record 57Gbps through fiber optic lines

Data is key to our modern society, and data transfer has become pivotal for many industries, as well as for our day to day lives. Thankfully, the maximum speed is constantly increasing and while we may not see this in current infrastructure, there are reasons to be optimistic. University of Illinois researchers report that they’ve […]

Why watching comb jellies poop has stunned evolutionary biologists

We don't think about it that much, but the butthole is one of the biggest innovations in 500 million years of evolution.

Shakespeare's head appears to be missing from his grave, new study finds

What was once discarded as a myth or an urban legend may actually be true – geophysical studies seem to indicate that Shakespeare’s head may be missing from the grave, possibly stolen by graverobbers in the 19th century. The bard is buried in the beautiful Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare was buried in his home-town church, […]

Turn Guantánamo Into a Marine Research Station, Scholars Say

When Obama became president, one of his promises was to close the Guantánamo Bay Detention Facility. Now, as he’s nearing the end of his second term, he reiterated that idea, expressing his desire to close it. Two academics have come up with a creative solution to that problem: turning it into a marine research station. The […]

1.8 billion people will face water scarcity by 2025: UN

Less than a decade from now, every one in four people on Earth might be suffering from extreme water scarcity, UN statistics claim. Also, two thirds of the global population will be living in water-stressed conditions.

City birds are smarter than country birds

As anyone who's moved from the countryside to the city can testify, the transition isn't easy.

Gravity Maps of Mars provide a good look into the Red Planet

A new gravity map of Mars is offering researchers the possibility to study the geology of Mars.

Researchers zoom in on potential treatment for prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of Georgia may be zooming in on a treatment for prostate cancer. Their new therapy shows great efficacy for mouse models, and the treatment is expected to go in human trials. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer, killing some 10,000 people in the UK every year (rates […]

Many species now going extinct may vanish without a fossil trace

We judge our planet's biological past by using geological evidence - fossils. Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past.

Scientists create graphene patch to help manage diabetes

Scientists have developed a graphene patch that can monitor sugar levels in diabetic patients as well as deliver metformin - a drug used to treat diabetes - through the skin.

Carbon emissions rate unprecedented in the past 66 million years

About 55.8 million years, the rate of carbon emissions grew abruptly, leading to a period of massive warming. But today's rate of emissions is ten times higher.

Explosives scientists answer questions in online interview

Los Alamos is always blowing stuff up. The Lab burst into the public consciousness 70 years ago with the biggest explosion known to humanity—the world’s first atomic bomb. Since then, Los Alamos has continued to lead the nation in explosives science and engineering. Now, some of the researchers working there went to answer questions on […]

Public Service Announcement: Old Kindles will be disconnected from the internet unless you update by Tuesday

If you’re like me, then you still use the old Kindle model because hey – if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Also, if you’re like me, you’re usually pressing the ‘Skip’ button whenever updates are in store. If this is the case, then you should know that your old Kindle will be disconnected from […]

Alaskan butterfly may be a rare hybrid

It takes some hardcore survival skills to make it to the frozen wastelands of Alaska - and this butterfly has what it takes.

UK to introduce tax on sugary drinks

UK has announced the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks, based on the amount of sugar in the beverages. The main goal is to “help tackle childhood obesity, by incentivising companies to reduce the sugar in the drinks they sell [and] to fund a doubling of the primary schools sports premium to £320 million […]

Modern people from the Pacific Islands have remnant Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA

The relationship between ancient humans and Neanderthals was proven to be much more intricate than previously believed.

Bright spots on Ceres are signs of geological activity

Ceres is the largest body in the asteroid belt – too big to really be an asteroid, but too small to be a planet, it’s trapped in the “minor planet” classification. But Ceres might be much more interesting than other similar bodies, with its mysterious bright spots being a constant source of amazement. We’ve written […]

Study estimates Zika Virus risk across 50 biggest cities in US

With the Zika virus running rampant through South America, outbreaks could pop up in several US cities. A study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) estimated this hazard in the largest cities in the US, finding that the south and especially the southeast is quite vulnerable to the threat posed by Zika. Key […]

