In a little less than three weeks, a federal budget sequestration, which would have severe consequences for agencies that fund scientific research, will take effect unless a deal can be made between…

Bacteria have lived for millions of years in our planet where, with an impressive capability to adapt, they now colonize virtually every environment, including us. But as tiny one-cell organisms they…

The Hubble Space Telescope has detected seven primitive galaxies formed more than 13 billion years ago, and also a candidate, at redshift 11.9, for the record for the most distant galaxy found to…

Do you prefer to have a few close friends or a larger social circle that is less deep? Social psychologists say your preference reflect your personality but also individual circumstances - like…

This is a post about basics. That's because I think a point needs to be made which is surprisingly not as well-known as its elementary nature would have you guess. Correlation -in its most used…

The slow loris (Nycticebus) is a primate genus closely related to the lemur and found across South East Asia, from Bangladesh and China's Yunnan province to the island of Borneo. The slow loris is…

At midnight tonight, new Federal Communications Commission rules will bar television networks from blasting viewers with excessively loud, screamy commercial breaks.  Adopted a year ago Thursday…

At midnight tonight, new Federal Communications Commission rules will bar television networks from blasting viewers with excessively loud, screamy commercial breaks.  Adopted a year ago Thursday…

A miniature extraterrestrial version of Africa's Nile River Valley has been spotted on Saturn’s moon Titan - it stretches more than 400 km from its "headwaters" to a large sea.   Have you ever…

Today it is common to refer to sugar and high-fructose corn syrup as "sugary ingredients." Sugar produced from sugar cane or sugar beets is called sucrose, which is a chemical compound in which…

In January of 2012, a new X-ray source flared and rapidly brightened in the Andromeda galaxy (M31), l2.5 million light-years from earth. The event was classified as an ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX…

Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor proteins is, shall we say, untraditional.  But it could mean new ways to treat cancer. As an organism grows, proteins essential for fueling its prosperity…

You have to love this story by Dr. Vicky Forster of the Northern Institute for Cancer Research in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. "On Christmas day in 1994, whilst the rest of my family…

You have to love this story by Dr. Vicky Forster of the Northern Institute for Cancer Research in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. "On Christmas day in 1994, whilst the rest of my family…

2009 was sure a long time ago.  Back then, President Barack Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize for nothing more than his inauguration speech. Exuberant voters ignored his vaccine-causes-autism…

Though a subset of culture is determined to make the world omnisexual, kids are not getting the message. It isn't that efforts aren't persistent.  A Swedish regulatory group chastised Top-Toy,…

In recent years, Britain has been invaded by Harlequin ladybirds, which are threatening our native species.  In this picture, a native seems to be trying to mount a harlequin, although I…

It's a good idea to know a second language for lots of reasons but English has long been the business standard.  How do cities ranks? A new list of 25 global cities has the answer. "English…

The average premiums paid by employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose  from $9,249 to $15,022 per year between 2003 and 2011 - a 62 percent increase, according to a new Commonwealth…

Vega is a summer star in the Northern Hemisphere, visible toward the west at sunset. Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra and, at only 25 light years away, quite close, cosmically…