Inspiring Discoveries

Lucid Dreamers Help to Measure Dream Content

November 4, 2011, 8:37 am

Dream content has been recorded in a new study from Germany involving lucid dreamers—people who can become aware that they are dreaming and influence their own dreams.

iPhone App ‘GlassesOff’ Improves Vision

November 2, 2011, 10:30 am

An iPhone app will soon be available that wards off degrading vision through brain training, and could allow older people to use their reading glasses less.

Lonely Days Can Fragment Sleep at Night

November 1, 2011, 6:31 am

Feelings of loneliness may interfere with a good night’s rest and can negatively influence health, according to a new study from the United States.

Vampire Bacteria Act as Living Antibiotics

October 31, 2011, 8:16 pm

The bacterium, Micavibrio aeruginosavorus, feeds on other bacteria, including human pathogens, and could be used to treat infectious diseases.

Bone-Munching Zombie Worms Found in Whale Fossil

October 31, 2011, 3:44 pm

Canals made by worms from the genus Osedax have been found in a 3-million-year old whale bone from the Mediterranean sea off Italy.

How Reindeer Cool Down Their Red Noses

October 27, 2011, 7:28 am

Every Christmas, children imagine nine reindeer laboring hard to pull Santa’s heavily loaded sleigh, their dense coats perfect for keeping them warm on the coldest of nights.

Friendship Helps to Reduce Childhood Stress

October 26, 2011, 6:55 pm

Fourth graders have lower stress levels when experiencing peer exclusion if they have good friends, according to new research from the Netherlands.

Stretchy ‘Super Skin’ Can Feel Pressure

October 26, 2011, 2:54 pm

Android-like robots with supple touch-sensitive skin are a possibility thanks to new research from Stanford University with the ultimate goal of restoring functionality to [...]

Fizzy Drinks Linked With Teenage Violence

October 24, 2011, 7:33 pm

Adolescents who drink over five cans of regular fizzy drinks weekly are more likely to behave aggressively, including carrying a weapon and behaving violently towards peers [...]

Teen Obesity Associated With Lack of Sleep

October 24, 2011, 9:06 am

Adolescents who sleep less than eight hours per night may be more likely to put on weight, according to a new study by researchers in Texas.