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3D-Printed Bottle Caps Will Let You Know When the Milk Has Gone Bad

A new study published in Nature describes the creation of a new sensor which will allow us to know when our liquid food has gone bad - and it may not be long until we can all 3D print bottle caps with these sensors at home.

Hillary Clinton wants to install half a billion solar panels if she's elected

Democrat Hillary Clinton is maybe the first presidential candidate to make tackling climate change a central point. Now we actually have specifics after Clinton released on Sunday a fact sheet detailing her plan for action. Her proposals are bold, for sure. For instance, if she's elected, Hilary promises that clean renewable energy will power every home in America within a decade. To achieve this goal, she plans on bringing the total number of solar panels installed nationwide to more than half a billion before the end of her first term. Should we believe her?

Strangers are better than you at picking the best photos of yourself

Even when people are genuinely trying to select a profile picture for a social network or to serve for an ID, they're apparently a poor judge of their own looks. Strangers were found to select a picture that matches a person appearance better, according to a new research carried out by a team at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Revolutionary lamp works 8 hours on 1 glass of salt water

Artificial light is something we take for granted and simply don’t think about – but for some communities, light can be a luxury. In the 7,000 scattered islands of the Philippines, light can be very scarce, and saltwater is abundant. With that in mind, SALt engineers have designed a lamp that runs on salt water. […]

And then I threw it on the ground: first signs of farming come from the middle east, some 23,000 years ago

Who, where and when "invented" farming? A new study pushes back the advent of farming by a couple of thousand years.

The golden enigma: archaeologists find trove of mysterious golden spirals

A team of archaeologists working in Denmark have made a puzzling discovery: they found nearly 2,000 spectacular gold spirals dating from the Bronze age. The reason why they were made, especially in such a large number, is a mystery and the trove baffled scientists. The spirals are made from pure gold, hammered down to just 0.1 millimeters […]

Skeleton flower turns translucent when it comes in contact with water

This rare flower's petals are usually white, but turn translucent (their "skeleton" form) when exposed to water. Being completely clear and of striking, glass-like beauty while wet, they turn white again when they dry off.

Canadian fish know how to party: getting high on cocaine

New research shows that wastewater discharged from wastewater treatment plants in the Grand River watershed of southern Ontario has the potential to contaminate sources of drinking water with drugs such as cocaine, morphine and oxycodone.

The first Americans came from Russia's frozen expanse, Siberia, some 23,000 years ago

The first humans to reach the Americas came from Siberia in a single group some 23,000 years ago, at the height of the last Ice Age, says the new study. On their way to Alaska, they hanged around in the northern regions for a few thousands of years before moving deeper into North and South America.

Folding tiny origami bunnies out of DNA and why it's important

The revelation that DNA chemically self-assembles to build life was a game changer. Now, DNA's self-assembly capability is moving past genetics and into structural mechanics. One of the most astonishing demonstrations involves an automated process which basically 3D prints structures made out of DNA, of all shapes and sizes. For instance, the team at Dresden University of Technology built tiny 3d objects like a bunny, a bottle or even a waving humanoid.

Tell me what music you like and I'll tell you how you think - Music preference connected to cognitive style

Do you enjoy the quiet, elaborate jazz rhythms, or are you more a metal fan? Is classical music your thing, or are you more into hip hop? That may say more about your personality than you think, according to a new research.

Mutation in daisies near Fukushima might not be caused by radiation

After a twitter user and photographer from a city 110 km from Fukushima posted photos of mutated flowers, people started to freak out all over the internet that these plants suffered mutations due to the devastating nuclear incident from 2011 in Fukushima, Japan. According to the photographer @san_kaido, the radiation level near the daisies was measured […]

Foods and drinks might be labeled for added sugar intake, FDA proposes

Companies in the US might be mandated by the FDA to list the amount of added sugar in their products as a percent of the recommended daily calorie intake. Last year, the FDA proposed to include the amount of added sugars in grams on the Nutrition Facts label. Now, the same agency thinks it would be more informative to consumers if the label is displayed as a percentage to fit a context.

