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THC blood tests can't predict impaired driving and should be scrapped, AAA says

The AAA Foundation for traffic safety ordered a handful of studies that assess the effects marijuana legalization had on driving safety. The studies arrived at a number of worrisome conclusions. Fatal crashes involving drivers who used marijuana doubled since the state lifted the ban. Also, researchers found the marijuana blood limit allowed for driving, known as per se limits, is arbitrary and not based on actual science.

Germany generated so much renewable energy it had to pay to get rid of it

On May 8, Germany generated a record high amount of renewable energy. Solar, wind, hydro and biomass plants together generated 55 GW of power or 87% of the demand thanks to unusually good winds and sunny conditions.

Half of your friends don't actually feel the same way, probably

How many friends do you think you have? A hundred, twenty... two? Chances have it, you actually have only half as many 'real' friends as you think. At least, those who look to you as a friend too, say researchers at MIT's Media Lab.

Carrot genome explains why these are orange

Carrots are the richest source of vitamin A in the American diet, which is why you hear "they're good for your eyes". But did you know carrots were initially yellow and purple? Even further back, before humans domesticated carrots, the wild variety was white. Scientists know this by sequencing the DNA of the carrot, and a recent study deciphered its full genetic code. We now know what genes trigger the production of carrots' most important nutrients, but also what teaking is required to improve the crops.

What separates the wolves from the sheep in the stock market?

"Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy only when others are fearful," said Warren Buffet, arguably the most astute contemporary investor in the world. Research by Caltech and Virginia Tech backs this sound advice, after delving deep into the investor mind and framework by analyzing stock market behavior at the neurolevel.

The squishy bot revolution: how soft robotics is changing the field

Soft robotics involves machines designed to resemble biological systems like squids, caterpillars, starfish, human hands and more. Though far less practical at this point, soft robots could prove invaluable soon enough. ZME Science looked at a couple of some of the most amazing designs made by scientists so far.

How trade routes forever changed the dromedary camel's genetic makeup

Known as the “ship of the desert”, the dromedary camel is one of the largest domestic ungulates and one of the most recent additions to livestock. For 3,000 years, the dromedary camel has been the burden animal of choice for transporting goods across the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and all of this back and forth has left a permanent mark on their genetic makeup.

How many people are younger or older than me?

To check where you stand among the age demographics in the U.S., Nathan Yau of Flowing Data made this interactive chart that's incredibly easy to use.

The Pentagon is investing heavily to protect its 'space real estate'

Both civilian and military applications have become heavily reliant on digital communications, which in turn are dependent on space hardware like satellites. If only two decades ago, only the biggest companies or wealthy governments could afford to launch permanent or semi-permanent satellites. Today, satellites are smaller, better and cheaper than they ever were, which is why there are more than 1,100 active satellites orbiting the planet. However, they're as vulnerable as ever, too.

'Second skin' hides signs of aging, while also improving skin health

Developed by researchers at MIT for over a decade, the 'second skin' is a transparent, silicone-based polymer that can be layered over the human skin. Flexible and strong, the novel material can return to its original size after being stretched to over 250%, which is actually better than human skin which can only stretch to 180%.

British energy expert: 'oil companies have 10 years to change strategy or die'

One energy expert from the U.K. made headlines with his bold comments. He says oil companies have only 10 years to adapt and make a shift away from fossil fuels -- their primary business, after all -- otherwise these will collapse. The market will not be forgiving.

Novices learn faster after being zapped with expert brain wave patterns

In the movie, The Matrix, Neo masters over a dozen martial arts in a fraction of a second as the necessary skills are uploaded straight into his consciousness. Given our current understanding of how the brain works, this is quite preposterous in real life but you'll be surprised to hear some scientists have tested a similar 'skill upload' system with remarkable results.

This robot sutures surgical incisions like a STAR: it's better than doctors

Thanks to robots, surgery has gone a long way since these have been introduced in the '80s making operations safer and less invasive. Now, surgical robots are starting to migrate from assistant to leading roles, which is where experts say they will really shine.

Are jetpacks finally taking off into the mainstream?

A Shenzhen startup has received 200 orders for the Martin Jetpack, what they call "the world's first practical and commercial jetpack".

Reddit analysis proves Godwin's law

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1".

Medical errors ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States

When researchers at John Hopkins factored human errors they found this was the third leading cause of death in the United States, surpassing respiratory diseases.

