‘Feel good’ neurons might explain the power of the placebo effect
The findings might explain the power of the placebo effect.
How cephalopods are masters of camouflage despite seeing in black and white
Despite having a single visual pigment in their retinas, cephalopods can blend with their multi-coloured surroundings easily fooling both prey...
Mars likely had many moons formed in the wake of a giant asteroid impact
While the size of Mars' moons is laughable, some scientists believe the Red Planet used to have many more moons.
Radical dental procedure regenerates teeth, making fillings obsolete
A team of researchers is revolutionising dental practice.
Antarctica could lose 60 percent of its penguins to climate change by the end of the century
Antartica's penguins are in trouble.
Plants seem to be better at gambling than most humans — despite lacking a brain
Who you calling a peabrain?
How the Earth got all its water — meteorites might have a huge role
One of the first science classes children take teaches them about the water cycle on the planet. But how did...
These migrating birds fly non-stop for six months
A truly amazing animal.
First fatal crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot raises some serious ethical questions
The man in question was killed after his car rammed into the side of a tractor trailer which drove across...
Humanity is driving thousands of species extinct, but there’s a flip side — we also create new species
Humans -- tyrants of creators? Two researchers explored this duality by studying both extinct species and those who had evolved...
Stupidity and greed still threatens us all, said Stephen Hawking
Hawking, the most prestigious physicist today, said air pollution has worsened, and so has global warming. All due to humanity's...
After two thousand years, somebody finally revamped scissors
One amateur inventor turned upside down the design of scissors which had been unchanged for two thousand years.
Dino bird wings found in fossilized 100-million-year-old amber look simply stunning
The specimens discovered by the researchers are one of a kind and, unlike previous amber fossils, the feathers were attached...
Paper strips worth 50 cents accurately diagnose both malaria and cancer
Chemists at the Ohio State University developed a paper strip technology that might save countless lives in rural Africa, and...
Music for the nose: an olfactory organ
A"smell organ" shoots scents instead of musical notes to dazzle an audience.
Leading science societies band together to speak against climate change denial in the U.S. Congress
An open letter to U.S. policy makers signed by 31 leading nonpartisan scientific societies reaffirms the reality of man-made climate...
Scientists find three times more groundwater beneath California’s Central Valley — but a third may already be contaminated
Stanford researchers found California's drought-struck Central Valley harbors three times more groundwater than previously thought.
NASA’s rocket destined to send humans to Mars just passed a critical test
NASA’s Space Launch System will be the most powerful rocket humanity has ever built and 2020 onwards, it should make...
Global warming is greening the Northern Hemisphere
Global warming is greening the planet, but there's only so much CO2 plants can absorb.
Your party is saved! Scientists find a massive stash of Helium beneath Tanzania
We just bought some more time.
Earth may have had multiple magnetic poles one billion years ago
Earth's magnetic past wasn't as simple as today.
17 Amazing Chemistry Facts that will Blow Your Mind
Oh yeah, chemistry!
Insects were masters of camouflage even 100 million years ago
Insects are among the best disguise artists in the world, and new findings suggest they always have been.
Islands shrink large animals and make smaller animals bigger
The island rule is not a myth, but an evolutionary reality.
Alien cancer: new evidence of interspecies cancer transmission in shellfish
Imagine what it would be like if cancer was contagious. Well, it is in some species.
Students break World Record with Electric Racing Car that accelerates 0 to 100 km/h in 1.513 seconds
It took a year and 30 students to make the fastest accelerating vehicle in the world: the grimsel.
Literally Ouroboros: snake gets trapped in a circle of its own shedding skin
Visitors to the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, home to the largest reptile display in Central Australia, were stunned by the...
This beauty is the world’s newest shade of blue, and it could be revolutionary
Not only does it look gorgeous, but it also has many remarkable properties that could transform the way artists work.
Women scientists with feminine traits less likely to be judged as scientists
Can a woman without a lab coat still be a scientist?
Zombie genes are turned on even days after an organism dies
Even days after we die, gene expression is still active.
Tesla wants to buy the biggest solar company in the country and secure an unstoppable energy trident
Tesla Motors wants to buy SolarCity for $2.8 billion in stock-to-stock.
Mother bears now use humans as shields to protect their cub
It's amazing to see how the bears can sense human patterns and use us. It's actually refreshing for a change.
Chameleons use super saliva 400 times stickier than human spit to capture prey
The secret lies in an ultra-sticky saliva that's 400 times more adhesive than human spit, a new study reveals.
Even a sandwich is enough to sway some doctors to prescribe certain brand medications
A controversial study that's sure to anger a lot of doctors found many physicians can be influenced to prescribe brand-name...
How baby songbirds can tell us a thing or two about how we learn to speak
There may be a fine line between how baby birds learn to sing and humans learn to speak.
MIT makes an AI that can predict what the future looks and sounds like
Artificial intelligence is learning in seconds what took humans a lifetime to master.
Japanese macaques wash potatoes, ride deer and other human-like behavior. They’re also in a lot of trouble
Sueur and Pelé have seen Japanese macaques washing potatoes, riding deer for transportation, taking hot-spring baths, handling stones, fighting with...
At least a third of Brits live with chronic pain
Scientists estimate that 43% of Brits now experience chronic pain or around 28 million people.
These people felt what it’s like to be invisible, and the implications could be massive for psychotherapy
What would you if you had the power of invisibility? It's possible in virtual reality. The sensations are as real...
New game theory model explains why people help distant kin
Even though you shouldn't care about helping your third cousin from Wisconsin, chances have it you'll do. Now, there's a...
Keeping coffee in the fridge enhances its flavor, besides keeping it fresh
A new study found there are some added benefits to keeping the coffee in the fridge, which not even the...
Fastest global emissions rate ever means CO2 levels will never fall below 400ppm in our lifetimes
2016 will go in history as the first year carbon emission stay above 400ppm all year round. I don't think...
Equation suggests other people’s fortunes affects our happiness, and inequality makes us very unhappy
As if finding happiness wasn't complicated enough, we now have a multi-variable equation.
Organic molecule in deep space might be ‘handy’ in explaining the origin of life
Thousands of light years away, a two-handed molecule might help us unravel the secrets of life.
Ancient bullets with holes inside were used as a weapon of terror by the Romans
As they whizzed past ramparts, the holed-bullets whistled, "or more accurately gave off a mechanical buzzing sound eerily reminiscent of...
You’ve been waiting all your life for this — a device that literally cancels snoring
Aptly called the "Silent Partner", this device exploits the fundamental physics of pressure sound waves to render snoring mute.
Solar energy now cheaper than fossil fuels even without subsidies
You can only postpone the inevitable.
Nikola, the ‘Tesla of Trucking’, just secured $2.3 billion in pre-orders
Nikola, a shameless spinoff, is trying to do for trucks what Tesla Motors did for cars. Do they have what...
This algorithm reconstructs the faces of people you see by reading your mind
Just from thoughts alone, researchers were able to reconstruct the faces of people portrayed in pictures.
Wildlife needs climate corridors to survive global warming — Eastern U.S. most lacking
Many animals and plants are trapped in the face of mounting climate change. Their only hope are corridors that free...