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California lost half its large trees since 1930, steep decline continues

California's large trees or those larger than two feet in diameter have declined in numbers to half that recorded in a 1930 census, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The leading cause of the demise is thought to be rising surface temperatures which but high stress on large trees, along with water shortages.

How fire burns in zero gravity

In space, of course, you can't have any fires because there isn't any oxidizer (i.e. oxygen) to sustain the combustion process. Inside a spacecraft or in the International Space Station, however, things are a bit different. Inside you have the same air mixture as on Earth, but because gravity is millions of times smaller an open flame behaves significantly different.

Speed of light slowed down by changing its shape

Nothing can travel faster than light in vacuum, per Einstein, but in the real world light travels at variable speed as it passes through a medium, be it air, water or glass. Physicists at University of Glasgow now demonstrate that its not only the medium that can slow down light, but also shape after they performed an experiment where light traveled through a ''mask".

New subglacial lakes discovered in Greenland accelerating melting

Using satellite imagery, scientists have discovered two new subglacial lakes under Greenland's ice sheet bringing the total number to four. The discovery is not well met, however. These lakes are already drained, signaling that climate change is making its way beneath the Greenland ice sheet. The discovery suggests subglacial lakes could increase the sensitivity of ice to climatic change, further accelerating ice melt which can lead to catastrophic floods.

Twitter is a marijuana friendly place

After analyzing almost every marijuana related tweet sent during a one-month period in early 2014, researchers have discovered there are 15 times as many pro-pot tweets sent as anti-pot tweets. This makes Twitter a highly pot-friendly social network.

New Bacterial language could help kill infections without antibiotics

Researchers in Germany report the discovery a previously unknown bacterial communication pathway, one that might be a potential target for new medicine.

A third of Americans think antibiotics cure the flu

A lot of Americans seem to be confused about what are antibiotics and what they're good for. According to a YouGov survey (full results), a third of American correspondents replied that antibiotics can cure the flu, while a third also thought that vaccines can give you the flu. It goes without saying that this is false. The findings suggest an over prevalence of thought that antibiotics are "good for everything", an abuse that might cost public health dearly.

Why you get zapped when you hit your elbow - the hilarious funny bone

We've all hit our elbow a rough couple of times before, so you must remember what follows: a gripping tingling suddenly engulfs your whole arm in tandem with excruciating pain. It all feels like a million volts of electricity just passed through you. Usually, this numbness only lasts a couple of minutes, but if it doesn't go away then this is the case for a doctor. If you ever wondered what causes this strange sensation, read on.

Nutritional labels today lead to decisions indistinguishable from chance - there's something better, though

Every food product is mandated in most of the world to list its nutritional values - how much proteins, lipids, sugars and so on - yet most people, even nutrition conscious shoppers, have a hard time interpreting the labels to make a healthy decision.

Vaccine skeptical parents tend to cluster and threaten communities

More than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years have been spared by vaccination preventive action, but despite this more and more parents choose to shun vaccines, not only for them, but for their children as well. The consequences are evident, but it's not the lives of themselves and their children that parents who refuse vaccines risk. It's that of those around them, in their communities as well.

First new-born organ transplant in the UK saves two lives

In a first for the UK, doctors have transplanted the kidneys and liver cells of a newborn baby girl to two recipients. The procedure, a milestone in neonatal care, is set to become more common once the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health will release its new set of guidelines this year. Elsewhere, newborn […]

Laser-etching pattern turns any metal into a super-hydrophobic surface

A new generation of water-repellent products could be just ahead after researchers at University of Rochester demonstrated an amazing laser technique that etches tiny micro and nano grooves into a metal surface making it super-hydrophobic.

Chimps 'tell' each other where the best fruit trees are found and how big these are

Chimps, our favorite primate cousins, communicate with each other through a complex gesture language, partially decoded by scientists. Depending on the situation and the gesture, chimps tell each other things like “Stop that,” “Climb on me,” or “Move away.” Now, an exciting new study found that chimps also communicate through vocalization. Researchers found that the primates would "speak" to their peers and relay what their favorite fruits are and where the best trees can be found.

