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Stories about science, the future, and weird true things.
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Thu Dec 31
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15 Reasons To Live For The Next 10 Years
The 2000s left us feeling battered, but the 2010s are looking awesome. Thanks to recent scientific research and an explosion of cultural interest in science fiction, there are at least 15 brilliant reasons to stick around for another decade. More »Computers Determine Where To Build Ski Resorts
As we continue to engineer the perfect foods, animals, and children, scientists have figured out a way to engineer the perfect winter resort — by using software to pinpoint the best powder and mountain slopes to build them on. More »Could a Conjoined Twin Get Away with Murder?
In a new essay Half Guilty, Nick Kam explores the legal ramifications of a thought experiment: if a conjoined twin commits murder, can the legal system punish them? Could the innocent twin be punished simply for their unusual medical condition? More »Theories on Why Our Bigger Brained Predecessors Vanished
Wait. We're not the smartest of them all? Turns out there was a hominid species before us with a brain a quarter larger than our own. So why isn't anyone talking about it? More »Common Household Cleaners Are Creating Mutant Superbugs
We all know the overuse of antibiotics can create drug resistant bacteria, but a new study has confirmed that antibiotics aren't the only worry. Put down the Clorox wipes and walk away from the coffee table, now! More »The Year's Most Controversial Science Discoveries
2009 saw plenty of scientific discoveries — 44-million-year-old hominid Ardi, water on the moon — but some of what we learned wasn't as awesome as we'd hoped. LiveScience takes a look at the news that caused scientific controversy this year. More »Alan Alda Wants To Peel Open Your Brain
Science Fiction Has Been "Dying" For A Long Time
Tired of people claiming science fiction is dead because real life has "caught up" with it? They've been saying that since Sputnik, points out Dave Truesdale over at Asimov's, responding to Neal Asher's rant about doomsayers who pronounce SF dead.Real-Life Synthehol Will Get You Buzzed, But Never Drunk
In the chronologically later Star Trek series, Starfleet officers rarely worried about overindulging thanks to synthehol, a substance that mimicked alcohol's effects without the drunkeness and hangovers. Now a team of researchers are working to make synthehol a reality. More »Locusts Look Before They Leap, Scientists Realize
Scientists have discovered that locusts literally look where they're going, and this discovery about the importance of visual input may mean that bugs are a lot smarter than we thought they were... More »How Weird "Blue Stragglers" Are Born Out Of Interstellar Conflict
Blue straggler stars are an astronomical mystery - they are bigger and age more slowly than stars born at the same time. It turns out these stars are created by two kinds of violent interstellar struggles. More »The Oceans Are Getting Louder
We all know carbon emissions are making our planet warmer. But the increase in carbon brings with it other surprising problems. More carbon apparently means low sounds travel farther underwater, making the ocean a noisier place to live and work. More »The First Three-Dimensional Image of a Mandelbrot Fractal Is Stunning
Behold the "Mandelbulb." This is a three-dimensional image created using the Mandelbrot set, a mathematical structure whose edges form fractals. The result is something that looks like an alien tree. Which isn't surprising, since fractals emulate patterns in nature. More »Glitter-Sized Solar Cells For Electricity-Producing Clothes
While it may look like some sort of metallic snowstorm, this is actually an assortment of tiny photovoltaic cells, each less than a millimeter across. And these minuscule cells could be the versatile, flexible future of solar power. More »Ornamented Spider Webs Are Better At Luring Prey
While we humans are sprucing up our homes for the holidays, one type of spider is adding decorative flourishes to its web to lure prey more effectively. Does that mean insects are affected by artistic sensibilities? More »12/24/09
[news.bbc.co.uk]
Amazing slow-motion video showing how bees land
#tips #bees #science #nature
Will The Recession Scar You For Life? Economists Say Yes.
People who grew up during the Great Depression often turned into compulsive penny-pinchers, unable to spend money without anxiety. Will recent recessions leave similar psychological scars on people growing up today? A new study by economists suggests they will. More »10 Remarkable Monsters Named in the Last Ten Years
We know that real monsters walk, slither, and crawl among us, and each year we learn more about the amazing creatures from Earth's past and present. We look at ten of the more monstrous names we added this decade. More »Vampirism and Collisions Keep Ancient Stars Young
Here are some vampires we don't mind sparkling. This globular cluster, Messier 30, contains two types of ancient stars that have managed to keep themselves brilliant and young. One type relies on interstellar collisions; the other drinks from its neighbors. More »Female Ducks Have Evolved A Vagina Dentata
Bioluminescence Could Keep Tumors From Spreading
We've all marveled at the day-glo life-forms in Avatar — but bioluminescence could save your life soon. Researchers have been able to inject brain tumor cells with a firefly gene, so they can identify the types of cells that spread. More »