SciTechDaily in association with Closer To Truth

FROM PAST ISSUES		 Features and Background
[Home Page] [Archive] [2000 Archive] [1999 Archive]
"eppur si muove"
It's a planetary clump that may not be seen again for a century: the five "naked-eye planets" appearing together in the sky. Bring on the prophecies of doom ... [more]
A memory technique called mind mapping is causing waves throughout the computer world -- and is also helping people with dyslexia improve their writing and exam grades ... [more]
Scientists are building atomic clocks that keep time with mind-boggling precision. Such devices will help farmers, physicists, and interstellar travelers alike ... [more]
Waterways in the Amazon are exhaling far more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously thought, suggesting that tropical rainforests are not carbon "sinks" after all ... [more]
A bin full of bugs could make a cheap, green bioreactor to scrub pesticides from farm equipment and digest chemical-weapons stockpiles ... [more]
A treatment for Alzheimer's disease is a step closer after successful human trials of a drug to stop brain tissue “rusting” ... [more]
High sea temperatures are causing an epidemic of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and it is spreading through the coral islands of the South Pacific ... [more]
Injectable fluids containing magnetized, nano-sized particles could revolutionize the repair of torn or detached retinas, possibly preventing blindness in thousands of cases ... [more]
The development of a new family of organic polymers is making it possible to print photonic circuits with an ordinary inkjet printer ... [more]
Many people find St John's wort an effective antidepressant -- but it can also interfere powerfully with other medicines, including ones used to treat cancer, heart disease and seizures ... [more]
The US military has developed an indestructible sandwich that stays fresh for three years in the sweaty pockets of a soldier’s combat fatigues ... [more]
Some US hospitals in search of paying patients and a competitive edge are making a niche for alternative medicine (registration required) ... [more]
What's one way to expand data storage space while making the storage devices smaller? Develop magnetic technology from the atom up ... [more]
Scientists have discovered something nearly invisible that straddles the vast Pacific Ocean: Hawaii's surprising island wake ... [more]
A new study has added artery disease to the long list of ills caused by arsenic in drinking water ... [more]
Using telescopes as time machines, astronomers are probing distant galaxies for clues about the history of the universe ... [more]
Small schools, big lessons: Break up big high schools! Why? Consider the results: higher test scores and graduation rates and fewer behavioral problems (registration required) ... [more]
A British mathematician thinks he has found a way to solve a 100-year-old mathematical mystery -- and if he is right, he will win a $1 million prize ... [more]
Who says that sewage can't be as pure as the driven snow? One Australian ski resort is counting on a new water purification process to prove that waste-water need not be wasted ... [more]
Governments and drug companies must do more to curb the "murderous trade" in fake drugs in poor countries, disease experts say ... [more]
Untangling the branches of evolution's past is a daunting enough task for researchers, but some scientists are now turning their eyes toward the future in a bid to predict evolution's course ... [more]
Thanks to genetic research, we have human proteins in sheep milk and spider silk in goat milk. Now chickens are being engineered to produce drug-bearing eggs ... [more]
A huge asteroid may crash into Earth ... in 878 years. How many others sail through the sky unseen? Asteroid prediction is a tricky -- and inexact -- science ... [more]
"How was school today?" It's a simple question, but when dads (or other father figures) ask it of their kids, it can have a powerful effect on learning ... [more]
Young women struggling with depression often seek emotional support from their boyfriends. But they'd do a lot better to bond with their girlfriends ... [more]
A woman taking part in a controversial human cloning programme is eight weeks pregnant, claims Severino Antinori, one of the two fertility specialists leading the effort ... [more]
There is too much monkey business in Hong Kong, and the government is determined to do something about it ... [more]
Growing consumption of highly refined starches such as bread and cereals could be the cause of increasingly widespread short-sightedness ... [more]
Laughter? It's a funny business. We laugh more frequently than we eat, sing or have sex. So why do we know so little about it? ... [more]
Explosive volcanic eruptions, fueled by the same stuff that makes your soda fizz, may have produced colossal floods that carved some of the gorges and gouges on Mars ... [more]
Pregnant women who swim regularly could be at risk because of the high level of toxic chemicals in public pools ... [more]
Untying the knot: According to tradition, the horsehair worm comes to life when a hair from a horse's mane falls into a puddle. The truth is an even more unlikely tale ... [more]
China's rising tide of pesticide pollution and appetite for wildlife may achieve one of Mao's early (and later rescinded) directives: the extinction of the sparrow in many parts of the country (registration required) ... [more]
Anxiety disorders may take root in infancy, due to the absence of a key signaling protein in the brain ... [more]
A mysterious patch of black water off the Florida coast appears to be disappointingly mundane in origin ... [more]
The seeds of life are everywhere, according to scientists who have mimicked the conditions of outer space, doused frozen interstellar cocktails with ultraviolet radiation and created critical components of life ... [more]
Forget about porn, plagiarism, and illegal music swapping. Tech-centric kids these days could have a bigger issue to deal with: myopia ... [more]
Making ice from liquid water is simple enough, but the molecular processes underlying the transformation have proven difficult to define. Now computer simulations have cracked the ice problem ... [more]
Test tubes of bacteria produce more antibiotics in space than they do on Earth. Researchers aren't sure why ... but they aim to find out ... [more]
What's it like driving the fastest production car on Earth? Not bad, not bad at all ... [more]
The tissues attacked during autoimmune disease such as arthritis may partly determine their own demise ... [more]
The folks who write spy software are fed up with countermeasure anti-spy software that blows their cover. So now it's covert war: cyberspy vs counter-cyberspy ... [more]
In a unique link-up of six optical telescopes, astronomers have developed a powerful tool to probe the cosmos ... [more]
Losing money hits you right between the eyes --which may account for gamblers' tendency to keep betting on a losing streak ... [more]
Sit. Speak. Good photon! Researchers have trapped a kilometers-long laser pulse inside a small glass chamber -- and released it again intact. Such extraordinary command of light could lead to mind-boggling new technologies ... [more]
US nuclear reactor operators have been ordered to check reactor vessels for corrosion after acid in cooling water ate a hole nearly all the way through the lid of one reactor (registration required) ... [more]
Organic food may have more of what it takes to keep you healthy ... [more]
Coffee drinkers can relax -- the world's most popular beverage does not increase blood pressure, after all. Of course, there are still all those other potential health problems to worry about ... [more]
Studied all day but just can't remember a thing? Maybe your study time needs a bit of sweetening ... [more]
An anti-smallpox pill could be on the way if a new compound that shows promise in animal tests proves safe and effective in humans ... [more]
A light tap on the side of your head could one day sharpen your eyesight, by activating bands of artificial muscle wrapped around your eyeballs ... [more]
What does a flower known as the sacred white lotus have to do with house paint? In the world of biomimicry, everything (registration required) ... [more]
