Science News

New Zealand is still moving after an earthquake two years ago.

The privacy of our DNA is being increasingly eroded, a phenomenon highlighted by the rash of criminal cases recently solved using publicly-accessible genomic data. Now researchers have suggested, counter-intuitively, tha...

Crescent-shaped dunes called barchans are structures that appear in a wide variety of environments, including beaches and deserts, riverbeds and the seafloor, inside water pipes and oil pipelines, and on the surface of M...

Nerve cells stripped of their insulation can no longer carry vital information, leading to the numbness, weakness and vision problems often associated with multiple sclerosis. A new study shows an overlooked source may b...

By analyzing gene expression patterns, researchers have identified previously unknown distinctions between mouse and human neurons. They have also developed a new way to track cellular changes associated with brain disor...

Millions of people worldwide are living with chronic spinal cord injuries, with 250,000 to 500,000 new cases each year -- most from vehicle crashes or falls. The most severe spinal cord injuries completely paralyze their...

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a term referring to blood clots in the veins, is a highly prevalent and far-reaching public health problem that can cause disability and death. Despite effective new options for prevention a...

Scientists have made the first comprehensive inventory of cells present in the human placenta of the first trimester, a stage when many pregnancy complications are thought to arise. The findings could give new fuel for r...

Stressful events in the evening release less of the body's stress hormones than those that happen in the morning, suggesting possible vulnerability to stress in the evening.

Adherence to proven protocols for disinfecting surgeons' hands, patients' skin, and operating room surfaces could help to halt the spread of dangerous Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) pathogens in the operating room and...

The largest study of CRISPR action to date has developed a method to predict the exact mutations CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can introduce to a cell. Researchers edited 40,000 different pieces of DNA and analyzed a thousand...

When you shine a beam of light on your hand, you don't feel much, except for a little bit of heat generated by the beam. When you shine that same light into a world that is measured on the nano- or micro scale, the light...

The Spallation Neutron Source at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has broken a new record by ending its first neutron production cycle in fiscal year 2019 at its design power level of 1.4 megawatt...

Physicist Wang Yifang, the mastermind behind the project, gives Nature an update on the ambitious project --

According to a new study, exploring objects through touch can generate detailed, lasting memories of the object, even when people don't intend to memorize the details of the object.

Researchers have created a model of what they consider a 'healthy personality type', using contemporary trait perspective.

Researchers have identified a hidden region in the human brain near the spinal cord junction. The discovery of the Endorestiform Nucleus may help advance treatments for Parkinson's disease, researchers report.

Researchers provide the first cannabis chromosome map, revealing ancient viruses contributed to the evolution of marijuana.

A new study sheds light into the function of microglia and inflammatory response.

Astronomers predict that in about four billion years, our very own Milky Way Galaxy will collide with its neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy. Although the thought of galaxies running into each other brings visions of havoc a...

Biologists have discovered that oxidative damage by free radicals produces an unusual pileup of short snippets of RNA in some neurons. This RNA buildup may predispose cells to neurodegenerative diseases.

For most, the time spent staring at screens -- on computers, phones, iPads -- constitutes many hours and can often disrupt sleep. Now, researchers have pinpointed how certain cells in the eye process ambient light and re...