Madagascar’s dwarf lemurs shed light on tropical hibernation
Until recently, the only primate understood to hibernate as a survival strategy was a creature called the western fat-tailed dwarf…
Tiny robotic insect makes first controlled flight
Inspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap 120 times per second,…
Scientists merge electronics with bio-printed ear
Using off-the-shelf 3D printing tools, Princeton scientists have built a functional cell-cultured ear that can “hear” radio frequencies. The bionic…
Study reveals “staggering” over-diagnosis and over-treatment of depression
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health say that the number of Americans over-diagnosed and over-treated for…
Giant vortex at Saturn’s north pole finally revealed
The Cassini spacecraft has provided scientists with the first close-up views of a massive hurricane-like vortex swirling around Saturn’s north…
Computer scientists mull origins of evolvability
Over time, organisms appear to become increasingly capable of evolving in response to changes in the environment, but computer boffins…
Evolution making women taller, thinner
In many places around the world, people are living longer and are having fewer children. But a new study in…
Ecotourism wildcard in African disease cocktail
Somewhat counter-intuitively, protected areas of Africa where numbers of humans are limited appear to also be hotspots for the exchange…
Hubble snaps pic of faraway comet ISON
Hubble has given astronomers their clearest view yet of ISON, a newly-discovered sun-grazer comet that could light up the sky…
Genetic circuit balances individual freedom and collective good
An intriguing investigation of bacterial genetic circuitry suggests that even the simplest creatures can make difficult choices that strike a…
Rising CO2 giving fish super-hearing
Ocean acidification is known to negatively impacta wide variety of marine animals, but new research indicates that a huge increase…
Ultracheap tactile sensor for robots unveiled
Giving robots a sense of touch has traditionally been an expensive and complex exercise with results that were often less…
“Nanosponge” removes toxins from bloodstream
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego say they have created a “nanosponge” that is capable of safely removing…
Dramatic changes in bacteria following male circumcision could explain HIV protective effect
Removing the foreskin causes significant changes in the bacterial community of the penis, according to a study that also suggests…
Sexual happiness means keeping up with the Joneses
A new analysis (of data from the General Social Survey) suggests sex is like income: people are generally happy when…
Successful transplant of bioengineered rat kidney
Bioengineered rat kidneys have successfully produced urine both in a laboratory apparatus and after being transplanted into living animals. The…
This is your brain on iTunes
Researchers have been using an MRI scanner to work out what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase…
Radiation exposure from “dark lightning” quantified
Over the last decade, scientists learnt that thunderstorms are capable of generating brief but powerful bursts of gamma-rays calledterrestrial gamma-ray…
Rapid evolution tied to environmental change
Environmental change can drive hard-wired evolutionary changes in animal species in a matter of generations, report ecologists from Ume� University…
Couch potatoes born that way
Research from the University of Missouri (UM) indicates certain genetic traits may predispose people to being more or less motivated…
Nose loses monopoly on sense of smell
In a discovery suggesting that odors may have a far more important role in life than previously supposed, scientists have…
Quantum tricks turbocharge magnetic storage
Researchers have found a new way to switch magnetism that is at least 1,000 times faster than methods currently used…
Ionic thrusters challenge jet engines for efficiency
Largely regarded as a scientific curiosity, a new investigation into electrohydrodynamic thrust has found that it may actually be more…
Age-related height loss linked to cognitive health
In the first study of its kind, University of Southern California researchers have identified a number of surprising factors linked…
Greening of Arctic will be dramatic, say scientists
New computer models based on observations of plant growth in the Arctic suggest that rising temperatures will lead to a…
Ancient asteroid caused global firestorm on Earth
A new analysis of conditions after a Manhattan-sized asteroid slammed into Mexico in the dinosaur era indicates the event triggered…
Future criminal behavior predicted with brain scan
Researchers from The Mind Research Network and Duke University say neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal…
Biofuels could be made directly from excess CO2 in the atmosphere, say scientists
Researchers at the University of Georgia have found a way to transform carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into a variety…
Two-headed bull shark discovered
Marine researchers at Michigan State University have confirmed that the first-ever, two-headed bull shark to be discovered is a single…