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This robot sutures surgical incisions like a STAR: it's better than doctors

Thanks to robots, surgery has gone a long way since these have been introduced in the '80s making operations safer and less invasive. Now, surgical robots are starting to migrate from assistant to leading roles, which is where experts say they will really shine.

Are jetpacks finally taking off into the mainstream?

A Shenzhen startup has received 200 orders for the Martin Jetpack, what they call "the world's first practical and commercial jetpack".

Reddit analysis proves Godwin's law

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1".

Medical errors ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States

When researchers at John Hopkins factored human errors they found this was the third leading cause of death in the United States, surpassing respiratory diseases.

Why there are only three dimensions in this reality

By all account, we can only perceive three spatial dimensions: width, length and height. Everything seems more vibrant and 'real' in 3-D, compared to 2-D, but one can only wonder what things must look in four dimensions. Alas, our brains simply can't fathom a four-dimensional universe, let alone a 99-dimension universe. Moreover, it seems our Universe simply can't host more than three dimensions due to the laws of thermodynamics, physicists say.

Left-handed males have better math skills

Being left-handed isn't easy in a right-handed world. Let me tell you, though, at least you're better at math!

Japan has more electric car charging stations than gas stations

While most of the world is sluggish about EVs, Japan seems to be light years ahead. The island state's pro-electric car incentives have paid off and it's never been easier for a Japanese to drive an electric car. Officially, there are now more charging stations than gas stations in the country.

Google seems to want to build a city 'from the internet up'

There are Google self-driving cars, Google-made phones and notebooks, and soon there might also a be a Google city.

How will Elon Musk honor half a million Tesla Model 3 pre-orders?

A lot of car makers are definitely jealous of Elon Musk and his success, but how many would actually want to be in his shoes right now?

How to read the nutritional facts label

Nutritional labels can be daunting to read if you have no idea what to look for. Most of us don’t have the time and energy to work out what these mean, so we buy on impulse. Naturally, you’d think something as important as a product’s nutritional facts was presented in a more straightforward manner. But […]

There's a one in 10 billion trillion chance humanity is the only advanced life in the Universe

There are as many as 400 billion stars in the Milky Way alone. In this sea of light, it seems inevitable that life must have evolved on some alien planets.

It happened: U.S. Government wants to resettle the first American climate change refugees

The Isle de Jean Charles that lies on the Gulf coast of Louisiana is sinking. In less than 70 years, over the 90 percent of its landmass has washed away from erosion triggered by industry, as well public works which redirected rivers. Then there were the hurricanes.

Self-driving car laws at a glance

Self-driving car tech is moving fast -- so fast the laws haven't had time to catchup.

Mysterious dark streaks on Mars were actually made by BOILING water

Here's something you'd never expect to happen in a place with average temperatures of -67 degrees Fahrenheit -- Mars' flowing water is boiling!

The one-millionth solar system was installed in the United States

In April, the United States hit an important milestone in the quest for full renewable energy transition after the one-millionth solar system was installed.

The amazing bombardier beetle sprays boiling chemicals from its butt

Animals have evolved all sorts of gimmicks for either attack or defence. Some are really over the top, but that doesn't make it less effective. Take the bombardier beetle, for instance, which sprays a deadly mix of boiling chemicals from its butt. This is one insect you don't want to mess with.

The prodigal son returns: tailless comet from Earth's distant past might hold primordial secrets

A rocky body that's neither exactly a comet nor an asteroid, may hold some interesting clues about how the planets in the solar system formed, including Earth. The tailless so-called Manx comet, named so after a breed of cats without tails, originates from the Oort cloud -- a shell of icy objects that exist in the outermost reaches of the solar system. Although it's more than a trillion miles away, this Manx comet is likely made of the same stuff that eventually coalesced to form Venus, Mars or even Earth.

Size matters: meet the world's biggest jet engine

This beast is called GE9X -- the largest jet engine ever built. Standing at 13 feet in diameter, it's wider than a Boeing 737's fuselage.

This pot harnesses photosynthesis and a USB port to charge your phone

A team of engineers piggy-backed photosynthesis using a nifty pot called the Bioo Lite. Just place almost any plant inside, add water and plenty of sunlight and you'll be able to charge your phone via the provided USB port up to three times a day. Or so they claim.

