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more about #science more comments → schrodingers-katana: I have found the culprit! It all makes sense now... [www.youtube.com] #science more » Vulcan Has No Moon: "Who knows how much research into sexual selection has been flawed because researchers forgot the crucial ingredient of female freedom?" Female prefe... more » Trai_Dep: Oh dear gods... I hope a tangent universe wasn't created when that bread crumb fell into the machinery. Because convincing the pigeon who was supposed... more » twophrasebark: The problem with the BSG storyline was that they said homosapien was already here and they were coincidentally genetically identical. This was kind of... more » Pope John Peeps II: Comets and meteors contain stuff. Life contains stuff. THEREFORE comets caused life. Syllogism.......... FAILURE. #asteroids more » Anekanta - Go Play!: I just knew it! I KNEW I saw aliens at the shopping mall the other day! This also explains my suspicion that I myself am from another planet. #aster... more » gorehound: The theory is an interesting one and could very well be the truth. #asteroids more » Roklimber: So meteors are the new gods... they create life and they take it away. :) #asteroids more » Mav: "See that? Its the Great Atlantic Smog Storm. It's been going twenty years. We get newsflashes when its safe to go and breathe outside." .< #science more » PostMarque: this photo contradicts the image that china wishes to project to the world. therefore you are now an international terrorist. good luck! #science more » -
#originsoflife
Did Meteors Cause Life On Earth?
Are asteroids responsible for the creation of life on Earth? Recent experiments back up a theory that the basic ingredients for life came from beyond the stars... which makes us all aliens. Battlestar Galactica was right! More » -
#megapollution
Portrait of a Polluted Land
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of a massive smog bank smothering huge portions of China today. This blanket of pollution has been hovering over the country for over a week now, exacerbated by cool air and smoke from fires. More » -
#evolution
Why Aggressive Men Finish Last
Among the tiny insects known as water striders, males who aggressively attempt to mate with females don't wind up with as many offspring as their more gentlemanly counterparts. How can aggressive mating ever be a losing strategy?
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#largehadroncollider
Bird-Related Accident Suggests the Large Hadron Collider Really Is Doomed
The LHC has been so plagued by problems and shutdowns that some physicists have wondered if it's being sabotaged by its own future. And the LHC has fallen victim to another bizarre shutdown involving a bird and a baguette. More » -
#megageophysics
Rapidly-Forming Rift in African Desert Could Become an Ocean
Four years ago, a volcano opened this massive crack between the African and Arabian tectonic plates in Ethopia. New research shows it could be the beginning of a new ocean shoreline. More » -
#madmedicine
Biotech Company Sued for Accidentally Growing Extra Bones In People's Bodies
A company called Stryker Biotech was in court last week defending a bone-growth product it sold for years, despite reports that it would "drift" in the body, causing bones to grow in random locations. More » -
#madscience
Why Do Humans Kiss? To Share Our Germs
It doesn't matter how many times you got the cootie shot on the playground; when you kiss another person, you're going mouth-to-mouth with their germs. And according to researchers, those kissing germs are extremely important to human reproduction. More » -
#dinosaurs
Your Favorite Dinosaurs May Have Never Existed
Are you a fan of the Nanotyrannus, the three-horned Torosaurus, or the Dracorex hogwartsia, named for the famed school of wizardry? Then paleontologists have some bad news: these and roughly a third of other recorded dinosaur species probably never existed. More » -
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#stickysituations
Secret To Spider-Glue Discovered
Scientists have decoded part of the DNA in spiderwebs, and think that they can create a substance as sticky for the good of medicine and science. Or to create a real-life Spider-Man. Whichever comes first. More » -
#io9smackdown
Smackdown Day 5: Can Mad Scientists Triumph Over Magic?
