Science News

Sochi's elevation makes speed-skating world records unlikely --

Compared to relative humidity, dew point is frequently cited as a more accurate way of measuring the humidity and comfort of air, since it is an absolute measurement (unlike relative humidity).

Right now, for the first time in Olympic history, women are taking to the ski jumping slopes to compete for Olympic gold. If they were on the Moon how far might they fly? Would they surpass the Moon's escape velocity and...

Archaeologists have discovered a school, with Greek writings on its walls, at the ancient town of Trimithis at the Dakhla Oasis in the western desert of Egypt.

In a study published today in Nature Communications, a research team led by Ken Shepard, professor of electrical engineering and biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, and Lars Dietrich, assistant professor of b...

A heat wave hitting Sochi this week could make the 2014 Winter Olympics the warmest in history.

What's new under the Sun? NASA's IRIS probe has taken an unusually detailed and deep look at the interface region beneath the Sun's surface. It is much more violent and explosive than researchers previously believed.

High hopes may help move a rubber tree plant (as the old song goes), but the real secret to the ant's legendary strength may lie in its tiny neck joint.

(Karolinska Institutet) Low pH in tumors counteracts the desired effect of the drug chloroquine, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The results, which are published in the journal Autophagy, m...

NBC anchor Bob Costas will take a night off from hosting the networks' Olympics broadcast because of an infection that spread to both his eyes. The news might have you wondering: Why is pink eye so contagious?

Shoot a beam of light or particles at certain special materials and you will liberate electrons--pairs of them--a phenomenon known as "electron pair emission," which can reveal fundamental properties of the solid and rev...

While some ants help protect their home trees from hungry beasts, others do nothing of the sort – but they may offer a less obvious benefit to their hosts     

Quitting smoking is a healthy step, but it can be exceedingly difficult. Here's a look at the science-proven tips that can make quitting easier.

Look out - crocodiles can scale tree branches taller than a human adult. A new study reveals that anecdotal reports of tree-climbing crocs are no joke.

The 63-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom was spotted taking care of her newborn earlier this month on the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

Just two doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may considerably reduce the risk of developing genital warts, although getting the required three doses provides the most protection, a new study from Sweden sugge...

Biologists recently witnessed more than 200,000 baby turtles hatch from their shells along sandy riverbanks in the interior of Brazil, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

In recent years, several states have passed bills that make it harder for children to gain exemptions from getting the vaccinations schools usually require, and ethicists say this trend is a good one.

Scientists observed the mass hatching of about Giant South American river turtles that occurs ever year during the dry season in Brazil's Abufari Biological Reserve. They counted about 210,000 hatchlings.

In this month's reboot of the classic "RoboCop" film, scientists create a superhuman crime fighter that is half man and half robot, but how realistic is this technology?

The 2014 reboot of the classic "RoboCop" film stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson.

Ted Ligety Prop styling by Wendy Schelah for Halley Resources; Grooming by Valissa Yoe Photograph by Travis Rathbone Last February, Ted Ligety became the first skier in 45 years to win three events at the annual World Ch...