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The white thing that sometime appears on chocolate? Scientists studied it with X-Rays

Chocolate is the favorite food of many people throughout the world, bringing joy and happiness into our mouths, one square at a time. But when a whitish coating appears on its surface, most people would think twice before eating. That coating, called chocolate bloom, is actually harmless, but it drastically reduces the visual appeal of […]

Scientists find new microorganism that may shed light on evolution of complex cells

The discovery of a new microorganism may help bridge the knowledge gap between simple and complex cellular organisms, also shedding light on how complex cellular life came to be.

This is what thunder looks like (kind of)

What does lightning sound like? Thunder. Well, what does thunder look like then? It's no trick question. Like all acoustic waves, thunder can also be visualized and Maher Dayeh from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio was the first to turn a thunderclap into an image. His findings were shown at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Fight fire with fire: toxic gut bacteria used against itself

Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can cause numerous medical problems, including colitis or colon inflammation; in severe cases, it can actually be fatal. Now, doctors have tried a new approach in dealing with it - they tried not to eliminate it, but to replace it with its friendlier cousins.

Astronomers discover farthest galaxy yet

A team of astronomers from Yale and the University of California-Santa Cruz have looked back in time, discovering a galaxy that was formed when the Universe was only 5% of its current age. This is now the farthest, and youngest galaxy known to date.

Mysterious Oregon Lake Disappears into Lava Tunnel

Every year, in Oregon, a mysterious lake fills up with snow melt, and then every year it disappears; it’s a natural wonder that had many scientists puzzled as to where the water is going, but now, the mystery is out: the water appears to go into a lava tube.   They call it the Lost […]

Scientists make muscles out of gold plated onions

When it comes to artificial muscles, researchers at from National Taiwan University really know their onions. The team applied an uncanny design in which they layered gold atop the treated skin of onions. Once an electrical current was discharged, the "onion muscle" contracted and bent, just like the real thing. There's a whole slew of possible applications for artificial muscles, from so-called "soft robotics" (flesh-like droids), to of course helping injured humans.

Oldest avian ancestor of modern day birds found in Chinese siltstone slabs

A group of paleontologists have unearthed fossils preserved in pristine condition belonging to a new ancient avian species that lived some 130 million years ago. Dating suggests it's the oldest ancestor to modern day birds found thus far, beating the previous record holder by about six million years. The findings also suggest that different bird groups were already well established and spread through the world even in the early Cretaceous.

This 3D printed system can turn your iPhone in a 1,000x microscope

Physicists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used 3D printed materials and a simple glass bead to create a magnifying system that works with your smartphone's or tablet's built-in camera to magnify matter 100x, 350x or 1,000x. The whole system costs only 1$ to manufacture.

Is sleepwalking genetic? Study suggests it runs in the family

Canadian researchers found that kids born out of parents with a history of sleepwalking are more likely to experience somnambulism. They found 60% of kids whose both parents reported sleepwalking also took slumbering walks in the middle of the night, or seven times more likely than kids whose parents had no history of sleepwalking. Children with only one sleepwalking parent were three time more likely to sleep walk.

Huge floods might have spelled doom for prevalent American civilization

Megafloods likely wiped out one of the most significant American civilizations, a new study has concluded. Until now, the reason of their demise remained a mystery.

Satellite reveals huge solar filament blazing out from the Sun

Last week, the Sun ejected a huge solar filament - a gigantic burst of hot plasma - and a satellite was just in the right place to capture the whole thing on tape.

Crater wall collapse causes lava explosion in Hawaii [with video]

A crater wall collapse in a Hawaiian volcano has triggered a powerful lava explosion. The Kilauea explosion spread lava and debris around it, in a spectacular display which was caught on camera by the USGS. Material was thrown 280 feet (85 meters) up into the air. Janet Babb, a geologist with the USGS, compared the […]

Fjords are good at fighting global warming, study finds

While fjords are admired worldwide for their unique beauty, a new study has found that these natural ecosystems also act as carbon sinks, playing an important role in regulating our planet's climate.

China develops scientific centers in Antarctica. But why?

China is showing increased interest in Antarctica, developing several outposts and research stations on the frozen continent. But while from a research perspective that may seem interesting and exciting, China's interests seem more strategic than research-focused. Here's why.

