Science News

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has selected the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) to lead a multidisciplinary effort that will merge research in classical and quantum physics and acce...

An experimental pulse of water sent down the Colorado River has filled dry riverbeds in Mexico. A satellite image comparison shows how the water infusion has altered the river near the city of San Luis Río Colorado.

In light of recent results from the "world's longest experiment", spanning more than 90 years, at the University of Queensland, a group of researchers from Trinity College Dublin explain the background behind their own p...

(Phys.org) --Physicists in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University have made several important discoveries regarding the basic structure of mesons--subatomic particles long thought to be composed of one q...

Twenty years ago, Philip Platzman and Allen Mills, Jr. at Bell Laboratories proposed that a gamma-ray laser could be made from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of positronium, the simplest atom made of both matter and an...

Wind and dust conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa can help predict a meningitis epidemic.

Oily fish are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet. This guideline is partially based on the landmark 1970s study that connected the low incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) among the Inuit of Gree...

We may soon be able to make easy and early diagnoses of prostate cancer by smell. Investigators have established that a novel noninvasive technique can detect prostate cancer using an electronic nose. In a proof of princ...

Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and irregular heart rhythms are key to stroke survivors avoiding another stroke. Updated guidelines emphasize lifestyle management, including diet, exercise and weight management. ...

There's been lots of coverage of a trio of dead blue whales near the town of Trout River in Newfoundland. As the whales decay, they're expanding more and more as their internal cavities fill with noxious gases. Image fro...

A theoretical physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) has developed a mathematical model for trapping light -- even at room temperature.

Concentrated solar power is no longer confined to the desert: soon it might be on your roof, heating your bathwater

Each year, nearly 900,000 Americans die early from the five leading causes of deaths, but between 20 and 40 percent of the deaths from each of these causes could be prevented, according to a new report from the Centers f...

Forget symmetry, it's asymmetry that could be the key to life, the universe and almost everything, says physicist Frank Close (full text available to subscribers)

The ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids may have been able to move massive stone blocks across the desert by wetting the sand in front of a contraption built to pull the heavy objects, according to a new study.

A new computer simulation lets viewers watch the 1964 earthquake roll through southern Alaska. The magnitude-9.2 earthquake was the 2nd-largest quake recorded in modern times.

Crocodile tears may be drinks for thirsty butterflies and bees, scientists find. The insects likely rely on croc tears for salt, researchers added. This isn't the first time a butterfly has been caught lapping up another...

Above: Drone-captured video of the April 30, 2014 train derailment in Lynchburg, Virginia. Via WSET.com - ABC13. Yesterday's multi-car train derailment in Lynchburg underscores what Dan Baum wrote last year in Popular Sc...

Two types of neurons that enable the spinal cord to control skilled forelimb movement have been found by researchers. The first is a group of excitatory interneurons that are needed to make accurate and precise movements...

An MRI sensor now allows neuroscientists to map neural activity with molecular precision. This is the first time anyone has been able to map neural signals with high precision over large brain regions in living animals, ...

Scientists have identified a key chemical that can repair the damage to cells which causes a rare but devastating disease involving accelerated aging. As well as offering a promising new way of treating the condition, kn...

African fork-tailed drongos can mimic the calls of dozens of species, tricking their targets into dropping food so the drongo can grab an easy meal. New research finds that drongos are also adept at switching up their ca...