Science News
Amanda Knox legal fight highlights fallibility of DNA forensics
New Scientist - 15 May 2015 11:00
In the wake of the Amanda Knox case, Greg Hampikian, DNA expert for the defence, says greater scrutiny of crime labs is needed to avoid further injustice
Jumbled arrangement of atoms allows bulk metallic glasses to flow like honey
Phys.org - 15 May 2015 14:47
Metals are one of the most-used materials in the modern built world, found in everything from buildings to aircraft to smartphones. While most metals are mined from the earth, scientists have recently created a new gener...
30 Minutes of Daily Exercise Helps Men Live Longer
Live Science - 15 May 2015 01:05
Older men who exercise 30 minutes a day tend to live longer than their couch potato counterparts, a new study finds.
Probing iron chemistry in the deep mantle
EurekAlert! - 15 May 2015 06:00
(Carnegie Institution) Previous research had shown that upper mantle carbonates are magnesium-rich and iron-poor. Under lower mantle conditions, it is thought that the arrangement of electrons in carbonate minerals chang...
Cloudy with a Chance of Arachnids? 'Spider Rain' Explained
Live Science - 15 May 2015 23:47
Millions of tiny spiders recently fell from the sky in Australia, alarming residents whose properties were covered with the creepy critters and mounds of their silky threads.
New 'Preemie Pacifier' Makes Babies Calmer, Study Shows | Video
Live Science - 15 May 2015 23:22
A specialized pacifier, developed by a nurse at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, is proving to have huge benefits for premature babies. Now the nurse who developed it is working to make them available to preemi...
Starbucks' New 'Mini' Frappuccino: Here's What Nutrition Experts Think
Live Science - 15 May 2015 22:29
The new "mini" size of Starbucks' Frappuccino iced drink is a good idea, but people should still be aware that the sugar-filled beverages are essentially desserts and thus shouldn't be consumed too frequently, experts sa...
Meet the cat-sized rodent named after James Bond
New Scientist - 15 May 2015 22:00
A newly discovered small mammal found in the Caribbean belongs to an endangered family
Massive 7-Foot-Long Eel Caught in UK Almost Breaks Record
Live Science - 15 May 2015 21:44
A silvery-gray conger eel had already gone limp by the time fishermen found it on their trawler, but its shocking length of 7 feet (2.1 meters) still caught them off guard, according to the British company that found the...
Exact map of salmon journeys drawn from strontium in their ears
New Scientist - 15 May 2015 20:00
A small chunk of calcium carbonate known as an otolith in the ears of fish holds the key to tracing where they came from – and may be a boon for conservation
Everyday drugs: The great statins debate
New Scientist - 15 May 2015 20:00
They're one of the most widely prescribed medicines in the world and save many thousands of lives each year - but the worries about side effects won't go away (full text available to subscribers)
Antarctic Ice Shelf in Last Throes of Collapse
Live Science - 15 May 2015 19:40
A vast Antarctica ice shelf that partly collapsed in 2002 has only a few years left before it fully disappears.
Octopus-Inspired Robotic Arms Can Multitask During Surgery
Live Science - 15 May 2015 19:22
A robotic arm inspired by octopus tentacles could make it easier for surgeons to access hard-to-reach parts of the body.
Watch GE's 3D Printed Jet Engine Fire at 33,000 RPM
Singularity Hub - 15 May 2015 17:00
GE just 3D printed a jet engine--complete and functioning. It's a pretty cool trick. The engine, about the size of a football, is a much-simplified version of something you might see...
The internet is running out of room - but we can save it
New Scientist - 15 May 2015 17:00
With more of us online, thirsty for media and information, we're nearing the maximum capacity of optical fibres, meaning the internet must adapt to survive
Braggers Gonna Brag, But It Usually Backfires
Live Science - 15 May 2015 16:25
People who brag may think it makes them look more likable or accomplished, but it often makes them seem more annoying, new research suggests.
The Amtrak Derailment And Newton's First Law
Physics Buzz - 15 May 2015 16:16
Walter Siegmund via wikimedia | ://bit.ly/1HjxEbL Tuesday evening's deadly derailment that sent an Amtrak Northeast Regional train careening off its tracks has many people asking how such a tragedy could happen. Invest...
Reported successes and failures aid hot pursuit of superconductivity
Phys.org - 15 May 2015 14:50
A collaboration of researchers in Japan report on four years of extensive research into superconductivity, including the materials that were found not to have superconducting properties, as well as those that were, and t...
Particle physics discovery raises hope for a theory of everything
Phys.org - 15 May 2015 14:40
The standard model of particle physics, which describes every particle we know of and how they interact, was given much credence when the Higgs boson was discovered in 2012. Now, measurements of a rare particle-physics d...
What happens when Newton's third law is broken?
Phys.org - 15 May 2015 14:21
Even if you don't know it by name, everyone is familiar with Newton's third law, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This idea can be seen in many everyday situations, such as whe...
Take a Planetary Vacation at Museum's 'Future of Travel' Exhibit
Live Science - 15 May 2015 13:42'Gluten-Free' Probiotics Often Contain Gluten
Live Science - 15 May 2015 13:41
Many probiotics contain small amounts of gluten, but whether such traces are harmful for people who can't eat gluten is still unknown, a new study finds.