Playing catch looks easy, but there's more to it than meets the eye. A ball-catching experiment in space has revealed that human brains have a built-in model of gravity ... [more]
The Atlantic coast of the US has been invaded by the spiny, poisonous lionfish, native of the western Pacific. But no-one is quite sure how it got there ... [more]
The Milky Way is back in vogue as a hot research subject, leading to a whole new picture of how the galaxy formed, how unimaginably huge it is, and what it looks like from afar ... [more]
Genetic sleuthing has revealed how a dose of oral polio vaccine can revert to the deadly poliovirus and cause an outbreak ... [more]
Could we grow meat on demand without slaughtering animals? Experiments with fish fillets suggest it might be possible ... [more]
For the first time, doctors have a way to clean out clogged blood vessels. But with heart trials still underway, scientists aren't entirely sure how it works ... [more]
A new kind of matter comes in waves, and bridges the gap between the everyday world of humans and the micro-domain of quantum physics ... [more]
Science fiction fans know that many seemingly impossible technologies materialize years later -- but faster-than-light propulsion just can't be done, says a researcher in Portugal ... [more]
The flightless dodo's ungainly shape hid an island-hopping past ... [more]
Today the Red Planet is dry and barren, but what about tomorrow? New data suggest that the long story of water on Mars isn't over yet ... [more]
Can’t remember where you put your keys, or how to retrieve your voicemail? Your brain’s cleaning crew may be asleep on the job ... [more]
From spider-silk jackets to corn-based plastic, the future of biotech is likely to be as useful as it is weird ... [more]
Always wanted to travel to space but never thought it would happen? Save up your pennies and prepare to hop aboard the sub-orbital tourist shuttle ... [more]
A vast ice shelf in Antarctica has collapsed, producing an iceberg bigger than Cyprus that is now floating freely in the Amundsen Sea south of the Pacific Ocean ... [more]
Next time your cell phone drops a call, don't rush to blame your service provider. The culprit may well be an angry Sun ... [more]
Propellant-free propulsion might sound like somebody is trying to string you along. But the "string" in question is a 9.3-mile-long space tether ... [more]
The US Food and Drug Administration is considering requiring more tests for the possible effects of drugs on the environment (registration required) ... [more]
Physicists have designed a one-way street for heat: a material that conducts one way and insulates the other ... [more]
How disappointing ... The colour of the universe isn't pale turquoise after all -- it's a rather dull beige ... [more]
Dam clean water: Storing water underground could be an effective way of cleansing the liquid, according to Australian scientists ... [more]
Blue jets, captured: US researchers claim they have the first conclusive evidence for a direct electrical path between a thundercloud top and the ionosphere ... [more]
The days of fast-fading cell phone batteries may soon be over. A portable fuel cell could power a cellular phone 300 percent longer than existing rechargeable batteries ... [more]
Do you often find yourself driving too fast? Maybe it's your choice of music that's to blame ... [more]
The Odyssey probe has sent back strong evidence for widespread water beneath Mars' surface ... [more]
Your chances of developing schizophrenia may depend on how sunny it was months before you were even born ... [more]
Jurassic Park eat your heart out: Ecological historian Tim Flannery describes the heady days of megafauna, when 13-ton elephants and shoulder-height armadillos clomped around among humans ... [more]
Ducking down to the post office or shop could soon be much less of an ordeal for hearing-impaired people, with a bit of help from a signing avatar ... [more]
Our ancestors migrated out of Africa in at least three major waves -- and they made love, not war, along the way ... [more]
Researchers on the Human Genome Project would rather use Apple Macintosh computers than anything else to process the massive amounts of data they've got on hand -- if only they weren't such an inconvenient shape ... [more]
A potential "magic bullet" cancer drug homes in on tumours ... [more]
US Army R&D has given us everything from Kevlar vests to Cheez Whiz. What's next? The space-age electric parka ... [more]
50 millionths of a second can seem like an eternity -- especially when you are conducting laser propulsion experiments, and they're not reacting as expected ... [more]
A few of us seem have a special gift for predicting the unpredictable ... [more]
Supernova explosions in a local cluster of stars could have caused a wave of extinction on Earth two million years ago, according to US astronomers ... [more]
What made Saturn's rings, and when? What are the waves that ripple through them? Four hundred years after they were discovered, endless questions about Saturn's mysterious and magnificent rings continue to vex astronomers ... [more]
Researchers are turning to the tabletop as the latest collaborative work environment, perfecting touch-screen technology that tracks multiple simultaneous touches in a quest to create a communal work area ... [more]
Who says farmers are conservative about adopting new technologies? On some dairy farms, happy heifers are milking themselves (with a little help from robots) ... [more]
Trials of a cholera vaccine manufactured in Viet Nam at a cost of about only 20 US cents a dose have produced encouraging results, especially for children ... [more]
The great dying: 250 million years ago something wiped out most of the life on our planet. Clues to the mystery have been hiding inside tiny capsules of cosmic gas ... [more]
It might seem that raising a 1,334-ton warship from the bottom of the ocean would be the most difficult part of preserving the relic. But in the case of one 17th century shipwreck, the greatest threat to its longevity comes from within ... [more]
Just like some of their human counterparts, female pigs love a swine ... [more]
According to a report in the journal Science, tabletop nuclear fusion -- which could pave the way to cheap, clean power -- may have been achieved, using collapsing bubbles to generate intense heat and compression. But critics are blasting the claims as cold fusion reincarnated ... [more] ... [more]
To deflect an asteroid, take careful aim ... [more]
A massive swell of warm water is buffeting South America. Is it the first sign of a new El Niño -- or just another "Kelvin wave?" ... [more]
It's not just failing memory that makes Alzheimers sufferers lose their way -- the real culprit is motion blindness ... [more]
An eerie link between two 17th-century clocks has finally been explained, say scientists who have retraced the work of Dutch genius Christiaan Huygens ... [more]
Stainless steel's glossy surface hides a fatal flaw: a few nanometres of weakness can spell disaster. Discovering how the corrosion begins takes researchers closer to preventing it ... [more]
The tools of agriculture are changing as growers experiment with new space-age techniques ... [more]
Fat is spreading: The obesity epidemic is sweeping into developing world on a tide of sedentary lifestyles and fast food ... [more]
A newly developed virtual showcase will allow visitors to see museum exhibits in all their glory, with missing limbs restored and drab clothing spruced up ... [more]
The cold snap that civilised the world: A sudden drop in temperatures 5,000 years ago ushered in the modern climate and may have encouraged the development of complex civilisations around the world ... [more]
Remember when your parents told you that a good night's sleep would help you learn at school the next day? If you don't remember, it's probably because you didn't heed their sage advice ... [more]
Persistent depression in older adults -- even if it's mild -- may lower immunity and impair the ability to fight off disease ... [more]
Astronomers have found a wild bunch of planets outside our solar system. What can these strange giants can tell us about how planets form? ... [more]
They know we're here: Evolved space civilisations will have spotted us by now, say astronomers. And soon we will know where to gaze back ... [more]