What the first cup of coffee in space means for space travel in the future

Yesterday, Samantha Cristoforetti sipped the first coffee brewed in space using the newly delivered micro-gravity espresso machine. How befitting that the first espresso in space was made by an Italian. Living in space thus got a lot pleasant, but there's a lot more to this than just making life more enjoyable for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Along with the espresso machine, six carefully crafted coffee mugs were also supplied. Previously, to consume liquids astronauts had to suck them out of a plastic bag. The new 3-D printed, transparent jugs behave more like a coffee mug in normal Earth gravity. Exploiting capillary flow, the mugs have a sharp inner corner that allows the liquid to be pushed along the inside of the cup and towards the astronaut's lips.

Tiny hairs on bats' wings act like airflow sensors - is this why they're such great flyers?

Apart from echolocation, bats have another ace up their sleeve that makes them formidable flying animals: tiny hairs that sense airflow and transmit this information to key areas of the brain. Here the info is decoded and used to steer the bats' flight for pinpoint accuracy. In combination with echolocation, this makes bats awesome hunters even in pitch black darkness.

25,000 Mexican Fisherman Sue BP Over Environmental Disaster

Five years after the British Petroleum catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, Mexican fishermen have still not received any compensation, so they've decided to sue the oil giant.

High school students help astronomers discover spectacular pulsar

Highschool students analyzing data obtained with the 100-meter Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope have discovered an exotic pulsar with the widest orbit known to date. Pulsars (pulsating radio stars) are some of the most spectacular things in the known Universe. They are basically highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation […]

Underwater volcano erupts off the coast of Oregon

An underwater volcano 300 miles off the coast of Oregon has awakened from its slumber and apears to spew out lava. There is no immediate danger, but geologists are excited to be able to study it in real time.

Scans reveal what happens in your brain during an out-of-body experience

Neuroscientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have created an out-of-body illusion in participants placed inside a brain scanner to see what happens in the brain during this time.

Why Tesla's Battery Might Spell a Global Energy Revolution

About a month ago, we were telling you about a new battery for houses Tesla was working on, that might revolutionize home energy and bring forth massive change in renewable energy - now, the official announcement is out. Homeowners will be able to get the Powerwall battery, in 7 or 10 kilowatt modules, which will cost $3000 and $3500 respectively.

Swap a sweet drink for water and you get a 25% lower chance of diabetes

Swapping out a single daily sweet drink for water or unsweetened tea or coffee can lower the risk of diabetes by up to 25%, a new research suggests.

Predatory cockroach found in 100 million year old amber

Geologists have found a praying-mantis-like cockroach that lived at the side by side with the dinosaurs, 100 million years ago, during the mid Cretaceous. The insect was preserved in amber. Peter Vršanský from the Geological Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Günter Bechly from the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart found the insect at a mine in […]

The Bombardier Beetle Packs a Hot Machine Gun

Many beetles have defense mechanisms which involves foul chemicals squirting from their abdomens, but bombardier beetles have taken it to the next level. Researchers from MIT, the University of Arizona, and Brookhaven National Laboratory wanted to see how it works, so they studied the bombardier beetle and figured it out. The research is published in Science.

Creative agency makes ink from smokers' lungs; increases interest in quitting by 500%

For most smokers, the message that cigarettes are fatally bad for their health often doesn't come across. But if that message came written in ink made from pitch black lungs? It's a morbid concept, one that was actually followed through by BBDO Proximity Thailand, an agency which commissioned the charcoal ink, part of an anti-smoking effort for the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.

3D map of the Pillars of Creation shows the same shaping forces will also destroy them

Using the MUSE instrument aboard ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have made a three dimensional view of the famous Pillars of Creation - a photograph taken by Hubble 20 years ago showing elephant trunks of interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, some 7,000 light years from Earth. The 3D image shows never before seen details of the dust columns, greatly expanding scientists' knowledge of how these formed, but also what's in stored for them in the future.

