Ancient retrovirus may make some people more prone to addiction
The study hints to evidence for a physical cause of addiction.
5 Technologies Scientists Are Currently Pursuing to Improve Healthspan
Science may one day open the way to the 'Fountain of Youth'.
Unlike your vacuum, the manta ray never clogs — and it might inspire microplastic filters
No other animal has the same ability.
Galileo Galilei faked his own letter 400 years ago to avoid the Inquisition
The Italian physicist had a close shave with the Inquisition -- but he couldn't fool them twice.
Divorce risk rises with proportion of opposite-sex individuals at work
Having more individuals of the opposite sex at work may be too tempting for some.
Scientists describe world’s largest bird on record — it used to weigh more than many dinosaurs
A newly describe elephant bird species takes the crown for world's largest bird ever.
Thawing Arctic lakes are bubbling methane, greatly amplifying global warming
An understudied phenomenon may double the amount of methane released into the atmosphere by the thawing Arctic permafrost.
Glyphosate might be killing bees by messing with their gut bacteria
Glyphosate may not be harmless to animals after all.
Scientists spot dust storms on Titan for the first time
It's the third Solar System body, in addition to Earth and Mars, where dust storms have been observed.
Earth wobbles as it spins, and humans are responsible for a third of this effect
Since the early 20th century, Earth's axis has shifted by more than 10 meters.
Watch this awesome giant net collect garbage in space
An experimental spacecraft designed to solve our growing space junk problem was a sound success.
How NASA tech made its way into everyday life
The technology initially developed for space is remarkably common in everyday life applications on Earth.
AI-controlled glider learns to ride air currents like an eagle
Autonomous aircraft could save energy or study migratory birds using this machine learning tech.
MDMA or ‘ecstasy’ makes octopuses more social, too
This could help scientists uncover the origin of social behavior in all animals.
Meet the strongest material in the universe: nuclear pasta
It's a mind-perplexing 10 billion times stronger than steel.
Most people hate wasps — but they deserve to be loved just as much as bees
Wasps are actually useful.
Mosquitoes are eating microplastics, which they pass on to the food chain
Ultimately, what the mosquito eats, we eat as well.
Both males and females perceive women wearing makeup as more open to casual sex — and they’re wrong
It sounds a lot like wishful thinking.
Volcanoes on dwarf planet ooze ice instead of molten lava
Ceres just got a heck of a lot more interesting to researchers.
Canada bans artificial trans fats which cause heart disease
A welcomed policy that will save thousands of lives.
We might have our own natural ‘night vision’, new study says
The retina changes both software and hardware components to see better in the dark.
Just a few pieces of plastic are enough to kill sea turtles
And the situation is getting worse.
SpaceX will send its first passenger around the moon aboard a Big Freaking Rocket
It's been almost 50 years since a human has come this close to the moon.
Humans arrived on Madagascar 6,000 years earlier than previously thought — so then what killed the elephant bird?
The story of the elephant bird's extinction just got a lot more interesting.
Humans were brewing beer before they started growing cereals
The 13,000-year-old evidence is actually the first record of man-made alcohol in the world.
Stephen Colbert ridicules administrator’s plan to allow NASA corporate sponsorships
Astronaut suits plastered in ads like NASCAR racers? Now that's a thought...
Parasitic beetles trick sex-hungry bees by mimicking their pheromones
This master of deception adapts its pheromones to the local bee species, and it's deadly effective!
New non-antibiotic treatment hijacks tuberculosis bacterium
It could prove a valuable alternative to the way TB is currently being treated.
Bonobo food-sharing points to evolutionary origin of human generosity
Generosity helped our species thrive -- but we are not alone in the animal kingdom.
SETI project uses AI to track down mysterious light source
Scientists are still in the dark but the new insights place them a step closer to the source of fast...
The table of disruptive technologies: a timeline of industry-killing breakthroughs
Do you know what future tech looks like?
Three new ghost-like species found in one of world’s deepest marine trenches
Freaky sightings from the alien-like world at the bottom of the oceans.
Pluto is a planet after all, say planetary scientists
Good news for Pluto fans!
Going with your gut leads to more personal and certain decisions
Intuitive decision-making gives the impression that we own our choices.
New map of Antarctica is the most detailed out of all continents
"It’s a bit like being almost blind and putting on glasses for the first time and seeing 20/20," a researcher...
She lost the Nobel Prize to her supervisor in 1974 — now, she got a $3 million physics prize, and donated all of it
The pioneering physicist gave all the prize money away.
The First Woman in Space: The Story of Valentina Tereshkova
From humble beginnings to stellar heights.
Selfies destroy confidence and make young women feel less attractive
Do your self-esteem a favor a dial back on social media.
Scientists find the first plant-eating shark — but it still likes to hunt
A ferocious predator actually enjoys a vegetarian snack from time to time.
Physicists devise programmable optical quantum computer
A step closer to quantum computers.
Physicists may have solved ‘chicken or the egg’ paradox — both can come first
Of course it had to be weird and confusing.
Researchers want to clone 40,000-year-old extinct horse — a step towards woolly mammoth resurrection
A 40,000-year-old baby horse recovered from Siberian ice may help de-extinct species.
Why ‘detox’ doesn’t work — a diet fad and marketing ploy exposed by science
There's no such thing as a detox.
Russia: International Space Station leak might have been deliberate sabotage
Glue and duct tape saved the day...
European funders worth $8.8-billion annually force scientists to publish in open access journals starting in 2020
It's a radical move that will make science better but many publishers are happy at all.
How to blow the perfect soap bubbles, explained by science
A favorite childhood pastime, now decoded.
Who invented the microwave oven?
WWII radar technology unexpectedly led to the invention of the common microwave oven.
AI can now predict where an earthquake’s aftershock will hit next
Previously, researchers were able to predict when and how strong an aftershock will be. The new findings complement the big...
Hangovers can feel like you’re still drunk, even with zero alcohol in the blood — and that makes them hugely costly
Hangovers are a lot more dangerous than most people think, say scientists.
Why you shouldn’t pop your pimples — Really, you shouldn’t
Popping pimples can be very tempting, but this is considered a bad idea by most dermatologists.