Thrown off the scent: Does the pill destroy a woman's ability to pick the right man? ... [more]
Europa, Jupiter's smallest moon, might not only sustain but foster life, says a US researcher ... [more]
Horrors! Every cardboard-packed item in a supermarket could soon be blaring out advertising jingles. But flat-pack cardboard loudspeakers could have more aesthetically pleasing uses, too ... [more]
Research into better rehabilitation methods for stroke patients is linking virtual-reality technology with Web-based physical therapy ... [more]
The discovery of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy raises more questions than it answers ... [more]
Attacking anthrax : Recent discoveries are suggesting much-needed strategies for improving prevention and treatment. High on the list: ways to neutralize the anthrax bacterium's fiendish toxin ... [more]
Kidnapping amorous males may be the key to saving some endangered species ... [more]
A chemical that can paralyse malaria parasites inside red blood cells could become a much-needed new weapon in the war against one of the world's biggest killers ... [more]
The James Bond movie Goldfinger spawned the urban myth that a person can suffocate if air can't reach their skin. But the myth contains a grain of truth ... [more]
Women who delay childbearing until their thirties are at increased risk of developing breast cancer ... [more]
Patches for a broken heart: Using a space-age device called a bioreactor, researchers have grown patches of tissue that beat and respond much like a human heart ... [more]
A lobster-pot bears an uncanny resemblance to a Wild West saloon. The crustaceans show up looking for food and a fight, and only the unlucky few get reeled in ... [more]
Break out the chocolate! Antioxidant-laden cocoa is good for your heart (and soul!) ... [more]
A single quick application of GM bacteria could spell the end of tooth decay -- provided you feed them right ... [more]
Scientists have known for years that the heart is one of the first organs to show the ravages of time. Now, two researchers say they know why: cell suicide ... [more]
Grumpy people seldom need reasons to be in a bad mood, but scientists have come up with the perfect excuse: they're just born that way ... [more]
If you think tanning beds are a safe alternative to sunbathing, think again ... [more]
No road journey is complete without a wrestle with the map. Computational origami has shown why the map usually wins ... [more]
Overloaded, exhausted, distracted or confused by a change in routine, working parents can completely forget that they've left their children unattended in a car. A new device can alert parents to the forgotten tot ... [more]
Stage hypnotists and their ilk notwithstanding, a brain-scan study indicates that hypnotism is real -- and may have real potential to help control pain ... [more]
That mean ol' kitty next door may not be vicious after all -- just suffering from high anxiety levels ... [more]
There may be a payoff to all the sniffling and coughing by toddlers who attend day care: they will probably get fewer colds when they start school ... [more]
Organizers of an effort to save the war-ravaged Kabul zoo had hoped to raise enough money for temporary relief. They didn't count on an avalanche of generosity that has them planning to rebuild ... [more]
Contracting human papillomavirus may be an inevitable consequence of sexual activity, UK researchers say ... [more]
Pet cloning may be just a whisker away, with US researchers having sucessfully cloned a cat ... [more] But do we really want an endless parade of Frankencats and Dracudogs? (registration required) ... [more]
Two mathematicians are working on a method to map the convoluted surface of the brain ... [more]
It seems simple enough to crumple paper, and it certainly doesn't require much effort, but explaining why the resulting crinkled ball behaves the way it does is another matter entirely ... [more]
Toddlers are canny -- they may learn by mimicking adults, but only when the grown-ups' actions seem to make sense ... [more]
For farmers, the future of insect control may look a lot like cotton candy ... [more]
Can we beat the Reaper? Science has been winning battles against old age, but can it win the war? ... [more]
The first direct study of the lifespan of clones shows they die young -- whether this applies to animals other than mice remains to be seen ... [more]
A new molecule can wrap up excess anaesthetic at the end of an operation ... [more]
''The atmosphere has a short attention span, but the ocean is more thoughtful ..." The oceans' memories are helping meteorologists predict the world's wild weather ... [more]
Going to sleep may seem pretty boring compared with all the fun stuff there is to do while you're awake. But it may well be the most important thing you do today ... [more]
It's life, Jim, but not as we know it, in a robotic game of cat and mouse ... [more]
Tired of shouting to your passenger as you drive, striving to make your voice heard over the rumble of the car? Help is on the way ... [more]
Research aimed at building better greenhouses in space has led to a device that attacks and destroys airborne pathogens -- such as anthrax ... [more]
Enigmatic pulses of radiation known as gamma-ray bursts have long captivated astronomers. One mystery could soon be cleared up: a new technique can help estimate how far away the explosions occur ... [more]
Stress relief caused the Giant's Causeway. Ireland's huge hexagonal columns are a natural consequence of lava cooling ... [more]
Smoking is always a risky habit -- but a recent study may help explain why some ethnic groups have lower rates of lung cancer than others ... [more]
Astronomers calibrating a telescope in Chile have captured snapshots of Saturn which are so clear that they rival those taken from space observatories ... [more]
The comforting sound of a mother's voice is sweeter than music to the ears of very sick youngsters ... [more]
Aircraft weighing as little as a chocolate bar could one day be darting over the surface of Mars with the agility of dragonflies and the eyes of bees ... [more]
Exercise not only loosens your muscles and clears your mind -- it also keeps your arteries stretchy and less prone to hardening ... [more]
Physicists have observed the quantum effects of gravity, and it turns out that they were right all along: elementary particles under the influence of gravity move from one energy state to another by making, well, quantum leaps ... [more]
A new study shows that babies born to women taking a common epilepsy drug during pregnancy are almost twice as likely to have birth defects than those on other epilepsy medications ... [more]
What's the story with the oracles at Delphi? Did they really channel for Apollo, or were they just high on something? Geologists think they finally have the answer ... [more]
African scientists are exploring new ways of rapidly detecting strains of drug-resistant malaria ... [more]
Bugs turn gunk to juice: Research on geobacters has raised the possibility that microbes could be used to produce electrical power from underwater sludge ... [more]
Scientists and environmentalists are calling for a ban on a chemical flame retardant that has been shown to accumulate in breast milk ... [more]
Knitters around the world have purled together to save oil-soaked little penguins on Phillip Island, southern Australia, by knitting thousands of tiny, pure-wool pullovers ... [more]
Fission advisory?: Native Americans who fished in the Columbia River may have been exposed to much more radiation from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation than previously thought ... [more]
Clean forests use nitrogen differently to polluted ones -- a finding that calls the current nitrogen-cycle theory into question ... [more]
How do dolphins and whales keep cool where it counts? (registration required) ... [more]
Researchers are tapping water as a safe new industrial solvent ... [more]
Vaccines stage a comeback: They defeated some of the deadliest diseases known to man. Now they're preparing to join the fight against AIDs, Ebola, heart disease and even cancer ... [more]
Physicists are explaining how wealth spawns corruption ... [more]
Contaminated aquifers could be cleaned quickly and economically with a common sugar made from corn starch ... [more]