The future is now: Microsoft rolls out mind blowing holographic computing

Microsoft demonstrated just how far they’ve come with their augmented reality HoloLens project – and it’s far. Virtual browsers on your wall, virtual dogs, the weather in your cup, holograms following you to the kitchen… all that and many more were showcased by Microsoft at the Build Conference. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t […]

After cancer ate out his face, this 74-year-old now uses a 3-D printed mask. Photos speak for themselves

Since 1990, Keith Londsdale went through no less than 45 different surgical procedures to remove basal cell carcinoma tumors, one of the most common skin cancers. The man survived the ordeal, but was left deformed as doctors had to remove his nose, upper jawbone and cheekbones. Basically, the 74-year-old-man now has a huge hole in his face.

Teens: Forget the salt, eat more bananas

In the modern world, we tend to eat more salt than we should, and that can have several negative impacts on our body, including higher blood pressure – or so we thought. But a new study on teenage girls found that salt has no negative effect on blood pressure; bananas do. “It may be that […]

HSBC advises caution when investing in fossil fuels, according to private note to clients

Amid crashing oil prices and a divestment movement from fossil fuels, one of the most important banks in the world, HSBC, advised its clients to exercise caution when considering investing in fossil fuel assets. This was communicated through a private report, called ‘Stranded assets: what next?’, picked up by Newsweek. Inside, analysts warn that fossil fuel companies might become economically non-viable in the future, considering tightening emission regulations throughout the world. Considering HSBC's portfolio, we can only take this as a sign that the fossil fuel industry is growing increasingly vulnerable, while renewables are shifting gears and growing at a fast pace driven by technological advances.

Coral disease threatens Hawaii reef

A disease called black band coral disease is affecting nearly half of the reef sites researchers have surveyed in waters off Kauai and threatens to destroy Hawaii's reefs, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Astronomers take best picture of Pluto

The New Horizons spacecraft snapped a picture of Pluto - the best we have so far. NASA released the information and pictures yesterday, along with the theory that Pluto may have a polar cap.

Genetically modifying human embryos: 'a line that should not be crossed,' NIH says

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reiterated its stance against modifying human embryos, after a paper published last week by Chinese researchers reported how they modified the DNA of human embryos to eradicate certain inheritable diseases from the lineage. Modifying human embryos was banned in 1996 for US government bodies, but in some states private entities are allowed to carry out such research.

Three babies' lives saved by 4-D printed implant from otherwise incurable breathing disease

Three babies aged six to eighteen months suffering from an incurable breathing condition were saved by doctors who printed a 3-D implant. The implant is made out of a special biodegradable plastic that dissolves in three years (just enough incidentally for kids to be out of harms way permanently). It's also designed to grow and expand as the babies age, hence it's called a 4-D printed implant since time is considered an additional dimension, in this case.

Just one billion years following the Big Bang, water may had been as abundant as it is today

Water may have been plentiful in some parts of the universe as early as one billion years after the Big Bang, a new model suggests. That's a lot earlier than scientists had previously presumed, seeing how at the very beginning the only elements were hydrogen and helium. Seeing how water is comprised of one oxygen atom (16 times heavier than hydrogen) and two hydrogen atoms, then we should have seen water much later, or so the thinking goes.

Newly discovered dinosaur had bat-like wings... but could it fly?

Each year, hundreds of millions people fly by plane to meet family, do business or travel for leisure. Quite a feat, considering humans don't have any wings. Like all advanced technology we have at our disposal today, flying is also taken for granted. In the early days, however, just getting a few feet off the ground for a couple of seconds was considered a triumph. Like human pioneering flight, nature also had to experiment a lot before flying creatures could evolve. One newly discovered dinosaur species fits well into this story. Unearthed in 160 million year old sediments in China, this queer dinosaur strangely had bat-like wings. It's uncertain however if it was able to fly or even glide, owing to the degraded state of the fossil records. One thing's for sure, it makes the evolution of flight much more interesting to study.

What an overheated Lithium-ion battery looks like, inside and out

Boom!

