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SpaceX wants to send a Red Dragon to Mars as early as 2018

All aboard the hype train!

Climate change is depleting oxygen from the oceans

Scientists have also quantified the effects of climate change as they relate to oxygen depletion. Their analysis suggests that by 2030 oxygen dissolved due to climate change will overpower the natural variability in the ocean, putting further stress on marine life.

Denmark considers red meat tax to help the planet's climate

Cutting our meat consumption is crucial for a sustainable future.

CERN just released 300 TB of LHC data online

For the amateur physicists out there, I have some great news: CERN just made the biggest data dump in the history of particle physics, sharing 300 TB of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) data online. It’s completely free, and it’s high quality data too, from the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the LHC. Anyone can access it, and […]

Scientists make the smallest thermometer from programmable DNA

This remarkable research could open the doors for biological thermometers at the nanoscale which might tell us a thing or two about how our bodies function at the smallest level.

Driverless trucks are coming - and they're going to automate millions of jobs

Six convoys of semi-automated, smart trucks drove across Europe, arriving at Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

You don't need a brain to learn, scientists found

A new study from the University of Toulouse found that intelligence and learning aren't limited to organisms with brains. By studying the mold P. polycephalum they found it can, over time, learn to navigate even irritating environments.

'Cool' light improves learning and academic performance. 'Yellow light' better for relaxing

A new research investigated various light intensity scenarios and reported their findings. For optimal learning performance, "cool" light is better while "yellow" or "warm" light is the most relaxing.

Venezuela orders 2-day work week in desperate attempt to stave off power crisis

Venezuela's public workers will only work on Mondays and Tuesdays as the country falls deeper into crisis.

England's doctors go on first-ever all-out strike after disgraceful government measures

Thousands of junior doctors (the rough equivalent of a resident in the US) walked out of hospitals and emergency wards to protest against borderline inhuman measures implemented by the government. It’s the first time in English history since an all-out strike was carried out. The NHS said “military level” contingency planning had been carried out […]

Study following 160,000 children found spanking doesn't work. On the contrary...

Spanking was associated with a high risk of children defying their parents, becoming aggressive and anti-social. In the long run, mental health issues and cognitive difficulties may arise.

Suffering from anxiety? Breathe and watch this GIF - it'll help you

  The GIF was first posted by Dr. Christina Hibbert, a clinical psychologist and author of several books. I’m not sure if it helps with anxiety, but it’s quite satisfying to watch – over and over again. It starts out as a simple line, then blooms into a triangle, then a square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon and […]

Soldering at room temperature using metal-liquid particles

“How do you do very high-level science or engineering with very little?” Asks Martin Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Iowa State. With a little help from science and lots of innovation, Thuo and colleagues found an elegant solution to a complex problem.

Ikea resumes selling solar panels in the UK

Ikea made it much easier for British people to green their homes – for a while. Then, after the government reduced subsidies for renewable energy, the company quietly stopped selling the panels, and now they’ve resumed them again. Why Ikea selling solar panels matters When Ikea starts selling something, it’s safe to say it’s become mainstream. […]

Water squeezed in a new state: not liquid, nor solid or gas. Just pure quantum weirdness

Physicists have crammed water inside extremely small cracks about ten-billionth of a metre and found the molecules entered a never before seen state. In this brand new state, the water molecules don't adhere to strict laws of classical physics anymore, nor do they behave like a liquid, gas or solid.

Vegetation on the planet grew by twice the size of mainland USA due to rising CO2 levels

As CO2 builds up in the atmosphere, this warms the planet, acidifies the ocean and melts glaciers. It also promotes plant growth -- after all, that's why it's called the "greenhouse gas effect". A huge collaborative effort spanning 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries found that in the last 33 years the area occupied by vegetation has significantly increased.

Scientists build a camera with "shark vision"

We now have shark vision.

Poachers kill three rangers, wound park manager in Congo

Sad news comes from African wildlife parks again: three rangers were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Garamba wildlife park. Two others were wounded, including the park manager. Just yesterday we were writing that African park rangers risk their life on a day-to-day basis to protect animals in natural parks, and now this tragedy was reported […]

Cannabis use in pregnancy linked to low birthweight and intensive care

Just don't do it.

Bed bugs avoid colours like green and yellow, but love red and black

If you don't want bed bugs biting you, then changing your sheet's colour might help. A recent study found bed bugs love red and black, but keep away from surfaces coloured in yellow or green.

Polar bears have to swim more and more to find food, due to global warming

Polar bears are forced to undertake more marathon, life-threatening swims to find food

Tesla's Autopilot reduces car accidents by 50%. Are you ready to give up the wheel?

During a meeting with Norway’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk claimed that since 'autopilot' was rolled out, there have been 50% fewer car accidents.

What Elon Musk's CV looks like -- all in one page

Elon Musk is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the tech industry. Here's his one-page resume.

How A.I. and game theory is fighting poaching and illegal logging

Park rangers risk their lives on a daily basis to protect wildlife from poachers. They're also underfunded and understaffed, so allocating resources as efficiently as possible is critical. This is where artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, and game theory come in. The A.I. can identify and predict poaching patterns, and adapts in time so that park patrols can transition from "reactive" to "proactive" control. Pilot programs launched in Uganda and Malaysia have so far been successful, and a similar system is currently being developed for illegal logging.

British Astronaut runs London Marathon from space

British astronaut Tim Peake ran the London Marathon on a treadmill aboard the International Space Station.

How COP21 can become ratified -- the small steps required for a global victory

At a high-level signing ceremony in New York, more than 170 countries signed up to the landmark COP21 climate changed deal first adopted last December in Paris. Many media outlets praised the signing event, where 60 heads of state were in attendance as well as celebrities, like Leonardo DiCaprio. It is indeed a great achievement in fighting climate change on a global level, but only a small step in many yet to come.