Pope Francis to release Climate Change Encyclical urging action against climate change

Pope Francis, well on his way on becoming the most popular and moderate pope in recent history, is preparing to publish an encyclical on ecology and climate change, urging the world to stop turning their backs on nature. The document is expected to be released in time to be read before the next round of U.N. climate treaty talks in Paris at the end of the year. Of course, Pope Francis' rather frequent commentaries concerning climate change, toppled by his much anticipated encyclical, has angered climate change skeptics. Critics have been quick to voice that the pope is using religion to front a radical environmental agenda.

In the fight against obesity, pizza is a prime enemy

Nutritionists have identified pizza as a major contributor to obesity among young children and adolescents, and caution parents to be extremely careful considering the prevalence of the food stuff. One of the world's favorite snack is very rich in saturated fat, sodium and calories and, in the US, one in five children eat pizza on any given day. Fast food pizza is considerably more rich in calories than cafeteria pizza.

Pipeline breach in Montana spews 50,000 gallons of oil into Yellowstone river

A pipeline breach spewed more than 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone river, according to Montana officials who claim that they're not aware of any threats to public safety as a result of the spill. According to the Bridger Pipeline Company, the spill occurred about 10am on Saturday near Glendive, Montana, estimates placing the amount of oil leaked between 300 to 1,200 barrels.

Cities grow and thrive much in the same way galaxies do in space

Human social behavior is strikingly governed by laws that describe how the masses congregate or interact one another. Yet, despite the empirical evidence, scientists know very little what stems these mass behaviors. An individual is highly unpredictable, but masses are not (in this respect, Isaac Asimov's Foundation takes it to the extreme with his fictional psychohistory).

Not one, but two yet to be confirmed Earth-sized planets could orbit in the outer solar system

Nibiru followers might have cause to rejoice, as Spanish astronomers report a novel hypothesis that suggests two Earth-sized planets might be hiding out in the outskirts of our solar system. Thousands of years after the first planets besides our own were discovered by ancient Babylonian astronomers, it seems like determining the number of planets in our solar is far from being settled, despite Pluto's unfortunate destitution.

When robots break the law: bot buys ecstasy pills and fake Hungarian passport online

No, it's not Asimov's Three Laws but the Common Law that a robot designed for art infringed. Devised by !MEDIENGRUPPE BITNIK, the Random Darknet Shopper is an automated online shopper that's programmed to randomly buy items on the Deep Web. With a limited budget worth $100 in Bitcoin for every purchase, the bot went on a spree where it bought a number of items ranging from Chinese blue jeans, Nike shoes or Moldavian cigarettes.

What countries are most at risk from climate change - now mapped

Rising sea levels, droughts, extreme weather, wildfires - these are just a few of the consequences of global warming. The climate is changing and those that can't adapt will not survive; this is true for animal species, plants, humans and possibly entire nations.

Rice grain-sized laser helps build the first quantum computer

Princeton researchers demonstrated a novel type of microwave laser - called a maser - so small that's the size of a grain of rice. The laser is powered by individual electrons that tunnel through artificial atoms known as quantum dots.

Vaccination starts with pregnancy, for everyone's good health

The most important message mommies are missing is that pregnant women and their babies need vaccines to stay healthy, according to Saad Omer, a researcher the Royal Society for Public Health.

It's official: 2014 hottest year on record - all without the help of El Niño

At the beginning of the year, ZME Science reported 2014 was the 18th straight year to have surpassed average 20th-century US temperatures and the warmest year yet, according to the Japanese meteorological agency. Now, both NOAA and NASA have confirmed 2014 to be the warmest on record, despite there was no El Niño event.

Republican voters shift their stance against Climate Change, yet those in Congress lag behind

Republican voters, not to mention those in power, are notorious for their refutal of man-made climate change, yet according to a report issued by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication many of them have shifted and believe it to be real. As more and more republican voters become convinced of the reality of man-made global warming and its effects on the climate, it's only common sense that those elected will come to terms as well.

Overwhelming majority of college students prefer paper books to digital copies

Despite ebooks and their corresponding electronic reading devices have become extremely popular, surprisingly most young adults and children prefer reading in print than digitally. Moreover, this trend seems to be on the rise after a momentary preference for ebook readers.