Growing CO2 levels are messing up radiocarbon dating

Scientists rely on a method called radiocarbon dating to determine the age of fossils or artifacts. With little or no other information available, the widely used method can accurately determine how old a sample is. This makes it one of the most powerful tools archaeologists, anthropologists and paleontologists have at their disposal. Rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere are, however, artificially aging the atmosphere and this might drastically interfere with the accuracy of radiocarbon dating. According to a new paper published by a team at the Imperial College London, "by 2050 a new T-shirt would have the same radiocarbon date as a robe worn by William the Conqueror a thousand years earlier."

Chemical pollution in European waters threatens dolphin reproduction

Dolphins in European waters are struggling to reproduce because of the chemical pollution that lingers in their bodies for a very long time - even for their entire lifetime. Scientists were surprised to find polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their bodies, as PCBs have been banned 30 years ago.

Researchers find rare marine reptile fossil in Alaska

Fossils of an elasmosaur, a rare type of plesiosaur were discovered in Alaska by Anchorage-based fossil collector Curvin Metzler. Researchers have confirmed this discovery and identified the species.

Four-legged snake is missing link between lizards and serpents

An "absolutely exquisite" fossil of a juvenile snake with limbs has been discovered by English paleontologists in Brazil. The fossil dates back from the early Cretaceous, 110 million years ago, and is the oldest evidence of a definitive snake.

Scientists learn more about hair ice, after 100 years

You may have seen it in forests, and may have dismissed it as an eerie curiosity – a type of ice that looks like white silky hairs, a bit like candy floss. It only grows on rotten branches of trees under very specific conditions, during humid winter nights when the temperature drops just below 0 […]

Watch: astronauts dock at the International Space Station

It took more than was expected, but the three astronauts set for the International Space Station docked with the International Space Station at 10:46 p.m. E.T. You can watch them here: The rocket had a successful launch at 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT) to experienced Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and rookie astronauts Kjell Lindgren with NASA and Japan’s Kimiya […]

NASA's exciting announcement: They've discovered an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone

Planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of star that is similar to our Sun. This extremely exciting announcement was made by NASA today; while this doesn't mean that the planet is inhabited, it does mean that it has many of the characteristics that our own Earth-Sun system have, and the odds of it hosting life seem significant.

Boa constrictors don't suffocate their prey. Instead, they cut the blood from the heart

In a first of its kind experiment, biologists found out to everyone's surprise that boa constrictors kill prey by cutting the blood supply from the heart. It was long thought that suffocation is the snakes' modus operandi. This makes sense though, according to evolutionary biologists involved in the study. Cutting the blood supply kills prey much faster than limiting oxygen intake. This comes at an evolutionary advantage since this minimizes risks faced from predators.

Your smartphone can help Stephen Hawking discover alien life

This week space fanatics were teeming with excitement after it was announced that Stephen Hawking had teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner in a quest to find extraterrestrial life.

New WiFi chip uses 100 times less power with minimal loss of quality

Nearly all communication devices today, whether we're speaking of smartphones, tablets or notebooks, rely on WiFi signal to connect to the internet and transmit data. With the rise of the Internet of Things, WiFi will become even more ubiquitous. However, enabling an active WiFi connection also eats up a lot of power. When I have WiFi on, my smartphone goes dead in under 24 hours, compared to 48 or more otherwise. In fact, according to a report, the routers that keep us constantly connected to the Internet – now in nearly 90 million American homes – uses about $1 billion worth of electricity annually. But in a bid to cut WiFi power waste in space, NASA might inadvertently change this situation forever.

Nature's toupee: fungus weaves astonishing hair-ice

For over a century since it was described, a peculiar type of ice known as hair-ice or ice wool has been puzzling scientists. Now, the mystery seems to have been solved. The uncanny fine hairs of ice, which are only 0.02 mm thick and can grow to 20 cm in length, are actually caused by a fungus.