Seriously, people: Witches are better than werewolves? Is Summer Glau brandishing the broomstick in your imagination? (Or, actually, maybe it's fellow Whedonite Alyson Hannigan? Suddenly it all makes more sense.) Nonetheless, this time, it's witchcraft versus science gone wrong. More » -
#maps
During the Ice Ages, An Arctic Paradise Bloomed
This incredible map shows "Beringa," a region that existed millions of years ago during the Ice Ages. What it reveals is that, oddly, far northern regions like the Yukon and Siberia were hotbeds of ice-free life. More » -
#madscience
Fruit Bats Enjoy Oral Sex, Too
Outside of humans and a few other primates, oral sex is a rare phenomenon. But researchers have found male fruit bats do enjoy a little oral stimulation, and that the reasons females offer it go beyond simple pleasure. More » -
#spaceelevator
A Robot Named Maryann Could Propel Us Into Space
Only three teams remain, competing for NASA's latest $2 million prize for advancing space-elevator technology. Good thing one of them, the Kansas City Space Pirates, is using a fast-climbing robot and lasers shot through telescopes. More » -
#disease
Worst Nanotech Threat Isn't Gray Goo - It's Black Lung
The "killer app" of current nanotechnology is the carbon nanotube, which could revolutionize circuit boards and other technologies. But these nanoscopic tubes also cause a new kind of industrial disease that could scar your lungs and give you cancer. More » -
#evolution
In France, Brown Bears Desperately Need Women
The brown bear population has been declining in parts of France for decades, but now a group of scientists say they have an unorthodox solution. Just bring in more female bears. But not for the reasons you might think. More » -
#madscience
Your Next-Generation DVD May Be Made From Mantis Shrimp Eyes
Scientists have discovered that the eyes of the mantis shrimp (pictured) possess a feature that could make DVDs and CDs perform better than ever before. More » -
#madscience
Bad Driving Could be in Your Genes
Know someone who seems congenitally incapable of driving? A new study suggests that a genetic variant may, in fact, be responsible for poor driving skills — and it's a variant nearly one third of Americans possess. More » -
#rocketporn
Brand-New Ares Rocket Blasts Off Into A Cone of Mist
Early this morning, NASA launched the Ares I-X rocket on a sub-orbital test flight - this is the first new rocket tested in 30 years. A cone of cloud formed around the nose as it blasted upward. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) -
#madscience
Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
Naked mole rats might be the most awesomely peculiar mammals in existence; they possess ants' hive mind-like qualities, feel no pain, and are completely immune to cancer. And researchers have finally unlocked the secret to their remarkable cancer-fighting powers. More » -
#madscience
25 of the Scariest Science Experiments Ever Conducted
While science has the power to improve our lives and cure disease, it can also be used to torture, murder, and brainwash. Here are 25 scary experiments that destroyed lives, or have the potential to unleash doomsday. More » -
#unknowablescience
It's What We Don't Know That Scares Physicists
Wondering what conundrums give physicists sleepless nights? If the suggestions posed at a panel at the Quantum To Cosmos festival are to be believed, they're all to do with whether or not reality is what we think it is... More » -
#lunarcolony
Confirmation Of Underground Caves On The Moon
New satellite photos have revealed what scientists have long suspected: There are large tunnels made from lava running beneath the Moon's surface. These caves could provide shelter from radiation for future lunar settlers. Or they might already be occupied! More » -
#evolution
"Dead Zone" Microbes Survive Without Oxygen - And Could Live In Space
Researchers have mapped the genome of a microbe that thrives in oxygen-deprived areas of the ocean known as "dead zones." These creatures are increasing, and their ability to live without oxygen might make them perfect space-dwellers. More » -
#fakemarsmission
What's the Worst that Could Happen on a Fake Mission to Mars?
