How culture migrated and expanded from city to city in the past 2,000 years
Using nothing but birth and death records, sociologists at Northeastern University developed a working framework that details the migration patterns...
Frack now, ask questions later: bio impact of fracking still largely unknown
Since 2007, shale gas has boomed by 700% in the US and is projected to rise for the next 30...
General intelligence is rooted in social functions
Recent findings suggest that our general cognitive abilities are heavily influenced by key regions of the brain involved in social...
Organ on a chip might end animal testing and improve drug research
Photos: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Here at ZME Science we often report on cutting edge developments and various...
E-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco variety, yet debate still lingers
A new study that shifted through 81 e-cig related studies found that these are less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Policymakers,...
Why tattoos are permanent – it’s not what you think
Here's a scientific explanation that will show you what happens when you get a tattoo and why the ink will...
Gecko sex in space, and why this is good for science
Ruscosmos, the Russian space agency, recently launched geckos in space to see how zero gravity affects mating. The findings have...
Sewing an invisible cloak with lasers
A newly developed technique by researchers at University of Cambridge might revolutionize metamaterial manufacturing and help make a complete invisibility...
We are dealing with the worst Ebola outburst in history
Liberian health workers wear protective gear on the way to bury a woman who died of the Ebola virus on...
Potential HIV-1 cure works by deleting the virus’ DNA from the genome
Scientists have find a way to eradicate HIV-1 at its roots. Tests in the lab have been found to be...
China plans to build world’s first super collider
Photo from inside CERN's particle accelerator. Photo: Martial Trezzini/epa/Corbis A group of Chinese physicists, working with international collaborators, have announced...
Members of a previously uncontacted Amazonian tribe become infected with influenza
Three members of a recently contacted tribe walk with weapons in hand in Brazil. (c) FUNAI A few months ago,...
When Rhode Island accidentally legalized prostitution rapes and STDs dramatically fell
In the 1980s, concerned that the state statute on prostitution was too broad and could potentially infringe on First Amendment...
Win or flop: Taiwanese invents cat face recognition
The Bistro smart cat feeder. If you've ever been to London, you might have noticed the city is packed with...
Regularly exercising reduces risk of dementia by 40%
We've all read and heard about how exercise can dramatically boost our quality of living, but how many people actually...
Perovskite solar cells might help the solar market grow to new heights
NREL Senior Scientist Kai Zhu prepares a perovskite solar cell in his lab. Photo: NREL A crystal known to science...
Why people love it when the bass drops
Photo: dittomusic.com Rave parties go crazy when the bass drops, no doubt about it, but what makes people click so well with...
The family that walks on all-fours does not constitute reverse evolution
In 2006 , the BBC aired a fascinating documentary that featured that featured a family of five siblings from a...
Who talks more, men or women? It all depends on the context, study finds
“We women talk too much, nevertheless we only say half of what we know.” Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess There's a...
Energy drinks mixed with alcohol makes you want to drink more
Photo: health.com Whether studying late or partying until dawn, more and more people now turn to energy drinks to keep...
Smallest Swiss cross made of only 20 atoms demonstrates atom manipulation at room temp
Some applications require such a degree of precision that everything needs to be in exact order at the atom-scale. In...
Meet Jibo, the family robot or the HAL 9000 you always wished for
Designed by the world's foremost social robotics expert, MIT's Cynthia Breazeal, Jibo looks like a cross between HAL 9000 and Eve...
Mutated cat poop parasite treats cancer
A new cancer fighting vaccine could come from an unlikely place. Photo: petfinder.com Right now, I'm the happy caregiver of...
Mutant worm that doesn’t get drunk could help end alcoholism
Scientists have grown mutated worms that don't get drunk. mage courtesy of Jon Pierce-Shimomura of The University of Texas at...
Amazing bacteria live on pure energy alone by feeding on electricity directly
Geobacter, one of the many electricity eating bacteria discovered so far. Image: Derek Lovley/SPL Most living beings on this planet...
Dubai plans to build an entire city under a glass dome
The Simpsons Movie's plot starts off with Homer adopting a messy piglet he names "Spider Pig". The pig, helped a...