A Second Look at the Iceman – New discoveries motivate new analyses

Hikers discovered Ötzi the Iceman in the Ötztal Alps of Tyrol, Austria in 1991. Forensic analysis showed that he died around 5,300 years ago, making his the oldest intact human body every found. Ötzi had been preserved by glacier ice and was found with his tools, clothes, and weapons – a time capsule of Copper […]

Blind pensioner can see again following bionic eye implant

An 80-year-old man suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the most common cause of sight loss in the world - can now see again after being fitted with a bionic eye. The technology was developed at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and the implant marks the first trial for the Argus II system for AMD.

Neural network image processor tells you what's going in your pictures

Facial recognition and motion tracking is already old news. The next level is describing what you do or what's going on - for now only in still pictures. Meet NeuralTalk, a deep learning image processing algorithm developed by Stanford engineers which uses processes similar to those used by the human brain to decipher and interpret photos. The software can easily describe, for instance, a band of people dressed up as zombies. It's remarkably effective and freaking creepy at the same time.

What may be the oldest Koran fragments were discovered in Birmingham, UK

A Koran manuscript etched on sheep or goat skin may be the oldest discover so far, according to a radiocarbon dating. The fragments, preserved in pristine condition and written in a surprisingly clear Hijazi script, were found in the University of Birmingham's library. The dating shows the Koran copy is at least 1,370 years old, and was edited between 568 and 645 by a person who likely knew the prophet Muhammed himself. Though it's not clear if it's the oldest Koran fragment, it's definitely out there among the earliest Islamic texts - a reason to rejoice for the large Islamic community in Birmingham.

The world's religions: an overview

What drives us to create these intricate systems of tales, beliefs and myths, who starts them and why do they propagate? Is it just the need to explain the unexplainable? Is there a deeper need for order nestled in our brain that makes us pin rain and drought, life and death on some higher, but purposeful, being? I don't know. But what i can show you is what we know about how religion appeared, spread, and thought us up till today.

14,000-year-old molar gives us oldest proof of dentistry, and will make you love your dentist's drill

Just as today -or a little less often, as we tend to abuse our teeth quite a bit nowadyas – early humans had to deal with cavities. An infected 14,000 year old molar may give us a glimpse into how they treated such afflictions, and is the oldest known evidence of dentistry.

New Horizons images of Pluto hold big surprises for scientists

The soaring ice mountains of Pluto are accompanied by wide plains and mysterious deep troughs, show photographs received from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Chinese paleontologists uncover spectacular dinosaur-bird fossil

Researchers have discovered a new dinosaur species covered with feathers. Its wings were very short and it likely wouldn't have been able to fly or glide, but the creature was on the cusp of evolving into a bird. It was also one of the ancestors of the velociraptors.

Scientists identify 4 types of drunks - which one are you?

Are you a Hemingway, a Nutty Professor, or a Poppins?? No, that’s not the latest Facebook game (although it’d be really fun to see one implemented), but it’s a classification introduced by researchers at the University of Missouri. Basically, depending on how your personality changes when you start drinking, they’ve defined 4 types: the Hemingways, […]

Science delivers: new seaweed tastes like bacon, healthier than kale

The unexpectedly delicious new creation is actually a new strain of red marine algae named dulse. It's packed full of minerals and proteins, it's low in calories, and it looks a bit like red lettuce. The team claims it's better for you than kale!

Pluto had its moment - now Charon, Pluto's Moon is in the spotlight

OK, we all know New Horizons zoomed past Pluto, took some breathtaking pictures and then called back home to tell us everything’s fine. But let’s switch our attention a bit and focus on Charon – Pluto’s Moon that’s just as mysterious as its name implies. Charon is the largest of the five known moons of the […]

We're all biased, it's hardwired in our brain. Here's how:

A cognitive bias is the common tendency of thinking in a certain irrational way – it’s a deviation from good judgement; they’re often studied in psychology and economics because of the influence that a counter-intuitive thinking process can have in these particular fields, and they significantly affect our lives. Among the researchers there have been countless controversies […]

The green algae street lamps that suck up CO2

I’ve been recently flooded with emails, questions and Facebook posts with the algae street lamps that not only light up without any electricity, but also suck up a lot of carbon dioxide (200 times more than a tree). This is just such a big thing that I had to see if this actually works. So […]

Pluto's so yesterday! New Horizons buckles up to study the Kuiper Belt

It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System’s formation. But unlike the Asteroid Belt, it is much larger – 20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. In order to catch a better glimpse of these remote leftovers from the birth of the solar system, NASA places its hopes in the success of the New Horizons mission.