Herod the Great, the cruel king of ancient Judea, was felled by chronic kidney disease, says a medical sleuth ... [more]
Weightlessness sure looks like a lot of fun, but prolonged exposure to zero-G in space can have some negative side effects -- like weakening human bones! ... [more]
Russian scientists say they may have created the next big thing in computer memory: flexible, transparent sheets of carbon, the first pure nonmetallic magnets to work at room temperature ... [more]
Scientists are seeing insect damage to plants in a new light -- one which shows that a bug's bite does more than just leave holes in leaves ... [more]
Canadian researchers have successfully transplanted frozen ovaries from one female rat to another, becoming the first to demonstrate that entire organs can be safely stored and thawed ... [more]
A new study indicates that a little daily tipple -- of whatever form of alcohol you prefer -- may help ward off dementia, as well as heart disease and strokes ... [more]
Protecting the ozone layer has spawned a chilling new menace to the English countryside -- abandoned refrigerators ... [more]
Let it out: Women who hold back anger may end up more irate in the long run ... [more]
Archaeologists across Europe are teaming up in a three-year project to safeguard shipwrecks, and to share their secrets with the public ... [more]
Earth’s anonymous inhabitants: For years, bacteria living in the ocean and in the soil have played hide and seek with scientists. Now a few persistent researchers seem close to winning the game ... [more]
An event horizon is dawning in laboratories. Using frozen light, physicists hope to mimic this peculiar cosmic phenomenon and glimpse something like the belches of a black hole ... [more]
A recent finding shows that Neanderthal tools were built to last, held together with a relatively high-tech superglue ... [more]
An unusual space traveller named Fred is orbiting Earth. His job? To keep astronauts safe from space radiation ... [more]
They live in complete darkness, eat hydrogen, breathe carbon dioxide, and belch methane. And their discovery is good news for those who hope to find life on Mars ... [more]
An outburst of star formation ended a half billion years of utter darkness following the Big Bang, the theoretical start of the universe, according to a study that challenges old ideas about the birth of the first stars ... [more]
Eat, drink and be healthy!: Scientists are rapidly identifying the natural chemicals that give preventive punch to a rainbow of ordinary edibles ... [more]
Immune cells vs invaders: it's a war going on in every healthy human body. But when the combatants travel to space, curious things happen ... [more]
The chimpanzee version of AIDS appears to be extremely rare in wild chimps, suggesting that the apes evolved a way to deal with the killer virus generations ago ... [more]
Understanding how closely compulsive TV viewing resembles other forms of addiction may help couch potatoes control their habit ... [more]
People who combine different types of serotonin-enhancing medications, such as certain antidepressants and migraine medications, may be increasing their risk of stroke ... [more]
New measurements show the West Antarctic ice sheet is thickening, reversing earlier estimates that the ice was melting ... [more]
What does a woman really want in a man? Someone who smells like dad ... [more]
Preventive parenting: Paying attention to a baby's unique personality may head off problems before they happen ... [more]
Easing off the (greenhouse) gas: Greenhouse gases are still accumulating in Earth's atmosphere, but more slowly than before ... [more]
A new tool developed in Britain is providing Vivid insight into the workings of the living, human brain ... [more]
Fluorescent colours come and go on the fashion runways, but parrots always consider that elusive glow a must-have accessory ... [more]
Stopping the swings: For children at high risk of bipolar disorder, research is beginning to offer some hope of better diagnosis, treatment, and even prevention ... [more]
Bacterial batteries clean up: US scientists have identified microbes that produce power by munching pollution ... [more]
Walk don't run: It's simple, it's cheap, and studies show that walking may be the best exercise for reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes ... [more]
The inferno below: Coal seams across the world are burning, releasing toxic gases and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and baking the earth until vegetation shrivels and the land sinks (registration required) ... [more]
Voyage of the nano-surgeons: US scientists are crafting microscopic vessels that can venture into the human body and repair problems, one cell at a time ... [more]
The human brain is a master of the connect-the-dots game. Indeed, our brains are such talented and overzealous extrapolators that we regularly see patterns where none exist ... [more]
The big question is: was Mars once warm and wet? With a host of spacecraft at Mars or being readied to go there, scientists are poised to uncover the planet's liquid secrets ... [more]
A quick and cheap genetic test will soon be able to identify people with lactose intolerance ... [more]
Solar energy is an abundant source of power for spacecraft navigating the inner solar system. But how far away from our star can photovoltaics work? ... [more]
There may be some wisdom in the traditional British maxim: 'feed a cold, starve a fever' ... [more]
What colour is the universe? Somewhere between pale turquoise and aquamarine, astronomers say ... [more]
Treating cocaine abusers with ear acupuncture, a technique growing in popularity, is no more effective in conquering addiction than relaxation therapy, says a new study ... [more]
A new method to reduce rust and corrosion in the ballast tanks of ocean vessels, by purging the water of oxygen, may also be key in preventing the spread of invasive "stowaway" species ... [more]
Advanced telescopes studying extra-solar planets might soon reveal the telltale signs of ET's breath ... [more]
Australian researchers say fatherhood harms men's sex life more than they expect, and makes them fat into the bargain ... [more]
Physicists have created a new state of matter: a patterned liquid ... [more]
Researchers have found compelling evidence that succeptibility to some forms of mental illness may lie in the genes ... [more]
A rocket-propelled dragnet that slows drug smugglers' boats and subdues the crew with tear gas may sound like something out of a James Bond movie, but it is actually the latest idea from the US Navy ... [more]
Astronomers are taking the search for somewhere quiet to work to new extremes, with a plan to put a radio telescope on the far side of the Moon ... [more]
Baby-talk isn't just cute (or sickening, depending on your point of view) -- it may be much easier for babies to understand, helping youngsters to master language ... [more]
Massive icebergs and an unprecedented amount of sea ice have nearly isolated one of Antarctica's largest populations of Adélie penguins, jeopardizing attempts by the birds to breed ... [more]
Harmful bacteria may lurk within those healthy salad greens ... [more]
New research from the Hubble telescope suggests that stars in the early universe began with a bang, not a whimper ... [more]
A recent review of research has concluded that despite all the hype about brain boosters, better memory doesn't come in a pill (registration required) ... [more]
The Universe could be slipping away from us forever, leaving far-future astronomers to face an unchanging, slowly fading starscape ... [more]
Forest fires are devastating to flora and fauna (including humans) in the short term. But forests need fires to thrive ... [more]
Using space technology, scientists have developed extraordinary ceramic photocells that could repair malfunctioning human eyes ... [more]
The lioness and the oryx: Wildlife experts in Kenya are baffled by a lioness that adopted a baby oryx, a kind of small antelope typically devoured by big cats ... [more]
With Earth's power consumption forecast to rocket to new highs in coming decades, maybe we need a suitably far-out solution to the likely energy crunch: power plants on the moon ... [more]
