Surprising Science
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Planners once thought that building more and wider roads was the solution, but a new study out of California finds that 90% of any new road capacity will be swallowed up by traffic within just five years.
A new international study that looks at how different species’ bodies evolve over time has found that as humans have acquired more brain power, they have lost power in the brawn department.
What does the x-ray of an entire spiral galaxy look like? NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory took an x-ray of interacting galaxies known as M51, or the Whirlpool. NASA explains: The […]
Tall buildings provide shade but that doesn’t mean they make the city any cooler. In fact, areas saturated by skyscrapers tend to trap heat.
Attention stargazers, NASA released this helpful infographic today. From NASA: What is that light in the sky? Perhaps one of humanity’s more common questions, an answer may result from a […]
British rock group Klaxons have announced that the world’s first 3D-printed tour will kick off in October. The band claims everything used on stage will have been created by way of 3D printing, though a quick viewing of their promo video reveals the announcement to be a joke.
At the 2014 Neuroimaging conference held this year in San Francisco, industry professionals exhibited the promises and risks of being able to track, download, and manipulate brain waves.
Elizabeth Taylor would swoon over this stellar jewel box. NASA released this image of NGC 290, an open star cluster and a treasure chest of sparkling objects. From NASA: Like […]
The Eagle has landed. NASA released this image of the roughly 2 million years old (a relatively youthful star cluster) of M16, surrounded by glowing gas and natal clouds of […]
In a new dance routine, Japanese dance troupe ElevenPlay explores the relationship between the body and technology by dancing with drones programmed by designer Daito Manabe.
A NASA satellite shut down in 1997 has been commandeered (with the space agency’s permission) by a independent team of scientists and enthusiasts. The ISEE-3 Reboot Project has established communication with the 35-year-old satellite and can now command it to perform basic functions.
According to a new study, chimpanzees are at least as good at (if not better) than humans at adjusting strategy choices during competition.
No, this is not a still from David Lynch’s Dune. But it could be! The Cat’s Eye Nebula, or NGC 6543, is one of the better known planetary nebulae for […]
A report from the US National Academy of Sciences urges the space agency to make a decision on its long term goals. Those goals, argue scientists, need to include putting astronauts on Mars.
Top scientists from across the globe back e-cigarettes in the midst of calls to regulate them. E-cigs, say the scientists, are “part of the solution.”
Oh, the places you’ll go! For recent graduates who see the world as their oyster—and it is—such a vantage point can be overwhelming. There are so many decisions to face […]
Industrial-scale maggot production has just begun but is already showing sings of promise. But will consumers accept maggot-fed meat on their plate?
“We are free by nature because we can become free, in the course of our development. And this development depends at every point upon the networks and relations that bind us to the larger social world.”
A new way of thinking about our biology–or rather, a very old way–is essential if we are to collectively solve the existential problems that face humanity, says UC Berkeley physicist Fritjof Capra.
Today, scientists believe the stimulation can narrow the gap between when someone is introduced to a skill and when they master it and the motor skills it requires.
And you thought black holes were terrifying. Meet WR 104. The verdict is still out at NASA whether the WR 104 supernova can destroy our planet one day. In the […]
Do you want to impress your guests this summer? Attempt to channel your ancient ancestors by slow-cooking a whole hog. No sauces. Just a slow-cooked animal over an open wood […]
A German artist has taken some of Vincent Van Gogh’s genetic material and used it to regrow the ear he famously cut off during a psychotic episode in 1888.
Female sharks do it, as do female komodo dragons, so is it possible for humans? Very likely yes, says Dr. Allan Pacey, a reproductive biologist at the University of Sheffield.
NASA released this photo today with the opening line: The space station has caught a dragon. Unfortunately for “Game of Thrones” fans, and dragon lovers everywhere, this had nothing to […]
New measurements reveal Kepler-10c (previously thought to have been a gaseous planet akin to a smaller Neptune) sports a dense, rocky mass over ten times higher than Earth’s. Surprised scientists had previously thought solid planets could never be so large.
After a dreadful response to the flighty 2010 Jabulani model, Adidas has pulled out all the stops to produce a more dependable game ball for 2014. The secret to the Brazuca model’s success is all in the seams.
While often touted as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, E-cigarettes weaken the immune systems, strengthen bacteria, and elevate the user’s risk of developing MSRA and other serious infections.
Toxic chemicals affect developing brains much more severely than they do adult brains, and researchers now recognize that the months spent in the womb are the most crucial time for brain development.
Google’s prototype for a completely automated car radically changes the driving experience from actively controlling the vehicle to removing even the option of steering, accelerating, or braking.