New carbon capture technologies promise to remedy climate change

Three startups – Carbon Engineering, Global Thermostat and Climeworks – are making machines capable of managing the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The new devices literally suck carbon dioxide out of the air.

Will Tesla's Gigafactory be the largest man-made structure on Earth?

Tesla’s newest up-and-coming building could be larger than previously thought – much larger. At a presentation about the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, Dean Haymore, from Story County Commission, mentioned that Tesla bought an extra 1,200 acres next to the ongoing construction, and will buy 350 more. While this hasn’t yet been confirmed by Elon Musk, this […]

Welcome back to the family, Pluto!

Before you get overly excited, no, Pluto hasn't been once again accepted as a planet - it's still officially a dwarf planet (though in our hearts, you'll always be a planet, Pluto!). However, this emblematic picture of the solar system from my childhood is now complete, as seen in this great family portrait produced by Ben Gross, a research fellow at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Basically, we have at least the one good image of all the worlds in our solar system.

Juvenile Great White Shark Gets Stranded on the Sand, Rescued by Beachgoers

We’re more used to whales washing up ashore, but sharks also do it sometimes. This juvenile shark was apparently trying to hunt some seagulls and ventured out of the water too much for its own good. However, after struggles and apparent dehydration, the shark was saved by beachgoers. Initially, we see the two meter shark […]

1000 Year Old Viking Sword Dug up by Archaeologists

Norwegian Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Viking grave dated 1040 AD. Within the grave they found coins, a battle ax with a shaft coated in brass and a magnificent sword with intriguing silver and golden decorations. The sword almost certainly belonged to a wealthy man in the late Viking Era, quite possibly one that fought in […]

50 Million Year Old Sperm Found by Accident in Antarctica

Scientists have stumbled on some incredibly old sperm in the wall of a fossilized cocoon in Antarctica. The remains of the long, thin cells represent the oldest animal sperm known to man - 50 million years old.

New Horizons Phones Back After Pluto Flyby

New Horizons's trip to Pluto came and went - it was met with extreme enthusiasm at NASA headquarters and praised by astronauts throughout the world - but New Horizon's mission is far from over. The shuttle is adequately powered to sent back valuable data until the 2030s; for now, it simply "phoned" back home to say it's OK after zooming past Pluto.

Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf mice, paving the way for human treatment

Mice with genetic hearing loss could sense and respond to noises after receiving working copies of their faulty genes, researchers report. Because the mice’s mutated genes closely correspond to those responsible for some hereditary human deafness, the scientists hope the results will inform future human therapies.

The Netherlands Plan to Pave their Roads with Recycled Plastic

We sometimes get the feeling that the Netherlands is like a Think Tank for countries – they just come up with some of the most creative ideas ever. Now, they’ve tackled a very important part of the infrastructure: road paving. They want to use recycled plastic, and they want to do it soon – in […]

Australian Biologists Discover Volcano Cluster by Mistake

A chance discovery revealed an impressive cluster of extinct volcanoes 150 miles off the coast of Sydney, three miles below the water surface. The four volcanoes, which are now calderas, may reveal why Australia and New Zealand separated between 40 and 80 million years ago. Don’t you just hate it when you go searching for lobsters […]

New Horizons and Pluto: Everything You Wanted to Know

Speeding at 14 km per second, NASA’s New Horizons shuttle went past Pluto, hurdling towards the edge of the Solar System. But regardless of what happens, New Horizons’ flyby of the dwarf planet will remained firmly anchored in the history of space exploration. “We have completed the initial reconnaissance of the Solar System, an endeavour started under […]

Climate change will raise sea levels by 20 feet - and this is no surprise

The media is abuzz with disturbing headlines, warning us that even reduced levels of global warming will cause massive sea level rise, up to 20 feet (6 meters). Unfortunately, that’s true. But what’s almost as worrying is that everyone is treating this as news, when in fact, we’ve known for quite a while that this […]
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