Need to figure out how to make a robotic arm that is able to flex in an infinite number of ways without tying itself in knots? First, study an octopus ... [more]
Bad news for humans can sometimes be good news for wildlife. The years of civil war in Central Africa have been kind to mountain gorillas ... [more] And an outbreak of Ebola in northern Gabon has brought enforcement of a ban on the bushmeat trade ... [more]
New research has revealed that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are often still vulnerable to a natural enemy from within -- viral enzymes ... [more]
Wall-to-wall power: Plastic solar cells might one day be screen-printed by the roll, as cheaply and easily as wallpaper ... [more]
Blushing burglars reveal their guilt -- and thermal imaging that can detect deceit could improve airport security ... [more]
Elusive ball lightning has baffled observers and scientists for centuries, but a rare photograph of the phenomenon has recently been published ... [more]
Jogging may make you smarter -- but only if you keep at it ... [more]
Bubbleheads take care: the 'pop' of the champagne cork will leave you tipsy, quickly ... [more]
The regeneration gap: Newts grow new legs, Hydra new heads. These remarkable creatures may hold clues for researchers developing human cellular therapies ... [more]
Beware the number four -- or rather, beware the power of the ancient Chinese superstition that links the number to death ... [more]
A bizarre "mystery squid" with spidery, 20-foot-long limbs has been spotted in the dark, frigid waters of the deepest part of the world's oceans ... [more]
Midwifery may be as old as humanity: Human mothers have needed to seek help during childbirth for at least 100,000 years ... [more]
Have malaria-carrying mosquitoes finally met their match? ... [more]
No-one is sure of the ultimate purpose of the brain's cannabinoid receptors (apart from keeping pot dealers and drug-warlords in business), but researchers are beginning to understand how the cannabinoid system works ... [more]
US researchers have succeeded in factoring the number 15 with a quantum computer. That may not seem much of a milestone, but it's a breakthrough in computing that may one day enable the cracking of seemingly impenetrable codes (registration required) ... [more]
Drinking more than two cups of coffee daily may boost estrogen levels in women and could exacerbate conditions such as endometriosis and breast pain ... [more]
Between uncooperative tinsel, floating cookie crumbs, and a space-sick reindeer, Christmas Eve deliveries to the International Space Station are enough to make a jolly old elf long for the good old days ... [more]
Red wine blocks a cellular compound thought to be a key factor in heart disease, so indulging in a little fine Cabernet Sauvignon this Christmas could well do you good ... [more]
Trauma survivors may be losing less sleep than they think ... [more]
A state-of-the-art space probe has shed new light on what may be the darkest object in the Solar System: the enigmatic comet Borrelly ... [more]
Clay pots containing easily available filtration materials are a cheap and effective way to produce safe drinking water in areas with high arsenic levels, such as northern Bangladesh ... [more]
Sweet meteorites: A US scientist has discovered sugar and several related organic compounds in two meteorites -- providing new evidence that the chemical building blocks of life on Earth might have come from outer space ... [more]
Frosty Finland will soon become a wine-producing nation, thanks to warm water from a nuclear reactor cooling system ... [more]
Here's good news for older adults who find themselves camping out by the coffeepot: That afternoon caffeine hit is not just a nice break -- it's a memory booster as well ... [more]
Bug battles: Scientists are using genomics to understand how pathogens infect people -- and how to stop them ... [more]
It's hard to imagine anyone agreeing to wear a helmet for car journeys: life would be one long bad hair day. But innovative headware could save your life -- and your 'do ... [more]
Another nanobrick in the wall: US chemists have created the world's smallest building blocks ... [more]
Beyond chicken soup: The antiviral era is upon us, with an array of virus-fighting drugs on the market and in development. Research into viral genomes is fueling much of this progress ... [more]
Does the wind chill report leave you cold? A new index promises to be more in line with subjective reality (registration required) ... [more]
A mechanical leech that does the work of the real thing, without the mess and the "ick" factor, could help patients heal better after tricky surgery ... [more]
Whales are showing the way to a cleaner, greener boat ... [more]
Scientists who worry about the spread of nasty germs from animals to people have found that infection can go in the other direction, too ... [more]
Vessels of death or life : Angiogenesis -- the formation of new blood vessels -- might one day be manipulated to treat disorders ranging from cancer to heart disease ... [more]
Conjuring crystals: Discovered in space, an amazing method for growing well-ordered crystals is working here on Earth, too. NASA scientists are figuring out the physics behind the procedure ... [more]
Why be a Good Samaritan? A fondness for people who are a bit like us may be the reason that good Samaritans exist only in human society, and not in any other, according to a computer simulation ... [more]
As part of their continuing effort to skip over the ethical and political hurdles surrounding embryonic stem cells, researchers have unlocked even more potential from the adult kind ... [more]
Want to know if your new romance is likely to survive? Listen to your friends ... [more]
A chemical involved in immune-system signalling may be able to reverse skin damage caused by sunlight ... [more]
It might seem like the weather's getting warmer here on Earth, but Mars appears to be heating up dramatically, with its ice caps melting fast ... [more]
In news that will surely fan the flames of the heated debate over genetically modified crops, scientists have found evidence that genes from GM plants can spread far and wide to native ones ... [more]
If you often find yourself having to take a call in strange places, keep an eye out for the underwater phonebooth ... [more]
Tiny black holes may be exploding in our cosmic backyard ... [more]
Pain and pleasure are not as different as one might think, at least from the brain's point of view ... [more]
Deep below the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean lurks a searing cauldron of activity, including numerous underwater volcanoes and deep-sea hot springs that may harbor previously unknown marine organisms ... [more]
New genetic evidence confirms the ethnic unity across Europe of the Roma, better known as Gypsies, showing that they descend from a small group of Asian ancestors ... [more]
Babble on, Babycakes! There's more to babies' babbling than meets the ear: it originates in the brain’s language centres ... [more]
New maps from space-based sensors that can detect flashes of lightning even during the daytime reveal where on Earth the powerful bolts will most likely strike ... [more]
A stress-related hormone may hold the key to the most dangerous type of obesity -- the so-called apple-shaped syndrome ... [more]
Neutrinos feel the force: The orthodox worldview of fundamental physics has been challenged by new experiments ... [more]
You may be an accomplished liar, but your brain just can't help telling the truth ... [more]
It is still hard for doctors to spot a bad appendix, despite several new diagnostic techniques (registration required) ... [more]
The sweet music of a songbird is actually the product of powerful vocal cords and a sophisticated brain -- and it could point the way forward for important neurological research ... [more]
Elderly hospital patients who are given a common type of sedative to help them sleep may be at increased risk of symptoms of delirium ... [more]
Specially adapted wearable computers could help rescue lost spacewalkers ... [more]
During the 2001 Leonid meteor storm, astronomers observed a curious flash on the Moon -- a telltale sign of meteoroids hitting the lunar surface and exploding ... [more]
Carbon may be the key to room-temperature superconductors ... [more]