97% of Diesel Cars Don't Respect Official Pollution Limits

According to the most comprehensive set of data, almost no diesel cars respect pollution limits.

Fossil Friday: Dicranurus monstrosus

When a species almost one hundred times bigger than you, who has access to nukes and can go to space, discovers your remains a few million years after you die and still decides to call you "monstrosus" you must be doing something very right survival-wise.

Our best bet at stopping food waste is to be more responsible, not more efficient

Humans are throwing away an insane quantity of food, both in the developed and in developing countries. While in the latter case this can be attributed to economic and technological constrains, the former is primarily consumer-driven. And the sum of individual choices adds up to major impacts on a global scale, a new study finds.

Hackers rob $80 million from a central bank because it had $10 routers and no firewall

Being a cheapskate can sometimes backfire spectacularly as a central Bank in Bangladesh just found out.

North American mammoths interbred despite inter-species boundaries

North America was home to several mammoth species, but a new study suggests these weren't that genetically diverse as previously thought. As far as two species are concerned, the Wolly Mammoth and the Columbian mammoth, their genetic makeup was compatible enough to allow interbreeding without miscarriages.

Climate change could add twice as many smog days in the United States

A new study suggests that in the United States, residents might experience three to nine more days of unhealthy ozone levels by 2050.

Some sauropod babies looked like adults since they hatched and were left on their own

Sauropods, or some titanosaurs at least, were not the best parents. A recent analysis of juvenile fossils belonging to a titanosaur species called Rapetosaurus krausei suggests babies were left to fend for themselves and find food since they hatched, with little if any weaning.

Does Spending Money Make You Happy?

You’ve probably heard that money can’t buy happiness. It also can’t buy you love. It also doesn’t grow on trees. Come to think of it, people are pretty insistent that money doesn’t do much at all…except make the world go ’round.

NASA reveals two new spectacular photos of Ceres

NASA released a new set of images of Ceres - and they're a sight to behold.f

Scientists find 1,000-km-long coral reef at the mouth of the Amazon

It's a true "Wow!" moment.

Can't get any rest when sleeping in a new place? It's just your brain keeping you safe

A new study offers insight into why you might have a hard time sleeping on the first night in a new place: half of your brain stays awake to watch out for potential dangers.

Trees trade carbon through their roots, using symbiotic fungi networks

A forest's trees capture carbon not only for themselves, but also engage in an active "trade" of sorts with their neighbors, a new study found. University of Basel botanists found that this process, conducted by symbiotic fungi in the forest's soil, takes place even among trees of different species.

Take me to Mars: NASA signs $67M contract for new solar electric propulsion engine

A company called Aerojet Rocketdyne has won a $67 million contract from NASA to design and develop an advanced electric propulsion system that could power complex missions to asteroids and even to Mars.

High-fat diets make you feel sleepy during daytime, ruin sleep at night

Men who consume high-fat diets are far likelier to feel sleepy during the day and sleep poorly at night, researchers at University of Adelaide, Australia report.

Genetics determines when you'll lose your virginity

In a novel study, researchers have identified for the first time the heritable components that influence how early or how late people lose their virginity.

U.S. Air Force breaks Maglev speed record with a magnetically levitating rocket sled

Engineers at the 846th Test Squadron simply shattered the Maglev record with a sled powered by a very powerful rocket. The sled raced through a magnetic levitation track at an incredible 633 mph, or 120 mph faster than the previous record which they set only two days before.

First North American monkeys swam across an ancient 100-mile sea from South America

About 21 million years ago, North and South America were separated by an ancient sea called the Miocene Central American Seaway, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans formed a single tropical ocean. This separation isolated species, except those who could fly or swim over long distances. Oddly enough, South American monkeys managed to cross this seaway and migrated all the way to North America by swimming. No one's really sure how exactly they did this, but the discovery is definitely baffling.

Ravens score on par with chimps on key cognitive test

Is size all there is to it? As far as the brain is concerned, a recent study that assessed corvid intelligence suggests the answer seems no. The researchers found crows, ravens and other corvids score the same on an important cognitive test as the big-brained chimps.

Israeli archaeologists uncover roman-period glass factory underpinning trade throughout the empire

Israel Antiques Authority (IAA) archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a 1,600 year-old complex of glass kilns in the Jezreel Valley. Their size indicates that Israel was one of the most important glass manufacturing center in the ancient world, says Dr. Yael Gorin-Rosen, IAA's Glass Department head curator.

Underwater maintenance robot-snakes look scary but are actually quite cool

Eelume company developed a snake-like robot for underwater maintenance tasks. The deceptively simple robots could drastically reduce operating costs for deep sea rigs.

Lonely planet found in a family of stars

NASA astronauts have discovered a lonely planetary-like mass floating on its own, without a solar system. Imagine a galaxy, riddled with countless solar systems. Then zoom in slowly on a solar system – how do you picture it? There’s probably a star at the center, and several planets around it. That’s generally where we feel […]

Human limbs might have evolved from shark gills

Flap your hands like a shark.

What doesn't kill you, makes your life shorter: Baboons with rough childhoods die earlier

Studies show that childhood trauma like abuse, neglect, physical accidents and other hallmarks put people at greater risk of dying prematurely once in adulthood. A rough childhood is associated with heart disease, diabetes, and addiction later in life, even though the stressful events have subsided. Generally, what doesn't kill you makes your life shorter. This is true for baboons as well, according to researchers at Duke University, University of Notre Dame and Princeton University.

Each city might have its own, unique microbes

Each city has its own distinct germ cloud comprised of a unique microbial population and distribution, according to scientists at Northern Arizona University.