Science News

Exploding head syndrome is a real condition, and researchers are finally beginning to address this rare and little-understood sleep disorder as an illness worthy of medical investigation.

The percentage of boys in the United States who develop complications related to circumcision is less than 0.5 percent, according to a large new study.

Captive gorillas display fewer stress-related behaviors in response to rainforest sounds.

Severing the main connection between a person's brain hemispheres usually makes communication from one side to the other impossible, yet people who are born without this neural bridge have found a way around the problem,...

Contrary to what their name would suggest, sweetbreads are not sugary pastries. So, what are sweetbreads?

The antioxidant resveratrol -- found in foods and drinks such as red wine, chocolate and grapes -- has been purported to have anti-aging effects, but a new study suggests the compound may not increase life span after all...

Diane Ott Whealy started her seed bank to save her grandparents' prized seeds, but more than 13,000 varieties later it has taken on a life of its own

Using next generation DNA sequencing, scientists have identified potentially actionable mutations in cancers of the appendix. When specific mutations for a cancer type are identified, patients can be treated with chemoth...

With an aging population comes an increase in hip and knee joint replacement surgeries, totaling almost one million procedures per year in the United States. To provide better information on the outcomes of these surgeri...

Turtles, like the humans who love them, are a diverse bunch. There are over 300 species of this ancient reptile, and each one has its own preferred diet.

Efforts to explore the deepest recesses of Earth's oceans were dealt a heavy blow last weekend when one of history's most accomplished deep-sea explorers imploded several kilometers beneath the... --

New light has been shed on a type of molecular motor used to package the DNA of a number of viruses, including herpes and the adenoviruses. Their findings could help in the development of more effective drugs and inspire...

Humans who lack the corpus callosum, a bundle of 200 million fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain, have long fascinated physicians, neuroscientists and other curious minds. Now, a group of rese...

Bone loss is a serious issue that has plagued astronauts since the dawn of the Space age. In the microgravity environment bones are remodeled with a decrease in mineral density.

A large gray whale and a much smaller skipjack tuna each propels itself through water. Which is the more efficient swimmer? It has been difficult to compare propulsion efficiencies of animals of different sizes, like com...

Unique connections can form in the brains of people born with the two hemispheres of their brain separated, explaining how the two sides can communicate

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words hurt too. Victims of bullying live with high levels of a protein linked to heart disease and diabetes

The catastrophic collapse of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet is underway, researchers said today.

"The best-hated man in England" built a huge machine to test 19th-century engineering - and it can still rend steel slabs. Sumit Paul-Choudhury pays a visit (full text available to subscribers)

Every year, the Physics Central crew, our friends and colleagues, and thousands of students descend on Six Flags America for a day of physics thrills. During the most recent Six Flags Physics Day on May 2, we gave out ac...

Researchers have developed a ground-breaking filter technology that guards against the finest pollutants in the air. Haze is usually composed of pollutants in the form of tiny suspended particles or fine mists/droplets e...

An extremely advanced prosthetic arm -- sometimes compared to Luke Skywalker's arm from "Star Wars" -- has been approved for clinical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, officials announced.