Your teachers always said goemetry would come in handy, and they were right. It's an essential for planning geek body art ... [more]
A flurry of sensational fireballs recently startled sky watchers. Traffic stopped. Airline pilots gaped from cockpit windows. Emergency telephone lines were jammed. So what was it? ... [more]
Brain scans indicate that deaf people use the region of the brain associated with hearing to 'hear' vibrations ... [more]
BSE's epidemic proportions: While prion diseases seem to be waning in humans, they could be waxing in sheep ... [more]
Injecting flesh-eating bugs into people with cancer may sound crazy -- but the only danger seems to be that they destroy tumours too fast ... [more]
Innovation is back, with attitude. Here are some new technologies that could become regular fixtures in our homes and garages (registration required) ... [more]
Information is a weapon. What will happen when every soldier is armed with it? ... [more]
South Africa has turned to the controversial insecticide DDT to combat malaria, despite fears about environmental damage. Neighbouring Mozambique is under pressure to join in the spray ... [more]
Chameleons can reel in their reluctant prey anywhere within two-and-a-half body lengths of their jaws. How? A uniquely muscled tongue ... [more]
What is the best way to get kids to eat their spinach? Make the rest of the meal a bit smaller (registration required) ... [more]
NASA's Mars Odyssey has encountered a strange, unexpected phenomenon as it slips over the red planet's north polar region: an intense polar vortex ... [more]
A fire-damaged painting by Claude Monet could be restored to its former glory, thanks to an atomic "airbrush" ... [more]
Parental behaviour can affect teenagers' chances of joining a gang, says a new study, but there are no hard-and-fast rules on what works best ... [more]
Nothing is simple. Eco-friendly selective logging in rainforests leaves the normally fire-resistant forest floor littered with tinder-dry detritus ... [more]
Listening to Leonids: On Nov. 18, 2001, millions of sky watchers saw a dazzling storm of Leonid meteors. Some observers heard them too! ... [more]
Camels evolved humps, the Romans built aqueducts ... but a Norwegian company believes the future of transporting water lies in mammoth ocean-going bags ... [more]
Fat is not a hedonist issue: Thinness is more than a matter of taste ... [more]
Alien atmospheres: Astronomers have detected the atmosphere of a planet 150 light years away. Their discovery paves the way for a search for chemical markers of life far beyond Earth ... [more]
Forget the fancy chemicals: vacuum-packed cells stay alive for days, making it easier and cheaper to store and ship cells for implantation ... [more]
It's official (again): Net-heads aren't geeks. It seems that Netizens are actually a pretty socialised lot ... [more]
US researchers have created the first human cloned embryo, a feat that puts therapeutic cloning within reach ... [more]
Researchers in Israel have built a biomolecular computer that uses DNA as software and enzymes as hardware. And it's so tiny that a trillion of the machines can fit into a drop of water ... [more]
Some hospitals in Japan are bringing pet therapy into the 21st century, with the help of a robotic dog (registration required) ... [more]
Garlic may not ward off vampires, but it seems to be effective against an astonishing array of other foes, including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and even malaria ... [more]
Things are different in space. Humans sleep upside down. Hot air doesn't rise. Boiling water doesn't froth. And even sperm behaves strangely ... [more]
If your parents' house seems a bit cool this winter, you might want to turn up the heat to help keep them healthy ... [more]
Astronomers in Mexico have for the first time caught an old star in the act of collapsing into a white dwarf ... [more]
Well-intentioned parents who put their children on low-fat diets may also be cutting back on essential nutrients such as Vitamin E and zinc ... [more]
A new catalyst means greener paper is not just pulp fiction ... [more]
For women at high risk of breast cancer, a new procedure could provide much earlier detection of cancerous cells ... [more]
The return of the traditional holiday turkey raises the essential question: white meat or dark? Why do we prefer one or the other, and what makes them different, anyway? ... [more]
Scientists have found the answer to a question pondered over many a kitchen sink: why do little droplets skim across the surface of washing-up water rather than mix with it? ... [more]
Are you being bugged by an earworm? Just can't get that annoying, repetitive tune out of your head? Go ahead -- scratch your cognitive itch ... [more]
Astronomers in Mexico have for the first time caught an old star in the act of collapsing into a white dwarf ... [more]
Though we do our best to counteract it with antiperspirant and air-conditioning, sweat is healthy, containing an antimicrobial protein that may help stave off infection ... [more]
Even if trigonometry wasn't your strong suit in school, you're an expert at using it in real life ... [more]
When it comes to finding landmines and other explosives, it's a dog's life, literally, but researchers hope to build a bionic nose to take on the task ... [more]
Dinner parties, barbeques and other social functions are the most common cause of domestic food poisoning, according to a UK study ... [more]
Genetic engineering, often slammed by environmental and consumer groups for its role in altering staple foods, could save millions of lives by producing cheap, stable edible vaccines ... [more]
The solar system is a treasure trove of metals and materials that can fortify humankind's outward reach into the cosmos. If we can just figure out how to make space mining a reality ... [more]
Painkillers show Alzheimer's promise: Anti-inflammatory drugs stop protein clumps forming in degenerative brain disease -- but the doses required are beyond the safe limit for humans ... [more]
British researchers have developed a way of spotting dangerous antibiotic-resistant TB bacteria ... [more]
Sheep are far from wooly-brained when it comes to remembering faces ... [more]
A little logic goes a long way: Ultra-minaturized electrical components could shrink supercomputers ... [more] ... [more]
Orcas are being driven away from Canada's west coast by acoustic harassment intended to keep seals out of salmon pens ... [more]
Koala lovers fear Australia's national icon may have to be put on the pill, to stop it from eating itself out of house and home ... [more]
Superfecundation should be impossible -- but an Italian woman who is currently due to give birth to a baby girl will return three months later to have triplets ... [more]
Geologists in the US have found the largest complete fossil cockroach on record -- it's 300 million years old and measures nearly 3.5 inches long ... [more]
The Milky Way galaxy is now thought to contain the ingredients necessary to produce one of the most powerful energies in the universe, cosmic radiation ... [more]
A five-minute vision test using a laptop computer with a touch-sensitive screen can help diagnose the onset of eye diseases and even certain types of brain tumors ... [more]
Cholesterol is key to the cell connections needed for memory and learning. Don't expect a fatty steak to boost your brainpower, though ... [more]
Money, drugs and beautiful women appear to have much the same effect on young men's brains ... [more]
Race is a poor prescription for drug success, geneticists warn ... [more]
On the question of men's health, the answer is a lemon. Fruit not only keeps you fit but could prolong your life ... [more]
Even top soccer players prefer to play the ball with their "stronger" foot. But they could be wasting their time ... [more]
Awesome plasma hurricanes were one of the surprises revealed when scientists recently peered beneath the stormy surface of our star ... [more]
Trees protect the salmon that feed the trees that protect the salmon ... [more]
A gene villain thought to play a role in deep vein thrombosis, miscarriage and premature birth may have a good side, too ... [more]
Rx for a better life? Get a pet, and do it now ... [more]
In astronomy, what you get is what you see, or more specifically what you look for ... [more]
