One thing I learned from my recent trip to DESY was the proper name for a certain type of electrostatic generator[1].  Like many Brits, I had somehow got it into my head that it was called a Van…

The possibility that autism is more common in offspring of older parents has generated considerable interest. To investigate the theory, a study using data from 10 US study sites participating in the…

As I lay inside the box in the pitch blackness waiting for the show to begin, I wonder if the operator forgot to start it. Nothing is happening – no sound, no sights…nothing at all. Ah, wait, did I…

I'm a big fan of arch-skeptic Bob Park, but his position on cell phones and cancer is just too simplistic: Yesterday, the cell-phone controversy was taken to a new and substantially lower level. The…

Scientists have discovered a series of 400,000-year-old asphalt volcanoes about 10 miles off the California coast, at the bottom of the Santa Barbara Channel. The largest of these undersea Ice Age…

Consumption of 100 percent fruit juice is closely linked to improved nutrient intake and overall diet quality in children, according to the PR firm for the makers of apple juice. Despite the fact…

A new study in Nature Geoscience suggests that as global temperatures increase, microbes in soil become less efficient over time at converting carbon in soil into carbon dioxide, a key contributor to…

Scientists studying the DNA marker profiles between smokers and non-smokers have found several genetic variants that are associated with key smoking behaviors. In a new Nature Genetics paper, the…

Physicists at Ohio University and the University of Hamburg in Germany have captured  the first images of atomic spin in action.  The research indicates that scientists can observe and…

Researchers have discovered a new species of monitor lizard, a close relative of the Komodo dragon, on the Moluccan islands of east Indonesia. The lizard was discovered just last spring  and…

If you find politically vocal celebrities annoying, you may be able to take comfort in new research  which suggests that movie stars are unlikely to influence the outcome of political elections.…

Regular aerobic exercise keeps you physically healthy, but scientists are beginning to uncover evidence that it may also improve your cognition. Researchers writing in Neuroscience say they have…

The idea that the blind have a more acute sense of smell than the sighted is a myth, according to an ongoing study at the Université de Montréal. Vision loss doesn't enhance the sense of smell,…

If you thought that rapid and potentially catastrophic climate change was all bad, think again. High in the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada, a treasure trove of ancient hunting tools is being revealed…

It is springtime in Boston- a time when some of the greatest young (and old) innovators in science come together for 9 days of sciency goodness, a.k.a. the Cambridge Science Festival. This short…

Last Monday Stephen Hawking gave a lecture at the George Washington University for the 50th anniversary of NASA. There he discussed the chance of a contact between our civilization and an…

This made me laugh, albeit in mirthless recognition of how many human follies this could be applied to. From the inimitable xkcd. I don't know why, but it reminded me of politics in Thailand. Today I…

Just a couple of quick news stories: In keeping with the theme of 2010, that humans should be ashamed of themselves, Stephen Hawking, it seems, is generally pessimistic about man. In a recently…

Recently, I observed that the mirrors in most barbershops (in India) are placed at a large distance away from the customers (at least three feet). Barbers usually ask myopic…

Interpreting Arctic Satellite Images And Data Science writers and media reporters owe a duty of care to their readers: a duty to present facts undistorted by personal opinion or agenda.That duty of…