New-found Planet Defies Scientific Theory
A newly-discovered planet outside of our solar system has scientists rethinking how planets form. The international research team said the new exoplanet, with the registration number HD 106906b, is not only huge, weighing 11 times Jupiter’s mass, but also orbits its sun from a distance of 650 au’s – astronomical units or 97,238,615,955 km. In […]
Real-time Flu Forecasting Proves Successful in Large-scale Test
A flu forecasting system that uses some of the same techniques as modern weather forecasting was not only able to predict the timing of the 2012-2013 influenza season, but was able to do so nine weeks before the flu season peaked. Columbia University researchers say there were able to correctly predict that flu activity in […]
Gene Enhancers Give Human Face Its Final Look
When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you ever wonder why you look the way you do? Do you also wonder what biological processes were at work when it came time to shape and sculpt your face, which is as individual and unique as a fingerprint? The answer is in a little snippet […]
Scientists Make Progress on Artificial Limbs That Can Feel
Chicago researchers have made significant progress developing prosthetic limbs that can feel and touch. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers say they’ve established a foundation to develop touch-sensitive prosthetic limbs. This research could lead to a direct interface with the brain that could someday allow those who have lost […]
Scientists Learn More about Mysterious 3rd Van Allen Belt
New research provides insight into the mysterious Van Allen radiation belts. There are normally two of these giant bands of high-energy radiation encircling the Earth. However, researchers discovered a third and previously unknown radiation ring that only lasted for about a month back in September 2012. Writing in a recent edition of Nature Physics, scientists from UCLA […]
Study: Sudden Explosion of Cambrian Period Animal Life Caused by a ‘Cascade of Events’
Last week we told you about an Australian study that suggested that the evolution of life during the Cambrian Explosion took place at five times the rate it occurs today. Now, another group of scientists from Britain, in their newly published study, weigh in on the “Big Bang of Life.” They propose that the explosion […]
World’s Largest Single Volcano Found Off Japan Coast
Researchers have identified the largest volcano ever documented on the planet. It’s even bigger than Hawaii’s legendary Mauna Loa, which remains the biggest active volcano on our planet. Called Tamu Massif, this enormous dormant or inactive volcano is located within the huge underwater mountain range called Shatsky Rise formation about 1609 kilometers east of Japan. […]
Chocolate Could Be the Latest ‘Brain’ Food
Chocoholics have a new reason to enjoy their favorite treat free of guilt. New research suggests chocolate is good for keeping your brain healthy and functioning sharply, perhaps delaying or slowing diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A Harvard researcher found that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day helps older people keep their brains healthy and […]
Studies Disagree on Origins of Monogamy
Two new competing studies disagree on the origins of monogamy but both agree it had nothing to do with romance. Researchers at Cambridge University found social monogamy originated as a male mating strategy which evolved over the years. Males pushed for monogamous relationships after finding themselves in situations where females lived far apart from each other […]
New Robot Crawls Like a Sea Turtle
Researchers have designed a robot that crawls like a sea turtle which could help inspire future multi-terrain robots that would also be able to swim and walk. The new robot, dubbed “Flipperbot,” was designed to allow scientists to learn more about the locomotion of animals such as seals, sea turtles and mudskippers. Its creators, from […]