Why there are only three dimensions in this reality

By all account, we can only perceive three spatial dimensions: width, length and height. Everything seems more vibrant and 'real' in 3-D, compared to 2-D, but one can only wonder what things must look in four dimensions. Alas, our brains simply can't fathom a four-dimensional universe, let alone a 99-dimension universe. Moreover, it seems our Universe simply can't host more than three dimensions due to the laws of thermodynamics, physicists say.

Left-handed males have better math skills

Being left-handed isn't easy in a right-handed world. Let me tell you, though, at least you're better at math!

Japan has more electric car charging stations than gas stations

While most of the world is sluggish about EVs, Japan seems to be light years ahead. The island state's pro-electric car incentives have paid off and it's never been easier for a Japanese to drive an electric car. Officially, there are now more charging stations than gas stations in the country.

Google seems to want to build a city 'from the internet up'

There are Google self-driving cars, Google-made phones and notebooks, and soon there might also a be a Google city.

How will Elon Musk honor half a million Tesla Model 3 pre-orders?

A lot of car makers are definitely jealous of Elon Musk and his success, but how many would actually want to be in his shoes right now?

How to read the nutritional facts label

Nutritional labels can be daunting to read if you have no idea what to look for. Most of us don’t have the time and energy to work out what these mean, so we buy on impulse. Naturally, you’d think something as important as a product’s nutritional facts was presented in a more straightforward manner. But […]

There's a one in 10 billion trillion chance humanity is the only advanced life in the Universe

There are as many as 400 billion stars in the Milky Way alone. In this sea of light, it seems inevitable that life must have evolved on some alien planets.

It happened: U.S. Government wants to resettle the first American climate change refugees

The Isle de Jean Charles that lies on the Gulf coast of Louisiana is sinking. In less than 70 years, over the 90 percent of its landmass has washed away from erosion triggered by industry, as well public works which redirected rivers. Then there were the hurricanes.

Self-driving car laws at a glance

Self-driving car tech is moving fast -- so fast the laws haven't had time to catchup.

Mysterious dark streaks on Mars were actually made by BOILING water

Here's something you'd never expect to happen in a place with average temperatures of -67 degrees Fahrenheit -- Mars' flowing water is boiling!

The one-millionth solar system was installed in the United States

In April, the United States hit an important milestone in the quest for full renewable energy transition after the one-millionth solar system was installed.

The amazing bombardier beetle sprays boiling chemicals from its butt

Animals have evolved all sorts of gimmicks for either attack or defence. Some are really over the top, but that doesn't make it less effective. Take the bombardier beetle, for instance, which sprays a deadly mix of boiling chemicals from its butt. This is one insect you don't want to mess with.

The prodigal son returns: tailless comet from Earth's distant past might hold primordial secrets

A rocky body that's neither exactly a comet nor an asteroid, may hold some interesting clues about how the planets in the solar system formed, including Earth. The tailless so-called Manx comet, named so after a breed of cats without tails, originates from the Oort cloud -- a shell of icy objects that exist in the outermost reaches of the solar system. Although it's more than a trillion miles away, this Manx comet is likely made of the same stuff that eventually coalesced to form Venus, Mars or even Earth.

Size matters: meet the world's biggest jet engine

This beast is called GE9X -- the largest jet engine ever built. Standing at 13 feet in diameter, it's wider than a Boeing 737's fuselage.

This pot harnesses photosynthesis and a USB port to charge your phone

A team of engineers piggy-backed photosynthesis using a nifty pot called the Bioo Lite. Just place almost any plant inside, add water and plenty of sunlight and you'll be able to charge your phone via the provided USB port up to three times a day. Or so they claim.

How scientists are using climate records made by 15th century Japanese monks

If you're old enough, you might remember how some flowers around where you live blossom earlier or that summers and winters are unusually harsh. In short, freak weather is more common to the point it's becoming the new norm. Human memory is fallible, which is why we keep records of things like temperature, humidity, concentration of gases in the atmosphere and so on. These record don't go back that long though -- maybe only a century. Some, however, go way back and scientists are using these to keep track of climate change over the centuries.

How much renewable energy does the world use?

Renewable energy is growing furiously fast.

