To make forests more resilient to climate change we might ironically have to cut some trees
If done early, a thinned young forest can store as much carbon as an un-thinned one despite being heavily outnumbered.
Three African countries chosen for the 1st large-scale malaria vaccine pilot program
Hundreds of thousands of infants will be vaccinated against the mosquito-carried parasite.
How ancient water management by the Chaco or Maya can help modern strategies in the face of climate change
Water management policy needs to adapt to constantly shifting environmental conditions, else we risk repeating the downfall of the Maya.
‘Hobbits’ didn’t evolve from a direct modern human ancestor. They likely originate from Africa instead
The most comprehensive bone analysis of its kind shows Homo floresiensis didn't share important features with Homo erectus.
In the face of rising antibiotic resistance, fungi could be a goldmine for new drugs
Bacteria are getting tougher but scientists are not sitting idle.
Drinking sugary beverages on a daily basis might hurt your brain. Diet soda is no exception
Sugary drinks literally cause the brain to shrink, leading to poorer memory.
Why a startup is making speakers out of concrete
Sculpture or noise box?
‘Wonder drugs’ might prevent all forms of dementia. One of the drugs is already safe for humans
The drugs were manufactured to treat different conditions but they also seem to block an important pathway linked to brain...
Antarctica is covered in hundreds of meltwater rivers and streams, and we had no idea this was happening
This could have been going for decades but scientists are worried nevertheless.
Newly found exoplanet might be the best place yet to hunt for alien life
Such discoveries keep piling up. We can only rejoice.
Homing pigeons can improve and pass on knowledge across generations, the only non-primate to do so
Homing pigeon have their own form of cumulative culture passing down information about routes do their peers.
Though considered impossible, Harvard physicists have built a time crystal
This new state of matter could be key to building quantum computers.
LHCb finds a deviation from the Standard Model which may hint at a new particle
The little brother of LHC might be on to something big!
Shamanic drug ayahuasca rapidly improves severe depression symptoms, first randomised clinical trial finds
Amazonian shamans have been making the brew for ages. Now, science confirms for the first time its therapeutic potential against...
Physicists coax superfluid to have ‘negative mass’
The matter flows against the pushing force.
What is antibiotic resistance: everything you need to know
Antibiotic resistance is threatening to undo a centuy's worth of medical progress.
Fractal-etched graphene electrode boosts solar energy supercapacitor storage by 3,000%
This could be a game changer.
Experiment mimicked Earth’s early atmosphere hit by extraterrestrial impact. It produced all four RNA bases
A classic science experiment was revisited to explore the origin of life.
For the first time astronomers image the dark matter web that connects galaxies
This map shows how a dark matter bridge connects galaxies together.
Oldest dinosaur relative looked nothing like scientists imagined
The 245-million-year-old fossils overturns the established view that early dino relatives were the size of a chicken and feeble.
All the ingredients for alien life: NASA finds hydrogen spewing out of Saturn’s icy moon, likely propelled from hydro-thermal vents
Both Enceladus and Europa seem capable of supporting alien life, according to a major NASA announcement.
U.S. waterways pack a slew of chemical compounds, from pesticides to pharmaceuticals
Hundreds of chemical compounds were identified but the real tally could be in the order of thousands.
Fingerprint authentication for smartphones isn’t secure at all. Some of the enrolled prints are like ‘1234’ PIN codes
Fingerprint auth isn't as secure as most people think.
Why is the solar system flat and not a sphere?
It's all about the conservation of angular momentum.
California’s dry spell may be officially over but some parts of the state will need decades for precipitation to recover
One step forward, two steps back.
Why shoelaces untie themselves: you have good old physics to thank
The answer to this deceptively simple question could help scientists better understand structures like DNA.
Thousand-year-old penguin poop points to devastating colony collapse at the hand of volcanic eruptions
Gentoo penguins are prolific poopers, much to the delight of some scientists.
The Martian atmosphere might be cruel and inhospitable but at least it has metal ions
Studying Mars' ionosphere and its metal ions might explain how the planet lost most of its atmosphere (and liquid water).
NASA snaps unprecedented image of auroras on gas giant Uranus
A rare sight 4.50 million kilometers away.
Security experts crack smartphone PIN using only the motion sensor data. By the third try, the algorithm was 94 percent accurate
The algorithm exploited the motion and orientation data recorded by a smartphone's accelerometer or gyroscope.
Comb Jellies may have been the first animals ever
The debate isn't over, but a comprehensive gene study suggests marine jellyfish were the first creatures to diverge. This distinction...
Scientists class the smells of old books in an ‘historic paper odor wheel’
The study found that most people think old books smell like 'chocolate'.
Falling Fruit map shows where to find free food in and around your town
Money doesn't grow on trees but food does.
Tesla presents a new sleek line of exclusive solar panels built by Panasonic
The American company is looking to position itself as a sustainable energy power house.
Most Americans believe climate change is real but the media war on science clearly shows its teeth
More and more Americans are waking up to reality but many are still left dazed and confused.
Climate change will make flights worse too. Severe turbulences may increase by 150%, study finds
There's no reason to panic but what's certain is flights will become more uncomfortable.
The Mesopotamian Venice: The Lost Floating Homes of Iraq
The inspiring story of Marsh Arabs and their amazing sustainable floating homes.
Using e-charcoal to heat hookah pipes might kill eight times more lung cells than traditional charcoal
Smoking tobacco with hookah pipes is not harmless at all, despite what you might have heard.
How many calories does a human body have? Stone Age cannibals must not have been very satisfied
Cannibalism for food doesn't make much sense a recent study suggests.
A illustrated take on the history of science by WEARBEARD
An illustrated timeline of the greatest moments in science.
Radio observatory equivalent to the size of Earth sets its gaze to the center of the Milky Way to image a supermassive black hole
This was thought to be impossible to undertake until not too long ago.
The Difference between Virtual and Augmented Reality
Let's put the hype away for a second and see what sets these two technologies apart.
There are now nearly a billion smokers in the world, more than ever despite smoking rates have come down
In 2015, one in ten people died because of smoking.
Novel polymer might enable self-healing smartphones and other electronics
Cracked screens and scratches might finally become history.
Mid-century CO2 levels might be as high as they’ve ever been in 50 million years
We have a pretty solid track record for ignoble milestones.
Forget Brexit, here’s how Britain lost the land bridge that connected it to Europe 160,00 years ago
Two megafloods destroyed a huge land bridge that connected Dover to Calais.
Oldest mammal blood found in 30-million-year-old tick fossilized in amber
The wildest things can get trapped in amber.
Unvaccinated children account for majority of pediatric deaths due to the flu
Immunization is important.
Graphene-based sieve makes drinking water out of seawater
Desalination might one day be as easy as passing water through a sieve.