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…
Wild Arabica coffee facing extinction
Scientists who have predicted the possible extinction of wild Arabica coffee (Coffea Arabica) within 70 years say urgent conservation measures…
Birds provide new vector for hemorrhagic fever
For the first time, scientists have found ticks infected with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever on migratory birds that fly between Africa…
Cockatoo makes his own tools
A Goffin’s cockatoo (Cacatua goffiniana) named Figaro has been observed spontaneously making and using tools for reaching food and other…
Sea-level rise predictions may be missing critical factors
Sea levels are rising faster than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted and new work presented at a…
Asteroid belts’ location critical in evolution of complex life
New research suggests that the size of an asteroid belt – and its proximity to a giant Jupiter-like planet –…
Synthetic magnetism used to control light
The use of magnetic fields to control electrons is a founding principle of electronics and all the consumer electronic devices…
Food security emerging as major climate change issue
A new report looking into how climate change will affect food production and food security warns that nothing less than…
Extinction of dinosaurs a given thanks to fragility of their ecosystem
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the ecological structure of dinosaur communities…
Experiment could reveal mechanism behind quantum entanglement
Physicists have devised an experiment that could reveal the precise workings of Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance.” The results,…
“It’s not you, it’s me,” means it’s probably you, say ovulation boffins
Long after women have chosen Mr. Stable over Mr. Sexy, they struggle unconsciously with the decision, with the highest levels…
Men enjoy dirt-eating as much as pregnant women, Harvard study finds
Harvard scientists say that pica (the eating of non-food items) is far more prevalent in Madagascar than previously thought and…
Dark matter not so dark; may be peppered with rogue stars
Astronomers have suggested that the dark matter halos that envelop entire galaxies may not be completely dark after all, and…
Arctic ice shrinks, Antarctic grows
While the dramatic decline in Arctic sea ice cover over the last three decades has been well documented, NASA climatologists…