Science News

Last week, news of CRISPR-engineered babies launched a firestorm of debate on the future of human reproduction: Is it safe? Is it ethical? Do we now have the ability to "play God"? But even as scientists, ethicists, and ...

(University of California - San Diego) Home energy storage systems might save you money, but under current policies, they would also often increase carbon emissions. That is the conclusion reached by a team of researcher...

Researchers describe how catnip produces nepetalactone, the substance that creates cats to become intoxicated by the plant. The study also identifies three new enzymes with unusual activity.

Researchers report single tau proteins have different shapes, and the folds of the molecules could help doctors to predict which type of dementia a person is likely to suffer from.

After creating a memory in a context, engram cells encoding the memory in the hippocampus become more excitable when the context is repeated a short time later, researchers report.

Researchers report the brains of those who practice meditation are less affected by negative feedback than those who do not meditate. The study reports this could be due to altered dopamine levels caused by the act of me...

Symmetry writer Mike Perricone presents his annual compilation of new popular science books related to particle physics and astrophysics. The array of particle physics and astrophysics books Symmetry readers might have e...

A new computational model developed by researchers from The City College of New York and Yale gives a clearer picture of the structure and mechanics of soft, shape-changing cells that could provide a better understanding...

For the first time, researchers have fabricated light-guiding structures known as waveguides just over one micron wide in a clear silicone commonly used for biomedical applications. The tiny, flexible waveguides can be u...

Researchers have identified 14 genetic regions linked to activity.

According to researchers, brainwaves play a crucial role in inhibiting habitual thinking, leading us to explore more complex and creative ideas.

A team of researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and Aarhus University in Denmark has developed an algorithm for predicting the effect of an external electromagnetic field on the state of comple...

In recent years, the observation of single protein molecules has made a phenomenal development, and it has become possible to observe molecular dynamics in vivo at high-speed and with high accuracy. In conventional DXT (...

How atoms arrange themselves at the smallest scale was thought to follow a 'drum-skin' rule, but mathematicians have now found a simpler solution.

A terahertz laser designed by MIT researchers is the first to reach three key performance goals at once--high constant power, tight beam pattern, and broad electric frequency tuning--and could thus be valuable for a wide...

Neurons are brain cells that communicate with each other by sending electrochemical signals along axons. When a neuron is about to release a signal in the form of an electric charge, it allows ions to pass through its me...

Most lasers emit photons of exactly the same wavelength, producing a single color. However, there are also lasers that consist of many frequencies, with equal intervals in between, as in the teeth of a comb; thus, they a...

NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe, which just arrived at the asteroid Bennu last week, has already found lots of hydrated minerals on the space rock, mission team members announced today (Dec. 10).

Following an epic 20-year-long excavation in South Africa, researchers have finally recovered and cleaned the nearly-complete skeleton of an ancient human relative.

Why did megalodon go extinct? New research has answers, and the shark's high body temperature likely played a part.

Some simple tips, including weighing yourself regularly, can help prevent holiday weight gain, a new study finds.

The shattered skull of a hunter who lived about 8,000 years ago isn't evidence of cannibalism, as scientists previously thought. Rather, the hunter died in a grisly murder, new research suggests.