Friends are family: study shows we share more genes with friends than strangers
Kyle Gass and Jack Black - the definition of friendship. Photo: eccentricbliss.com/ We often cherish our closest friends as if...
A Child is Born: Lennart Nilsson’s iconic photo book [PHOTO GALLERY]
In 1965, Swedish photojournalist Lennart Nilsson published what was to become one of the most successful photographic book of all...
Sand-based batteries last three times longer than conventional ones
Photo: University of California, Riverside Expect the price of sand to skyrocket! Researchers at University of California, Riverside have devised...
Heavy marijuana users might damage their brain’s pleasure center
Photo: http://mmfit1.wordpress.com/ While marijuana use is becoming less of a tabu, in light of medical legalization in places like Colorado,...
Why you feel the urge to jump off a ledge. No, you’re not suicidal
Photo: headoverheels.org A few months ago I went hiking with some of my friends in an absolutely stunning mountain setting....
Blackest material resembles a black hole. It’s so black you can’t even see it
A sample of the new material. Image credit: Surrey Nanosystems You might have thought black is too solemn or boring,...
Hundreds of amphibian species all over the world killed by fungus infection, but there may yet be hope
Since the 1990s, biologists have witnessed a sudden demise of amphibian species. So far, hundreds of species have become extinct after...
‘Everything is NOT awesome’: Greenpeace viral video slashes Shell-Lego partnership
Photo: YouTube Greenpeace premiered a video yesterday that campaign's against Shell's plans of drilling in the Arctic, but primarily targets...
Chimp gesture language translated – they’re the only ones besides humans to intentionally communicate
If you've ever watched chimps during a nature program and became startled by your own empathy towards them, you're not...
New water-based battery that uses organic materials instead of toxic metals could solve renewable storage problem
Renewable energy is clean, getting cheaper by the day and in many respects becoming more efficient thanks to rapid advancements...
Unique gene passed by extinct human species makes Tibetans superhuman
Tibetans acquired a unique gene by interbreeding with a now-extinct human species. Photo: easytourchina.com Advancements in genetic sequencing has allowed...
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes manipulated only to breed males, thus wiping whole populations
The Anopheles gambiae is the prime transmitter of malaria. A new genetic method manipulates mosquito populations so that only males are...
China’s self-inflicting arsenic poisoning in pictures
China is the most rapidly developing country in the world. Thanks to the pioneering work and arduous efforts by the People's...
Kangaroos use their tail as an extra leg when walking
Professor Terry Dawson of the University of New South Wales and colleagues found that kangaroos use their tail as an extra leg...
New bug species discovered in world’s deepest cave
lustration of Duvalius abyssimus. / Sinc - José Antonio Peñas A new species of ground beetle perfectly adapted to extreme environments...
Muscle-driven tiny biobots can walk on command
Photo: University of Illinois Rashid Bashir, the head of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is one of...
Only one sixth of the original Caribbean corals remain, but damage can be reversed
Photo: The Guardian It's estimated that only a sixth of the original coral reef that covered the Caribbean waters is...
High tech sniper rifle can tag victims and helps shoot around corners
Photo: Tracking Point Guns today are looking more and more like they're from a video game or something. Take TrackingPoint's...
Ballistic test on Kevlar shows what could happen to the ISS from space debris impacts
We've mentioned on numerous occasions the growing problem of space debris and voiced our concerns that, if left unchecked, the thousands of metal...
This sweet shrew looks like a mouse but is more related to elephants
Photo: California Academy of Sciences A new mammalian species has been discovered among the ancient volcanic formation in Namibia that...
The elephant bird: the largest bird to have ever lived
Restoration of the famous elephant bird. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Once one of Madagascar's crown inhabitants, the elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus)...
Americans are convinced of global warming by changing temperatures, not by climate scientists
The Stanford News Service recently made an interview with Jon Krosnick, a Stanford professor of communication and of political science who conducts...
Foldscope – the origami microscope that aims to carry science in every pocket
The Foldscope is one of those innovative instruments that could potentially turn science communication and education en mass upside down....
Super-stretchable yarn made from graphene could change the industry
Strong, stretchable fibers made of graphene oxide can be knotted like yarn (credit: Terrones group/Penn State) Chemical researchers at Penn...