Light stimulation can help recover Alzheimer's memories

Recovering memories lost after Alzheimer’s can be as simple as flipping a switch – at least for mice. According to a new research, these memories aren’t lost, it’s just the retrieval of the retrieval mechanism that is impaired. Loss of long-term memory and some learned experiences is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s diseases. Despite the disease affecting millions of […]

Israeli hiker finds extremely rare coin, second of its kind

Whenever I see a glint in the grass, it’s either a penny or nothing at all. But when Israeli hiker Laurie Rimon found a coin, it was such a rare find that archaeologists only found a single one similar to it. Israeli scientists believe the coin is part of a series made by the Roman Emperor […]

Read Roald Dahl’s powerful letter to parents about vaccination from 1988

People love Roald Dahl's creations (such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda) for their creativity and sense of humor, but Dahl had his own share of tragedy.

400,000-year-old fossils from Spain provide earliest genetic evidence of Neandertals

Researchers working in Spain have made a surprising finding: Neanderthals emerged much earlier than previously believed, perhaps as far as half a million years ago.

Tesco, world's second largest food retailer, to give all unsold food to charity

If we want to ensure food security for humanity in the future, then curbing out food waste is essential. Tesco is taking steps in the right direction, agreeing to a deal to donate all unsold food from its stores to charity.

February obliterates global heat records, according to NASA

It's easy to understand why climate change deniers want to cut NASA's climate research funding - because it keeps proving them wrong.

Alan Alda's important message for science communication

Most of us know Alan Alda for his iconic portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce, the sharp-tongued but kind-hearted field doctor from the series M.A.S.H. But Alda is increasingly involved in science communication, being a visiting professor at the Alan Alda Centre for Communicating Science, at Stony Brook University in New York. This is a recent interview with […]

Humanity strikes back - Go champion wins round against dominant AI

It's been a tough run for Go champion Lee Se-dol who lost game after game in what could very well be the match of the century, against Google's AlphaGo algorithm.

This is the oldest song in history: a 3,400-year-old hymn

Music etched in clay tablets more than 3,400 years ago in Syria marks oldest song thus far.

South Africa bans leopard hunt for 2016

It costs $20,000 to shoo a leopard, and foreign hunters flock to South Africa every year to kill leopards for trophy hunting. This year, because leopard numbers remain nuclear, South Africa has decided to ban hunting for the year. The South African National Biodiversity Institute, a government research organisation, recommended the temporary ban because they […]

Active Fault Line Discovered Directly Below Japanese Nuclear Power Plant

New concerns are being voiced in Japan after it was discovered that a significant geological fault line passes right under a nuclear plant - and the fault is active.

Getting multiple tattoos can boost your immune system

If you've always wanted a tattoo but never quite got around to it, now you have the perfect excuse: a study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama, getting multiple tattoos can actually strengthen your immune system.

Residents from this homeless shelter support themselves by working in an organic garden

At a homeless shelter in Atlanta residents can grow their own vegetables. The shelter has a large rooftop garden that can yield a great amount of healthy greens.

Dallas Zoo welcomes iconic, adorable new baby lizards

The Dallas Zoo has taken an active role in the protection of Texas Horned Lizards, also known as horny toads. Now, they’ve released adorable pictures of the new hatchlings, which will help ensure the survival of this iconic species. Affectionately called “horny toads”, they are in fact lizards, not moist-skinned toads or frogs. The Texas Horned Lizard, […]

After Go, Google AI has its eyes set on Starcraft

Google engineers may have their eyes set on Starcraft - a strategy computer game.

Computer Beats Go World Champ, Leading Series 2-0

Google's algorithm AlphaGo stunned the world by defeating Go legend Lee Se-dol yesterday, and today, it just won the second game of the series.

You can now travel in time and see how Earth's geology changed

How did South America slot next to Africa? Where was my country a billion years ago?

New LHC results could be a back-breaker for the Standard Model of Physics

We can't call it a major discovery. Not yet.

First tomatoes and peas harvested from Mars-like soil

If we want to have a permanent or long-term mission to Mars, then growing crops locally would be very useful.

Hydras rip their skin to open their mouths

Hydras are tiny freshwater animals which trap their prey with a set of tentacles.