Science News

Scientists in the UK are developing a method to transform normal soil into a novel building material that could one day cut our dependence on traditional brick. The problem with brick production is that it requires firing a kiln at extremely high temperatures, which is costly and creates pollution. “For a fired brick, that is typically fired at over […]

Mistletoe, the traditional yuletide decoration, is apparently the only species on Earth that no longer needs a protein every other multicellular organism possesses. According to a study published in Current Biology, two independent teams of researchers found that European mistletoe appears to survive without a protein otherwise indispensable for life. This critical substance is known […]

Researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland have created laser-shooting contact lenses. The ultra-thin membrane laser can be placed on the eye and shines a green beam 20 inches away. Researchers say the lasers can be used as a wearable security tag, could help spot counterfeit banknotes, and aid in a medical context. […]

A new NASA video shows an active region of the sun taken April 24-26. NASA published a video of the sun’s tangled magnetic field lines swaying and twisting when viewed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Charged particles spinning along the field lines are what illuminate them. No significant solar storm eruption occurred, but […]

Researchers have kept the brains of decapitated pigs alive outside their bodies, opening up potential treatments for diseases like dementia and cancer. Scientists have been quick to point out, however, that the development doesn’t mean humans will be able to cheat death. A team led by Yale University neuroscientist Nenad Sestan circulated an oxygen-rich fluid […]

The European Space Agency announced on Thursday that it is collaborating with NASA to look into the possibility of bringing Martian soil samples to Earth. “Spacecraft in orbit and on Mars’s surface have made many exciting discoveries, transforming our understanding of the planet and unveiling clues to the formation of our Solar System, as well […]

Doctors from Audeara have designed headphones that reduce hearing loss by tailoring its sound to the user’s ability to hear. Doctors Chris Jeffrey and James Fielding invented the device after getting fed up with their patients waiting for hearing tests. The headphones enable users to monitor their hearing loss over time and upload their hearing […]

WASHINGTON—Bowhead whales, the black filter-feeding giants of the Arctic that can live for 200 years devouring tons of tiny marine creatures, boast another remarkable quality. Their unique underwater songs make them wonderful “jazz” artists. Researchers on Tuesday said they conducted an intensive study of the vocalizations — singing — of a population of roughly 300 […]

Researchers at Yale University have discovered a galaxy with no dark matter. The groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, changes fundamental assumptions on the construction of the universe. The finding  confirms that dark matter could be a separate material in the universe and not, as some theories say, a kind of by-product of traditional matter […]

Scientists put the finishing touches on the Parker Solar Probe in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Wednesday, March 28, before the spacecraft is shipped on Saturday, March 31 to Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of its “mission to the sun” in July. “From there, she has a couple of months of just sort of final testing…and the next […]

It may look like a fish and swim like a fish but it’s pretty far from a fish. Meet, SoFi, the robotic fish, which glides through the water with movements designed to mimic real fish. SoFi has been developed by researchers at MIT and is the first robotic fish able to swim in the ocean […]

The Earth’s magnetic field, which affects everything from communication to power grids, could be about to flip, scientists said. The field, which extends thousands of miles into space and defends the planet against highly damaging solar winds, has weakened by 15 percent over the last 200 years. According to a new report from the Laboratory […]

Scientists have taught a killer whale to imitate human speech, in a new study released on Jan. 31. Research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, revealed that an orca was able to mimic words, including “hello,” “bye bye,” and “one-two.” Scientists studied a 14-year-old killer whale named Wilkie who had previously […]

When embryos 78 and 79 survived they were given names to fit the occasion—Zhongzhong and Huahua. Created in a Shanghai lab, these two identical long-tailed macaques are the worlds first cloned monkeys, revealed on Jan. 24 in the journal Cell. Separately the monkeys’ names are just cute affectations. Put them together, however, and the propaganda, ambition, […]

The land Down Under may not have been so far down under once upon a time. Rock discovered in Australia from millions of years ago appears to have come from North America, researchers at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, say. The rocks, discovered some 250 miles (412 kilometers) west of Cairns near Georgetown in Far […]

A mysterious disease that’s killing deer across North America could spread to humans, scientists are warning. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is similar to Mad Cow’s disease, which eventually hopped over to humans to kill hundreds of people. The CWD, a deadly neurological disorder known to some as a “zombie” disease, can be found in deer, elk, and […]

Five sharks of a terrifying appearance have been fished out near Taiwan’s east coast, Taiwan Fisheries Institute reported on Dec. 26. The sharks are about 10-12 inches long and sport alien-like extendable jaws. They belong to the species Trigonognathus kabeyai, also known as viper shark. The creatures are very rare. Scientists first got a look […]

New research says that the hotspot underlying the Yellowstone supervolcano has a different origin than previously thought. Geologists at the University of Illinois say Yellowstone’s heat is actually being funneled east from the geologically active Pacific Coast. They used seismic waves that travel through the earth following earthquakes to produce a view underground similar to […]

LONDON–Drinking alcohol produces a harmful chemical in the body which can lead to permanent genetic damage in the DNA of stem cells, increasing the risk of cancer developing, according to research published on Wednesday. Working with mice in a laboratory, British scientists used chromosome analysis and DNA sequencing to examine the genetic damage caused by […]

Conclusive evidence of the existence of Noah’s Ark has eluded ark hunters since time immemorial. The Bible says the vessel made landfall on the “mountains of Ararat” in Turkey after 150 days in the water. A group of explorers affiliated with NAMI, a Hong Kong-based evangelical Christian group, said in 2010 that on Mount Ararat, […]