Researchers hack and commandeer drone
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the GPS navigation system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone,…
Iconic sexual selection study “fatally flawed”
A classic study from more than 60 years ago that suggested males are more promiscuous and females more choosy in…
Nicotine vaccine mooted for children
A novel genetic vaccine that modifies the liver to produce antibodies to clear nicotine from the bloodstream could be administered…
Smartphone powered robotic DJ set for party duties
The annoying guy at parties who keeps changing the music may be facing redundancy, thanks to a new robot DJ…
Reading: up close and personal
There are no significant gender-related differences in the eye’s ability to focus at near distances, so scientists have been looking…
Experiment reveals workings of Freudian unconscious
New experimental findings show a causal link between unconscious conflict and the conscious symptoms experienced by people with anxiety disorders,…
AI: size matters
MIT scientists have discovered that the brain processes objects based on their physical size, with a specific region of the…
Scientists block aggression
Pathological rage can be blocked in mice by shutting down a specific receptor in the brain, report University of Southern…
Pop music created using natural selection and crowdsourcing
Software that uses Darwinian natural selection and the musical tastes of 7,000 people is well on the way to creating…
TV remotes a bacterial cocktail
A study that investigated bacterial populations on hotel room surfaces found television remote controls and housekeeping carts to be amongst…
Kitchens worse than city centers for pollutants
Examining indoor pollutant levels from gas and electric cookers, University of Sheffield (UK) researchers found that gas kitchens had pollutant…
First genetically evolved semiconductors created
By directing the evolution of silicateins, the proteins responsible for the formation of silica skeletons in marine sponges, scientists at…
Sperm quality unaffected by lifestyle choices
Medical advice given to sub-fertile men about smoking, alcohol, drugs and obesity is of little value, say UK medicos who…
Insomnia caused by fear of the dark?
Canadian researchers say that an adult fear of the dark may be a contributing factor in cases of insomnia. The…
Capitalism on the couch: psychoanalyzing the credit crisis
Corporations and entire Western economies displayed the same kind of manic behavior as psychologically disturbed individuals during the 2008 credit…
Antidepressants in water induce autism-like gene expression in fish
Antidepressants and other psychoactive medications in water affect the gene expression profiles of fish in a way that mimics the…
Coolness no longer cool, say boffins
An intriguing new study – “Coolness: An Empirical Investigation” – suggests that the characteristics associated with coolness today are markedly…
Scientists tip 2025 for possible planetary collapse
Based on an evaluation of more than 1,000 previous studies, a new meta-review by an international group of 18 scientists…
Social behavior shared across all vertebrates
Humans, birds, fish and frogs appear to share the same ancient neural circuits that are responsible for a range of…
Mosquitoes use tai chi to fly through rain
Using high speed video, researchers from Georgia Tech have observed how mosquitoes can fly through rain even though a single…
Energy poverty linked to cognitive deficits
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Pitzer College say they have found children exposed to open-fire cooking in…
U.S. heads getting bigger
In the space of less than 200 years, the average U.S. Caucasian skull size has increased nearly 7 percent, becoming…
Andromeda-Milky Way collision visualized
After nearly a century of speculation about the future destiny of Andromeda and our own Milky Way galaxy, scientists at…