Childhood bullying has worse effects than adult maltreatment

Childhood bullying seems to be almost ubiquitous to some extent, and yet researchers have time and time again underlined the negative effects it can have. Now, a new study has concluded that kids who were bullied by their peers suffer worse in the long term than those who were maltreated by adults. The research was […]

EX-NASA Engineer Wants to Plant one Billion Trees a Year Using Drones

Each year, we cut down 26 billion trees, for lumber, agriculture, mining and development projects. Every year, we plant about 15 billion trees, so that still leaves us with a huge deficit - something which is not sustainable and has to be addressed as soon as possible to avoid further problems down the road. Now, a former NASA engineer has found that drones could play a key part, and he plans to plant up to 1 billion trees a year using them.

WHO: The world is not prepared to deal with antibiotic resistance

Drug-resistant bacteria are one of the biggest challenges mankind has to face in the near, as well as distant, future. In a recent survey conducted by the World Health Organization it was revealed that only 34 out of 133 questioned countries have even a basic plan to combat the misuse of antibiotics fuelling drug resistance and encouraging the development of superbugs.

IBM moving one step closer to quantum computers

IBM claims to be one step closer to developing functional, scalable quantum computers. According to the company, they managed to overcome two key hurdles, demonstrating for the first time a new, square quantum bit circuit design - the only physical architecture that could successfully scale to larger dimensions.

Lake Michigan is so clear right now you can see its shipwrecks from air

A coast guard patrol reported that Lake Michigan’s shallow waters are so clear that  you can actually see the shipwrecks on the bottom of the lake, until sediments stir up the water and algae blooms develop. Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one that’s completely on […]

Automated process finds three super-Earths in our neighborhood - a new way to hunt for alien planets

Using three state of the art ground-based telescopes, a team of astronomers has identified three super-Earth exoplanets that are seven to eight times as massive as our own planet and orbit their parent star closer than Mercury orbits the sun. What's hot about the findings - apart from the planet's likely scorching surface - is that these were made using a novel automated approach, in which one telescope called the Automated Planet Finder (APF) Telescope at Lick Observatory in California was programmed to scour the night's sky and look for signs of nearby alien planets. These three planets are just the beginning of a new process that hopefully will return hundreds of planets in our neighborhood, all without the need for human supervision.

New Cancer Treatment Dissolves a Woman's Tumor in 3 Weeks

You hear about potential cancer treatments all the time, and despite significant and remarkable improvements, we're still miles away from an actual cure for cancer; so what makes this therapy so great? Well... it just seems to work - on humans, suffering from cancer, not in a lab. For one woman, it seems to have completely dissolved a big tumor in just three weeks, and overall, 53% of patients experienced at least 80% tumor shrinkage.

There's a reset trigger for your biological clock - bye, bye jet lag, insomnia and exhaustion

While humans have invented a convention called time keeping to make society work, our bodies themselves also have a sort of clock called an internal biologic clock or circadian rhythm. When met by daylight, hormones are released that keep us awake and alert, while darkness releases different hormones that puts us to sleep. Canadian researchers have now found the molecular switch that resets and synchronizes the circadian clock. A drug that tweaks this switch could thus be made that regulates the internal clock, something travelers and night owls might find particularly useful.

Gamers have more grey matter and better brain connectivity, new research suggests

All those hours of leveling up your character have finally paid off - a new study conducted by Australian and Chinese researchers suggests that playing computer games not only increases the amount of grey matter in your brain, but also promotes better connectivity between different areas of the brain.

Lowest science spending since WWII threatens US economy and security, MIT says

A report issued by a committee at MIT concludes that the decline in science funding will have drastic consequences for the country's economy and security, making the US trail behind other countries like China which is spending immense amounts of money on science. In fact, one study estimates China will become the world's leading science and innovation producer by 2020, outpacing the US. The MIT report identifies some 15 fields where inadequate budgets seriously hampers progress, from Alzheimer's research, to nuclear fusion, to disease and agriculture.

Smiley face labels can encourage kids to eat healthier food

An innovative study suggests that something as small as labeling healthy foods with a small smiley face can make kids more interested in buying and consuming healthy food.

Biologists find algal embryo that "turned itself inside out"

Researchers from Cambridge have, for the first time, captured a 3D video of a living algal embryo turning itself inside out: from a sphere into a mushroom and into a sphere again. The results could help us better understand the process of gastrulation in animal embryos -- which biologist Lewis Wolpert called "the most important event in your life."