How scientists are using climate records made by 15th century Japanese monks

If you're old enough, you might remember how some flowers around where you live blossom earlier or that summers and winters are unusually harsh. In short, freak weather is more common to the point it's becoming the new norm. Human memory is fallible, which is why we keep records of things like temperature, humidity, concentration of gases in the atmosphere and so on. These record don't go back that long though -- maybe only a century. Some, however, go way back and scientists are using these to keep track of climate change over the centuries.

How much renewable energy does the world use?

Renewable energy is growing furiously fast.

We still don't know which gut bacteria is beneficial, but scientists have some good hints

There's good bacteria and bad bacteria, but the gut seems to be so diverse in its bacterial offering from person to person that scientists have always found it difficult to say "hey, this is what a healthy microbiome should look like." Analyzing thousands of bacteria species in your guy is challenging and we're still not there, but a recent effort involving 4,000 participants has some good hints as to what makes a healthy gut.

Why we're in love with anti-heroes

How can some people actually like a serial killer, like Dexter from the eponymous TV show ? What about a meth dealer like Walter White from Breaking Bad or Tony Soprano, the gangster from HBO's The Sopranos?

Climate change is depleting oxygen from the oceans

Scientists have also quantified the effects of climate change as they relate to oxygen depletion. Their analysis suggests that by 2030 oxygen dissolved due to climate change will overpower the natural variability in the ocean, putting further stress on marine life.

Scientists make the smallest thermometer from programmable DNA

This remarkable research could open the doors for biological thermometers at the nanoscale which might tell us a thing or two about how our bodies function at the smallest level.

'Cool' light improves learning and academic performance. 'Yellow light' better for relaxing

A new research investigated various light intensity scenarios and reported their findings. For optimal learning performance, "cool" light is better while "yellow" or "warm" light is the most relaxing.

Study following 160,000 children found spanking doesn't work. On the contrary...

Spanking was associated with a high risk of children defying their parents, becoming aggressive and anti-social. In the long run, mental health issues and cognitive difficulties may arise.

Soldering at room temperature using metal-liquid particles

“How do you do very high-level science or engineering with very little?” Asks Martin Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State. With a little help from science and lots of innovation, Thuo and colleagues found an elegant solution to a complex problem.

Water squeezed in a new state: not liquid, nor solid or gas. Just pure quantum weirdness

Physicists have crammed water inside extremely small cracks about ten-billionth of a metre and found the molecules entered a never before seen state. In this brand new state, the water molecules don't adhere to strict laws of classical physics anymore, nor do they behave like a liquid, gas or solid.

Vegetation on the planet grew by twice the size of mainland USA due to rising CO2 levels

As CO2 builds up in the atmosphere, this warms the planet, acidifies the ocean and melts glaciers. It also promotes plant growth -- after all, that's why it's called the "greenhouse gas effect". A huge collaborative effort spanning 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries found that in the last 33 years the area occupied by vegetation has significantly increased.

Bed bugs avoid colours like green and yellow, but love red and black

If you don't want bed bugs biting you, then changing your sheet's colour might help. A recent study found bed bugs love red and black, but keep away from surfaces coloured in yellow or green.

How A.I. and game theory is fighting poaching and illegal logging

Park rangers risk their lives on a daily basis to protect wildlife from poachers. They're also underfunded and understaffed, so allocating resources as efficiently as possible is critical. This is where artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and game theory come in. The A.I. can identify and predict poaching patterns, and adapts in time so that park patrols can transition from "reactive" to "proactive" control. Pilot programs launched in Uganda and Malaysia have so far been successful, and a similar system is currently being developed for illegal logging.

How COP21 can become ratified -- the small steps required for a global victory

At a high-level signing ceremony in New York, more than 170 countries signed up to the landmark COP21 climate changed deal first adopted last December in Paris. Many media outlets praised the signing event, where 60 heads of state were in attendance as well as celebrities, like Leonardo DiCaprio. It is indeed a great achievement in fighting climate change on a global level, but only a small step in many yet to come.

North American mammoths interbred despite inter-species boundaries

North America was home to several mammoth species, but a new study suggests these weren't that genetically diverse as previously thought. As far as two species are concerned, the Wolly Mammoth and the Columbian mammoth, their genetic makeup was compatible enough to allow interbreeding without miscarriages.