We still don't know which gut bacteria is beneficial, but scientists have some good hints

There's good bacteria and bad bacteria, but the gut seems to be so diverse in its bacterial offering from person to person that scientists have always found it difficult to say "hey, this is what a healthy microbiome should look like." Analyzing thousands of bacteria species in your guy is challenging and we're still not there, but a recent effort involving 4,000 participants has some good hints as to what makes a healthy gut.

Why we're in love with anti-heroes

How can some people actually like a serial killer, like Dexter from the eponymous TV show ? What about a meth dealer like Walter White from Breaking Bad or Tony Soprano, the gangster from HBO's The Sopranos?

Climate change is depleting oxygen from the oceans

Scientists have also quantified the effects of climate change as they relate to oxygen depletion. Their analysis suggests that by 2030 oxygen dissolved due to climate change will overpower the natural variability in the ocean, putting further stress on marine life.

Scientists make the smallest thermometer from programmable DNA

This remarkable research could open the doors for biological thermometers at the nanoscale which might tell us a thing or two about how our bodies function at the smallest level.

'Cool' light improves learning and academic performance. 'Yellow light' better for relaxing

A new research investigated various light intensity scenarios and reported their findings. For optimal learning performance, "cool" light is better while "yellow" or "warm" light is the most relaxing.

Study following 160,000 children found spanking doesn't work. On the contrary...

Spanking was associated with a high risk of children defying their parents, becoming aggressive and anti-social. In the long run, mental health issues and cognitive difficulties may arise.

Soldering at room temperature using metal-liquid particles

“How do you do very high-level science or engineering with very little?” Asks Martin Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State. With a little help from science and lots of innovation, Thuo and colleagues found an elegant solution to a complex problem.

Water squeezed in a new state: not liquid, nor solid or gas. Just pure quantum weirdness

Physicists have crammed water inside extremely small cracks about ten-billionth of a metre and found the molecules entered a never before seen state. In this brand new state, the water molecules don't adhere to strict laws of classical physics anymore, nor do they behave like a liquid, gas or solid.

Vegetation on the planet grew by twice the size of mainland USA due to rising CO2 levels

As CO2 builds up in the atmosphere, this warms the planet, acidifies the ocean and melts glaciers. It also promotes plant growth -- after all, that's why it's called the "greenhouse gas effect". A huge collaborative effort spanning 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries found that in the last 33 years the area occupied by vegetation has significantly increased.

Bed bugs avoid colours like green and yellow, but love red and black

If you don't want bed bugs biting you, then changing your sheet's colour might help. A recent study found bed bugs love red and black, but keep away from surfaces coloured in yellow or green.

How A.I. and game theory is fighting poaching and illegal logging

Park rangers risk their lives on a daily basis to protect wildlife from poachers. They're also underfunded and understaffed, so allocating resources as efficiently as possible is critical. This is where artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and game theory come in. The A.I. can identify and predict poaching patterns, and adapts in time so that park patrols can transition from "reactive" to "proactive" control. Pilot programs launched in Uganda and Malaysia have so far been successful, and a similar system is currently being developed for illegal logging.

How COP21 can become ratified -- the small steps required for a global victory

At a high-level signing ceremony in New York, more than 170 countries signed up to the landmark COP21 climate changed deal first adopted last December in Paris. Many media outlets praised the signing event, where 60 heads of state were in attendance as well as celebrities, like Leonardo DiCaprio. It is indeed a great achievement in fighting climate change on a global level, but only a small step in many yet to come.

North American mammoths interbred despite inter-species boundaries

North America was home to several mammoth species, but a new study suggests these weren't that genetically diverse as previously thought. As far as two species are concerned, the Wolly Mammoth and the Columbian mammoth, their genetic makeup was compatible enough to allow interbreeding without miscarriages.

Climate change could add twice as many smog days in the United States

A new study suggests that in the United States, residents might experience three to nine more days of unhealthy ozone levels by 2050.

Some sauropod babies looked like adults since they hatched and were left on their own

Sauropods, or some titanosaurs at least, were not the best parents. A recent analysis of juvenile fossils belonging to a titanosaur species called Rapetosaurus krausei suggests babies were left to fend for themselves and find food since they hatched, with little if any weaning.

High-fat diets make you feel sleepy during daytime, ruin sleep at night

Men who consume high-fat diets are far likelier to feel sleepy during the day and sleep poorly at night, researchers at University of Adelaide, Australia report.

Genetics determines when you'll lose your virginity

In a novel study, researchers have identified for the first time the heritable components that influence how early or how late people lose their virginity.
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