Following the 105-day simulated mission that ended this summer, the European Space Agency is looking for volunteers to spend 520 days in isolation, simulating a Mars mission. So what could possibly go wrong when you never leave the ground? More » -
#spaceporn
Chart Shows How Few Missions To Mars Succeeded
This chart, created by Bryan Christie Designs, is an amazing visualization of all the Mars missions - including data on how few of them actually succeeded in reaching their goals. The good news: Recent missions have a high success rate. More » -
#spidersex
Spider Foreplay is Long — Or It's Deadly
A recent study of the Australian redback spider found that males looking to mate must perform 100 minutes of courtship, including a dance, mixing his web with the female's, and beating her abdomen. Males who fall short are devoured. [Discovery] -
#psychology
Stanford Study Explains Internet Trolls
In a study conducted at Stanford, psychologists discovered that people who hold extreme opinions are more likely to voice them loudly than those who hold moderate opinions. At last, science has explained most of what you read on the internet. More » -
#madscience
An Input/Output Device for the Brain - Made of Light, Algae, and Bacteria
Michael Chorost, author of science autobiography Rebuilt, has a great article in Wired this month about a biotechnological breakthrough that could result in functional cyborgs. Using this biotech, people could access the internet with our brains. More » -
#evolution
Scientists Discover the Largest Orbweaving Spider in the World
Yesterday researchers announced the discovery of the largest web-spinning spider in the world. Nephila komaci, which spins meter-wide webs, is 40 mm long. But males of the species (pictured clinging to the underside of the female) are only 9 mm. More » -
#madscience
Barack Obama Lowered Republicans' Testosterone
If you voted for John McCain in last year's election, you may have felt a twinge of disappointment when Barack Obama took the stage. If you're male, that twinge was more than political disagreement; Obama may have lowered your testosterone. More » -
#madscience
Bionic Hand Lets the Wearer Feel, Not Just Touch
Current prostheses allow individuals who have lost a hand to grasp and hold objects, but regaining their sense of touch has been out of the question. But a new robotic hand is giving its wearers a new tactile sensation. More » -
#scientistautotune
Beautiful Scientist Auto-tune Jam Will Make You Smile, Possibly Sing
Check out this amazing collection of autotuned scientists from past amazing series and old cosmic sermons remixed and put into beautiful melody. Sing with the mental giants and TV scientists from all different eras and know: "We Are All Connected." -
#naturalselection
America's Next Top Model Will Be Shorter, Rounder
Sorry, fashion industry: The shape of things to come for women will be shorter and plumper, and it's all thanks to natural selection. Or, at least, that's what some scientists are claiming. More » -
#avianflu
Avian Flu Is An STD?
Scientists have discovered an unexpected fact about bird flu: It might be a sexually-transmitted disease, at least in ducks. And, just as unexpectedly, the key to transmission may be all about penis size and vagina "complexity." More » -
#climatehacking
Moscow Mayor's Climate-Hacking Plot: a Winter Without Snow
It sounds like a supervillainous plot, but Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov has vowed that Moscow will see no snow this winter. Luzkhov is pushing through a plan to ensure that the city's trademark blizzards land in someone else's backyard.
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#madscience
Scientists Rewrite Flies' Memories, Bring the Dollhouse Closer
We've already got memory-wiping drugs, and now researchers have taken the next baby step to a whole new you. They have used lasers to etch bad memories into the brains of flies, and changed their reactions to certain stimuli. More » -
#evolutionfail
Evolution Has Made Us Worse, Claims Anthropologist
Modern man is slower, weaker and just generally worse off than his ancestors, according to Australian athropologist Peter McAllister, whose book Manthropology: The Science of The Inadequate Modern Male argues that evolution has really let us down. More » -
#evolution
Chimpanzees Are Altruistic - But Only If You Ask Nicely
Chimps may be one of our closest relatives, but they've shown a remarkably different approach altruism: They'll lend each other a hand, but need to be asked. More » -
#heliopauseporn
Galactic Weather Discovery Changes Our Understanding of the Solar System
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, has provided NASA with a completely unexpected view of solar winds. Turns out that these "winds" of charged particles are shaped by nearby stars. This discovery completely changes our picture of the solar system. More » -
#moonimpact
Was Moon Explosion Destined To Disappoint?
Last week's explosion on the moon was far less impressive than most anticipated, but were expectations unfairly raised by NASA? Scientists consulted on the project suggest that they knew results would be underwhelming and invisible. More »