The seat of temperance has been located by experiments on men watching X-rated films, revealing a region in the front of the brain that can control our most primitive sexual urges ... [more]
There is growing evidence that seasonal weather changes can make us ill. Now the UK Met Office plans to issue health forecasts ... [more]
Boys' and girls' reading disabilities may not be created equal, US researchers say ... [more]
Fans of the Loch Ness monster who hope to catch a glimpse of the legendary creature could be in luck, thanks to a moving Webcam now filming the murky depths of the Scottish lake ... [more]
The fading Milky Way: Light pollution is a growing environmental problem that threatens to erase the night sky before its time ... [more]
Legend says that lust for gold was the cause of King Midas' downfall. But his appetite for meat may have hastened his decay ... [more]
Birds may use Earth's magnetic field to plan where to stop for dinner along their migration route ... [more]
A new and unorthodox treatment under study by NASA-funded doctors could reverse bone loss experienced by astronauts in space -- and relieve osteoporosis sufferers here on Earth ... [more]
As fears over bioterrorism attacks spiral, researchers are making progress towards better anthrax drugs -- but these are unlikely to reach the drugstore soon ... [more]
Got cloned milk? First there was Dolly, the cloned sheep. Now Old Bessie, the cloned cow, could be bringing you what one company is calling nature's most perfect food ... [more]
If you're a lefty or related to someone who is, then you stand a better chance of remembering where and when you read this article ... [more]
An Alaskan sweepstake has become an unlikely record of global warming ... [more]
First, there were the four food groups. Then the food pyramid. Now it's time to take a spin on the colour wheel of health ... [more]
Okay, Mum, I admit it, you were right: cracking your knuckles really is bad for them ... [more]
Lie back and think of ... nasal spray. Sniffing could become the most effective form of foreplay if trials of a new sex drug prove successful ... [more]
The coral reef paradox may finally have been laid to rest ... [more]
"A hassle a day keeps the doctor away," says a US researcher. But watching violence on TV could make you sick ... [more]
A group of British explorers claim to have found irrefutable proof of a Yeti on an Indonesian island ... [more]
The mystery behind heavy breathing has been solved -- and it's not falling blood-oxygen or rising carbon dioxide after all ... [more]
The results of a preliminary study suggest that people with fibromyalgia may benefit from being tested for food sensitivities ... [more]
Doctors are concerned that widespread, possibly unnecessary, use of the antibiotic Cipro could mean more incidents of the drug's potentially devastating side effects ... [more]
There are plenty of black holes that gobble energy. Now astronomers have spotted one in a distant galaxy that's giving energy back ... [more]
The first long-term follow-up of a high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet to treat severe drug-resistant epilepsy has revealed spectacular results, US researchers say ... [more]
The dinosaurs are disappearing -- again -- as brazen fossil hunters poach priceless, and sometimes pricey, fragments of the Americas' prehistoric heritage ... [more]
If you want successful offspring, have sex with a stranger -- and the stranger the better ... [more]
How does the brain catch up after sleep deprivation? As activity wanes in prefrontal and temporal lobe areas, other brain areas pick up the slack ... [more]
The personal ad might read: "SWC (single whooping crane) ISO same for complex mating dances and possible LTR paramount to species survival" ... [more]
The good news: the Antarctic ozone hole didn't get any bigger this year ... [more] The bad news: it's still a serious problem for inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere ... [more]
Recent research suggests that it may be possible to halt and even reverse the progress of multiple sclerosis by targeting key chemicals of the immune system ... [more]
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has succeeded in one of the trickiest and most critical parts of its mission by slipping into orbit around the Red Planet. ... [more]
Toxic tastes: Name a food or drink, and chances are someone somewhere gets nauseous just at the sound of it ... [more]
Some art provokes strong reactions across the centuries -- especially if it was made with eggs (registration required) ... [more]
And now, December's weather: Meteorologists say things are looking up -- way, way up -- for long-range forecasts ... [more]
Vast fields of maize could soon be churning out antibodies for preventing sexually transmitted diseases ... [more]
Life in the hot seat: The genetic code of a microbe that thrives in boiling water could provide many useful heat-resistant chemicals ... [more]
New England's fabled fall colours may be the silent wail of trees under stress ... [more] Or perhaps the red pigment is sunscreen. Or antifreeze ... [more] Whatever the truth of the matter, autumn leaves sure are pretty ... [more]
Black holes: they're out there, all right, and a lot of them are younger and meaner than we ever imagined ... [more]
Most of the world's ozone-destroying pollutants have come from the northern half of our planet. So why does Earth's yawning ozone hole straddle the south pole? ... [more]
Sleep deprivation may be undermining teen health, putting adolescents at risk for cognitive and emotional difficulties, poor school performance, accidents and psychopathology ... [more]
Little wings, big flap: A tank of oil, some plexiglass and lots of bubbles are helping solve the mystery of insect flight ... [more]
The annual Orionid meteor shower, which peaks on October 21st, heralds the return of Halley's Comet -- in bits and pieces ... [more]
Fast food joints and sedentary lifestyles are often considered the main targets in the battle against childhood obesity. But in the US, a third target has recently emerged: school lunches ... [more]
"If music be the food of love ..." And so it is, say to the authors of a brain-scan study. Play on! ... [more]
A Dutch study has some bad news for eco-friendly farmers ... [more]
In the latest revival of a medieval remedy, German doctors are reporting that leeches can give severely arthritic knees some much-needed relief (registration required) ... [more]
A six-year study indicates that a combination of three vitamins and zinc can slow the loss of vision due to age-related macular degeneration ... [more]
Thousands of students around the world are preparing to monitor "Starshine 3", a strange NASA satellite that looks like a disco-ball, and whose mission is to fall from the sky ... [more]
Bacteria are teaching chemists their tips for creating lean, green fuel ... [more]
New research suggests that we underestimate our abilities to weather emotional storms -- undermining our satisfaction in the process ... [more]
Scientists believe they may have found a way to beat drug-resistant malaria in Africa -- at least for the time being ... [more]
The truth is cruel: T-rex was probably T-wrecks -- a wretched, limping, angst-ridden specimen of dinosaurhood ... [more]
You have a little fever, some achy muscles, a cough. Is this simple influenza or could it be something worse -- like anthrax? Don't panic! ... [more]
In June 2001 the Leaning Tower of Pisa was officially reopened, having been closed for over a decade while a team of engineers worked to save the famously precarious landmark ... [more]
The Galileo spacecraft has captured samples of the hot breath of Io, following the eruption of a previously-unknown volcano on Jupiter's moon ... [more]
You see a pretty face across a crowded room. Your eyes meet and love blossoms, as your brain's reward centre goes haywire ... [more] Moments later, a glimpse of a torso triggers a crackle of activity in a region of the cortex behind your ears. Ah, romance! ... [more]
A group of British archaeologists in Egypt are searching for the royal tomb of Nefertiti and evidence of ancient skulduggery ... [more]
Want to brew a better cuppa? It's size that counts ... [more]
The mere sight of a snake or spider strikes terror in the hearts of millions of people. But there is some comfort for the phobic in a study suggesting that their reaction is just evolution in action ... [more]