Songbirds inspire next generation hearing aid, faithful to the human ear

Hearing loss can be devastating: you lose friends, become ever trapped inside your head and alienated from society. Yet, only one in five Americans choose to use a hearing aid. Some ignore their problem, others can’t afford treatment or installing a hearing aid, but really a lot of people choose not to wear a hearing […]

Insulating nanowire cloth that traps heat perfectly could help tackle climate change

Researchers at Stanford University coated flexible textile fibers with metallic nanowires to form a cohesive network that acts as a fantastic thermal insulator. The flexible material, made of silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes, is knitted together so closely that the space between individual strands is smaller than the wavelength of infrared radiation. As such, the radiation emitted by our bodies bounces between the skin and cloth.

Long working hours increase the risk of alcohol abuse

The most comprehensive study of its kind found that people working more than  48 hours a week are at a significant risk of drinking more alcohol than it is safe. The study’s findings which included correspondents from 14 countries were not affected by socioeconomic status or region, suggesting they universally apply.  The findings bear important […]

The oldest stone cutting tools may have sparked the evolution of language

A far from definite, yet highly interesting explanation for the origin of language was recently proposed – not by linguists or geneticists, but by a psychologists who took an archaeological route. Thomas Morgan, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley presents us with a chicken or the egg dilemma: was tool use proliferated by language […]

Why does it rain so much in London? Well, it's not that much really

Did you know it rains more in Miami, Orlando and NYC than in London?

Inside the human body in real time: GIFs demo the power of CT scan

CT shines in its ability to image tissue inside the body otherwise unapproachable using other methods. All of the GIFs in this post were made from computer images taken using General Electric's Revolution CT, first introduced in 2013. The device is designed to emit less radiation and provide more comfort. Guts, veins, brains and hearts have now been imaged in the gruesomest detail ever.

Naps are key to infant learning and memory consolidation

People spend more of their time asleep as babies than at any other point in their lives, but even if this has been common knowledge for some time we're only beginning to understand what role sleep plays during this key stage. University of Sheffield researchers claim that sleeping is key to leaning and forming new memories for infants as old as 12 months. Babies who didn't nap were far less able to repeat what they had been taught only 24 hours earlier.

Paralyzed rats regain use of hind legs with flexible spinal cord implant. Humans to follow

Swiss scientists demonstrated a flexible ribbon-like implant that attaches itself to a paralyzed rat's spinal cord, allowing the animal to walk again. The prosthetic, described by foremost experts in the field as 'remarkable', works by delivering timed electrical impulses and drugs along the spinal cord. In this particular case, rats aren't that different from humans, and true enough clinical trials are now one step closer. In the future, paralysis might just be another word for "walking funny."

This protein makes you sleepy with the flu, but helps speed recovery

When the flu hits, an unmistakable feeling of drowsiness sinks in. Washington State University Spokane scientists have now found a specific protein that is uniquely involved in sleep responses triggered by the influenza virus in mice. They found that the protein boosts the healing power of sleep and helps recovery. The researchers speculate that it might be possible to develop treatments based on it that might speed up recovery even more.

First man-made biological leaf might actually be useless

If the leaf really works as the hype would have us believe, then it's really a fantastic display of ingenuity.

Biggest indoor farm is 100 times more productive than conventional agriculture

An inspired entrepreneur, Shigeharu Shimamura, took an old semiconductor factory that was abandoned following the 2011 Japan disaster and turned it into the largest indoor farm in the world. Using state of the art growing technology, his company manages to make some 10,000 heads of lettuce per day out of the 25,000 square feet facility. This makes it 100 times more productive per square foot than traditional agriculture, all with 40% less power, 80% less food waste and 99% less water usage than outdoor fields.

Algorithm beats any opponent at heads-up Texas hold’em poker

We’ve come to understand that human players will never stand a chance against a computer with enough fire power at  finite and open games like checkers or chess. Poker is sensibly different because the computer doesn’t know his human opponent’s hands. No matter, a group of computer scientists  from the University of Alberta in Canada […]

Monkeys can also recognize themselves in mirrors, but only with training

Only humans and great apes can recognize themselves when looking in a mirror, but new findings suggest that it's possible for rhesus monkeys to realize they're looking at themselves if trained properly. The findings bear important implications for humans as well, since they suggest patients with impairment of self-recognition can have their condition remedied with training.

