Human hands evolved for punching, not just dexterity, says prof
A University of Utah study suggests human hands evolved not only for the manual dexterity needed to use tools or…
Evidence for HIV in humans in distant past
HIV may have affected humans for much longer than is currently believed, according to a scientist who says that the…
New type of cell division discovered
Scientists trying to understand the cellular mechanics of how cancer begins have discovered a new type of cell division which…
Steroid use found to damage brain’s spatial functioning
Long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) appears to severely impact a user’s ability to accurately recall the shapes and spatial…
Three new species of venomous loris identified
University of Missouri researchers recently identified three new species of slow loris (Nycticebus sp.)that had originally been mistakenly grouped with…
Rethink creation of life in terms of information, argues new theory
Attempts to recreate the emergence of life by mixing and reacting basic chemicals are wrong-headed, argue two US scientists, who…
Epigenetics might explain evolutionary puzzle of homosexuality
Epigenetics – how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks – appears to be a critical and overlooked…
Are we living in a computer simulation? Physicists propose test to find out
In 2003, British philosopher Nick Bostrom (pictured) published a probabilistic analysis examining the possibility that we might all be living…
Successful clinical trial for ketamine-like antidepressant
Researchers are reporting a successful phase IIa clinical trial of GLYX-13, a first-of-its-kind ketamine-like antidepressant that takes effect within 24…
Ultrasound used to stimulate tactile sensations in brain
Scientists have provided the first neurophysiological evidence for something that medicos have long suspected: ultrasound applied to parts of the…
Oops. Greenhouse gas levels appear to be significantly underestimated
Measuring greenhouse gas emissions has traditionally relied on estimating emissions from all the activities and processes that might generate the…
Radioactive elements may make extraterrestrial life more likely on exoplanets
An abundance of radioactive elements observed in a number of distant solar systems would make the constituent planets much warmer,…
Squirrels and birds inspire latest deceptive robots
From the Trojan Horse to D-Day, deception has frequently played a vital role in wartime. Now, with an eye on…
Tap water implicated in rise of food allergies
Chemicals known as dichlorophenols, which are used in pesticides and to chlorinate water supplies, could be partially to blame for…
New evidence for water and organics on Mercury
Scientists say data transmitted by the Messenger spacecraft provide compelling support for the notion that Mercury harbors abundant water ice…
New experimental findings challenge theory of electromagnetism
A cornerstone of physics may require a rethink if the results from a series of new ion trap (pictured) experiments…
Tree plumbing stress approaching tipping point
The hydraulic system of trees is so finely-tuned that predicted increases in drought due to climate change may lead to…
Ancient microbes found beneath ice of Antarctic lake
Scientists have discovered a viable community of bacteria that survives in a pitch-black, salty, and sub-zero environment beneath nearly 20…
Brain, Universe, Internet governed by same fundamental laws, suggests supercomputer simulation
By performing supercomputer simulations of the Universe, researchers have shown that the causal network representing the large-scale structure of space…
Braille patterns transmitted directly to retina
For the first time scientists have wirelessly streamed Braille patterns directly into a blind patient’s retina, allowing the patient to…
Rhythmic nature of consciousness probed
Understanding how our brains encode thoughts at the cellular level may be a step closer after neuroscientists at MIT discovered…
Stabbed or shot? Drink up
Hospital patients with traumatic injuries such as fractures, internal injuries and open wounds were far more likely to survive if…
“Solar steam” generator outshines photovoltaic solar cells
Using light-capturing nanoparticles, Rice University researchers have achieved an impressive 82 percent conversion efficiency of sunlight directly into steam; a…
DNA fluidity has “profound implications” for genetic screening, say Yale scientists
The idea that every cell in our body contains identical DNA is incorrect, with scientists discovering that genetic variations are…
“Uncommon features” in Einstein’s brain revealed
Researchers who have just completed a new analysis of the famous scientist’s grey matter say portions of Albert Einstein’s brain…
Nomad planet spotted?
Astronomers say they have identified an astronomical body that is very probably a nomad planet – a free-floating planet that…
Husbands stay close with oxytocin
The first direct evidence that oxytocin promotes relationship fidelity in humans has been provided by a study that measured the…
Human intellectual abilities in decline, claims geneticist
An intriguing new hypothesis published in the journal Trends in Genetics suggests that we are losing our intellectual and emotional…
Revealed: how social isolation atrophies the brain
A study in Nature Neuroscience has found that animals socially isolated for prolonged periods make less myelin (the brain’s white…