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…
New analysis pokes holes in biodiversity’s supposed link to human disease
The vast majority of new, emerging or re-emerging human diseases are caused by pathogens from animals, according to the World…
Emotional content of books diverging by country, say language sleuths
A computer analysis of more than five million digitized books has revealed a distinct stylistic divergence since the 1960s, with…
Brain wave trajectories challenge area-specific notion of brain activity
Our understanding of brain activity has traditionally been linked to specific brain areas – an area associated with speech, vision,…
Knowledge of sport no advantage in sports gambling
Sports gamblers frequently see themselves as cleverer than other gamblers, believing that their intimate knowledge of player statistics, coaching styles,…
Natural selection reducing road kill
Urban environments can be evolutionary hotspots, suggests a study in the journal Current Biology that explored why road kill surveys…
Overheard cellphone conversations “uniquely intrusive”
Confirming what many of us have long suspected, a new study in the journal PLOS ONE has found that a…
Self-control makes cockatoos sophisticated traders
The ability to anticipate a delayed gain is considered cognitively challenging since it requires not only the capacity to control…
Stroke diagnosed via txt messaging
The inability to write a coherent text message may become an important tool in diagnosing a type of crippling stroke…
Pesticides may be source of norovirus in food
Outbreaks of norovirus (also known as the winter vomiting bug) are frequently linked to the consumption of fresh food, but…
Facebook Likes reveal surprisingly accurate intimate personal information
Surprisingly accurate estimates of users’ race, age, IQ, sexuality, personality type, substance use, and political views can be inferred from…
Scientists propose test run for nuking asteroid
After five years of work, a team of scientists from Iowa State University are proposing a $500 million test launch…
Peptide discovery could lead to happiness pill
The neurochemical changes that underlie human emotions are still largely unknown, but UCLA scientists have for the first time identified…
Sports brain injury may actually be an autoimmune phenomenon
U.S. medicos have proposed a radical new way of thinking about concussions and sub-concussive hits to the head that are…