Meet the slickest, meanest 3-D prosthetis yet

By combing biomechatronics and aesthetics, William Root developed a prototype that's a custom fit for each wearer, uses a minimal amount of top class materials and assures high mobility, all while looking as fit it came off a SciFi movie.

Why birds crash into planes and cars like a deathwish

Birds are experts at avoiding predators, quickly dodging out of harms way when felt threatened. Likewise, they're fantastic at navigating through crammed environments very quickly woods or packed urban dwellings. Even so, when faced with high-speed objects like cars, not to mention airplanes, the birds seem to make little effort to fly off a path that means most certain doom.

Neil deGrasse Tyson gets his own Late Night show

Following the success of his 2014 Cosmos, the famous astrophysicist and science communicator just nabbed a weekly late-night series for National Geographic Channel called Star Talk. The format and name have existed for some time online as a podcast, where Tyson regularly talks and debates science and major topics concerning it, often featuring celebrities, comedians and scientists as guests.

Toyota releases all its 5,680 hydrogen car patents for free

Major automaker Toyota announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it would release all of its nearly 6,000 patents pertaining to hydrogen car technology royalty-free for the next five years. Officials most likely hope that this sort of move will encourage other auto manufacturers and capital to invest in the hydrogen economy.  […]

Oceans soak less carbon due to global warming

Since the mid-XIXth century average global temperatures have risen by ~0.8 degrees Centigrade, yet this figure would have been much higher were it not for the world’s oceans ability to soak up most of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases. The IPCC estimates that some 90% of the heat trapped by CO2 and methane since […]

Nuclear power wrongfully stigmatized. It's essential to scrapping fossil fuel, top biologists say

An open letter authored by more than 65 biologists calls for conservation groups and efforts to take a step back and rethink their agenda concerning nuclear power, heavily criticized in the past few years following the Fukushima incident. With all its risks and shortcomings, the authors argue, nuclear power is still the most cost-effective “green” solution […]

Finland is warming twice as fast than the rest of the planet

Finnish researchers analyzed meteorological data gathered over the past 166 years and found the country’s average monthly temperatures have increased by more than 2 degrees Celsius. Over the same period, the rest of the planet has warmed by only 0.8 degrees C on average. Overall, Finland and other sub-Arctic countries are warming at double the […]

Long-term memory isn't stored in synapses, meaning it could be restored even when struck by Alzheimer's

For a while, the general consensus was that long term memories are stored in synapses. A new  UCLA research topples this paradigm after experiments made on snails suggests that synapses aren’t that crucial storing memories as previously believed, but only facilitate the transfer of information someplace else, most likely in the nucleus of the neurons themselves […]

Shrimps become less tastier as a result of climate change

The effects of climate change on food stock quality is well documented, yet a new study suggests that climate change might not only affect survival rates of marine life, but also how it tastes too. The findings came after an international team of researchers sought to see how high water acidity affects the sensory quality of shrimp.

Past High Tech, Future Low Tech: Mechanical Calculator Gallery

You might be surprised to find mechanical calculators – completely analog computational devices with no electrical parts – competed shoulder to should with their digital counterparts well until the late 1960s, in some respects surpassing them. These devices, like the  Monroe PC-1421 – a high speed multiplication and division device – were among the most complex of […]

When following goals, people pay attention to progress more than they do to setbacks

Hopes are high this time of year, but before your make your New Year’s resolution you might want to consider an important cognitive bias: when following goals, progress is given a lot more consideration than setbacks. Say your resolution is to lose weight, so next year you’ll be on a diet. Chances have it, according […]

Do people learn anything from Psychology?

Psychology is maybe most valuable when it exposes our inherent biases and what's commonly known as irrational thinking. But you'd expect people to learn and correct their behavior after learning the findings of surprising psychology experiments. For most people, this isn't the case.

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