Climate change could add twice as many smog days in the United States

A new study suggests that in the United States, residents might experience three to nine more days of unhealthy ozone levels by 2050.

Some sauropod babies looked like adults since they hatched and were left on their own

Sauropods, or some titanosaurs at least, were not the best parents. A recent analysis of juvenile fossils belonging to a titanosaur species called Rapetosaurus krausei suggests babies were left to fend for themselves and find food since they hatched, with little if any weaning.

High-fat diets make you feel sleepy during daytime, ruin sleep at night

Men who consume high-fat diets are far likelier to feel sleepy during the day and sleep poorly at night, researchers at University of Adelaide, Australia report.

Genetics determines when you'll lose your virginity

In a novel study, researchers have identified for the first time the heritable components that influence how early or how late people lose their virginity.

U.S. Air Force breaks Maglev speed record with a magnetically levitating rocket sled

Engineers at the 846th Test Squadron simply shattered the Maglev record with a sled powered by a very powerful rocket. The sled raced through a magnetic levitation track at an incredible 633 mph, or 120 mph faster than the previous record which they set only two days before.

First North American monkeys swam across an ancient 100-mile sea from South America

About 21 million years ago, North and South America were separated by an ancient sea called the Miocene Central American Seaway, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans formed a single tropical ocean. This separation isolated species, except those who could fly or swim over long distances. Oddly enough, South American monkeys managed to cross this seaway and migrated all the way to North America by swimming. No one's really sure how exactly they did this, but the discovery is definitely baffling.

Ravens score on par with chimps on key cognitive test

Is size all there is to it? As far as the brain is concerned, a recent study that assessed corvid intelligence suggests the answer seems no. The researchers found crows, ravens and other corvids score the same on an important cognitive test as the big-brained chimps.

What doesn't kill you, makes your life shorter: Baboons with rough childhoods die earlier

Studies show that childhood trauma like abuse, neglect, physical accidents and other hallmarks put people at greater risk of dying prematurely once in adulthood. A rough childhood is associated with heart disease, diabetes, and addiction later in life, even though the stressful events have subsided. Generally, what doesn't kill you makes your life shorter. This is true for baboons as well, according to researchers at Duke University, University of Notre Dame and Princeton University.

Each city might have its own, unique microbes

Each city has its own distinct germ cloud comprised of a unique microbial population and distribution, according to scientists at Northern Arizona University.

Why you feel like crap when you're sick

Nothing seems to work when you're sick. When I'm down with the flu, for instance, my muscles ache, my eyes are bloodshot and I don't feel like doing anything. It's pretty bad, and if you ever wondered who you have to thank, a team of scientists has singled out a prime suspect: a signaling protein called interferon-β.

Self-healing artificial muscle made at Stanford University

The closest we've come to natural muscles is a novel elastomer developed at Stanford University, Palo Alto that can stretch 45 times its length and return to its original size. It's also self-healing.

Promising Zn-Mn battery can store a lot of energy, far cheaper than Lithium-ion

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have found a way to reliably produce batteries that are very cheap, but can store a lot of energy.

Meet the 'brainprint': scientists can now identify you with 100% accuracy based on brain waves alone

. In a breakthrough research, a team at Binghamton University showed that it's possible to identify a person with 100 percent accuracy based on their response to a visual stimulus like the word "conundrum" or a picture showing a slice of pizza. We each devour pizza uniquely in our minds, it seems, and that's enough to tell who you are or aren't.

Mammalian embryos develop in space for the first time

There's confidence that reproducing in space is indeed possible, based on previous research. The most recent experiment made by Chinese scientists, for instance, proved that mammalian embryos can develop in microgravity.

Too many walls and not enough bridges: US border enforcement backfires heavily

"I will make a GREAT, GREAT wall and make Mexico pay for it," Donald Trump famously said. This is a medieval statement in both approach and mindset, but the rhetoric has worked enormously well for Trump. Why are we acting so surprised, though? Trump is only the most recent politician from a myriad who have turned to demonizing immigrants to advance their own political agenda -- all in the disfavor of the American taxpayer.

Why is Ernest Hemingway Important? The Most Interesting Man in the World

Ernest Hemingway is famous for being one of the most appreciated American fiction writers. However, his personal life is no less interesting.

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