Astronomers have peered deep into space and time and spotted a baby galaxy ... [more]
New radiocarbon dating of ancient cave paintings may force art historians to rethink their theories about the evolution of art ... [more]
A day in the life of a space walker: Astronaut and explorer Jim Reilly tells what it's like to do construction work in a far-out environment ... [more]
Israeli archeologists have found what could be the world's oldest village on the dried-out bed of the Sea of Galilee ... [more]
Going dotty: To most of us the inner workings of a computer are a complete mystery, but imagine if they were smaller than a grain of sand ... [more]
A regimen for resistance: Despite widespread attempts to limit their use, antibiotics are still being routinely overprescribed (registration required) ... [more]
US researchers are working toward the next step in the evolution of robotics: a sociable robot that can greet you with a friendly smile ... [more]
A soothing poison: The nerve toxin that causes the fatal food poisoning botulism can be engineered to fight chronic pain ... [more]
Critters on a chip: Cheap, flexible living biosensors could help out in medical and environmental emergencies ... [more]
Gaseous pollutants spilled into water can evaporate into the air and travel long distances from where they were produced or used. A team of US geoscientists has found out how it happens ... [more]
What's the best way to get rid of squirmy, slimy, unsightly slugs? With squirmy, slimy, unsightly worms ... [more]
Scientists have long known that exercise cheers you up -- but now they think they have figured out why ... [more]
After decades of absorbing toxic chemicals, the Great Lakes are beginning to purify themselves by "exhaling" PCBs and other toxins ... [more]
While most people are struggling to make themselves look and feel younger, some car designers are trying out a suit that adds thirty years to their age ... [more]
A new study of the health effects of electromagnetic fields has concluded that even high levels of exposure do not increase the risk of developing brain cancer ... [more]
Palaeontologists are celebrating a unique find: the remains of dinosaur embryo skin inside fossilized eggs discovered in the south of Argentina ... [more]
Space pyjamas will help prevent cot deaths and understand how they occur, a Belgian company says ... [more]
The stowaways: Over the coming decade, exploration of Mars may reveal whether or not life ever existed on the red planet -- but only if the missions can avoid detecting any microbes they bring with them ... [more]
The American Lung Association has the slogan: When you can't breathe, nothing else matters. With this in mind, researchers at a US lab are on track to design a virtual lung ... [more]
New study findings confirm what many would believe to be common sense -- that overweight parents are more likely to have overweight children ... [more]
You really do have to admire the achievements of the American cockroach. Disgusting, scuttling little monsters that they are (Archy excepted, of course) ... [more]
A new genetic testing service for pregnant women in the UK, which cuts the reporting time from two weeks to just over a day, has proved a resounding success ... [more]
Traveling light -- between planets: Mining natural resources on other planets may accelerate space exploration ... [more]
It's teleportation -- but not as we know it. Scientists have made the hard part of teleportation happen ­-- not on next week's episode of the new Star Trek series, but in a real-life lab in Denmark ... [more]
Basic health care and low-cost measures such as keeping babies warm and breast-feeding could save millions of babies each year ... [more]
Friendly fire: When launching an offensive against your enemy, usually the last thing on your mind would be the environmental consequences of your actions -- that is unless you're German ... [more]
We take for granted the thousands of tons of concrete around us -- until disasters strike. But Dr Neven Krstulovic-Opara has come up with a technique that may save lives, buildings and bridges by changing the way concrete structures are built and how they fail ... [more]
Suds in space: Bubbly, frothing and ticklish -- soft drinks and beer promise a welcome taste of home to faraway space travelers ... [more]
Creepy-crawlies keep secrets: Centipede genealogy has scientists and supercomputers foxed ... [more]
The giving trees: Dead trees are crucial to the overall health of forest ecosystems. But their influence extends beyond the edge of the forest to rivers, estuaries, and even the ocean ... [more]
British doctors want routine blood screening of problem kids to check for high lead levels ... [more]
The Antarctic ozone hole is opening once again as Spring approaches in the southern hemisphere -- and scientists say it's a big one ... [more]
A pair of "magic trousers" is taking big steps toward the recovery of heart patients (with shades of Wallace and Gromit) ... [more]
Almost like a whale: New fossil finds are bridging gap between land mammals and whales ... [more]
Cringe-making crooners may not just be tone-deaf, but tune-deaf as well ... [more]
The WHO warns that humans are building up dangerous levels of resistance to modern antibiotics that could leave us vulnerable to killer diseases ... [more]
The astronaut's new clothes: The biggest challenge for the engineers who design space suits lies ahead, in constructing a suit for the first manned mission to Mars ... [more]
Worldwide biodiversity is shrinking as farm breeds die out, threatening long-term food security and depriving the world of their ability to resist disease and harsh climates ... [more]
From 5,000 feet up, laser-based technology is helping firefighters and rescue workers navigate ground zero (registration required) ... [more]
Researchers who study the psychological impact of war, torture, violent crime, terrorism and natural disasters say that what stuns them is not their debilitating effects but rather the resilience of the human spirit (registration required) ... [more]
A low-fat, high-fiber diet and regular exercise can slow prostate cancer cell growth by up to 30 percent ... [more]
In the beginning was the vowel: Pre-Neanderthals who lived in northern Spain 300,000 years ago could utter basic vowel sounds, researchers say ... [more]
Two new studies report that Hepatitis G, an apparently harmless -- and widely carried -- virus discovered only six years ago, inhibits the progression of HIV infection to full-blown AIDS ... [more]
Kenya is hoping a new birth control plan will be enough to limit its booming elephant population ... [more]
Magic bullets fly again: Molecular guided missiles called monoclonal antibodies were poised to shoot down cancer and a host of other diseases -- until they crashed and burned. Now a new generation is soaring to market ... [more]
Sleep, the final frontier: Shave off just an hour of sleep a night, and in a couple weeks' time you'll have accumulated a "sleep debt" guaranteed to sap your creativity, stunt your productivity, and make you grumpy to boot ... [more]
In recent years Earth-orbiting satellites have seen plants growing more vigorously than usual over northern parts of our planet -- possibly an indicator of climate change ... [more]
A small US company is developing a self-directing drill that could independently inchworm along dozens of kilometers below the surface of Mars of Europa ... [more]
Sun, sea and snow bring mercury down to Earth, and into the food chain ... [more]
Udderly happy self-milking cows are letting dairy farmers sleep late -- and increasing production into the bargain ... [more]
It appears early humans were willing to lend a helping hand to assist elderly and incapacitated members of their clans, tens of thousand of years earlier than previously believed ... [more]
Whooping cough is one of those diseases most people think is history -- but the dangerous germ that can leave sufferers gasping for air is making a comeback ... [more]
Child starvation will climb unless the decline in food research is reversed, researchers say. And the outlook is bleakest in sub-Saharan Africa, where one child in three still goes to bed hungry ... [more]
The New York medical examiner'