Booze May Not Be as Good For You as Thought
We’ve heard from various studies that drinking a glass of wine a day, or any alcoholic beverage in moderation, can lower risks of serious illness such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and even gallstones. But a new study from the UK’s University of Cambridge is contradicting those findings. The paper, published in The Lancet, […]
NASA’S MAVEN Solves Mars Atmosphere Mystery
Last month NASA dropped a bombshell when it announced it had found evidence of water flowing on Mars. Yesterday the space agency held a press conference at its Washington headquarters to announce that they may have solved a decades-old mystery of what happened to the Martian atmosphere and its water, when they presented new findings […]
Calling ET: NASA Expands Search for Alien Life
The search for life beyond our own solar system has taken a major step forward with a new interdisciplinary research coalition devoted to the search for life in the cosmos. Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) will be made up of research teams from several NASA facilities, 10 U.S. universities and two research institutions, according […]
Are We Destabilizing our Planetary Life Support System?
Three recently released studies are painting a grim picture for the future of humanity on planet Earth. Professor Will Steffen from the Australian National University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre led some international scientists on two of the studies. Their papers found that the impact of human activity on Earth, such as economic growth/globalization, population […]
Common Ancestor of Today’s Horse and Rhino Found in India
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore say fossils found in an Indian coal mine are pointing to a common ancestor for today’s horses, rhinos and tapirs. The animals in question are members of an order called Perissodactyla or odd-toed ungulates because they happen to have an odd number of toes on their rear feet. […]
NASA Study: Universe Shines Brighter Than We Thought
Analysis of observations gathered by the first two Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) missions shows that the universe shines much brighter that had been thought. CIBER scientists found that infrared light in what were thought to be dark areas of space between galaxies is producing a glow that gleams as brightly as all the known […]
Developing Countries Inundated with E-waste; Google Street View of Distant Galaxies; Setting Sun Gives Bats Direction
Where Does the World’s E-Waste Go? When you replace a PC, tablet, mobile or any kind of electronic device, do you ever wonder what happens to your old equipment? A new study finds that about 25 percent of all e-waste discarded by developed countries ends up in seven developing nations, posing severe health risks to people […]
Researchers Test Real ‘Thinking Cap’
Teachers often urge their students to put on their “thinking caps” as a way of encouraging serious thought. However, a real thinking cap could someday become a reality. New research shows it’s possible to control the ability to learn by applying mild electrical current to the brain. Writing in the Journal of Neuroscience, the Vanderbilt […]
Studies Provide Fresh Insight into the Ancestry of Early Europeans
Two recently released studies have shed new light on ancient Europeans. Taking maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA samples from bones and teeth of the skeletons of 364 people who lived about 5,000 years ago in what is now Central Europe, researchers in one study said that they were able to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of […]