Every day we make a multitude of decisions based on the consequences of our actions; goal-orientated responses. In an always changing environment this capacity is crucial but, because it is complex,…

The effects of amphetamines on gene expression in zebrafish have been discovered. This new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, provides clues to the genetics that…

Stem cell researchers trying to understand the mechanisms that determine whether stem cells divide or differentiate, and what types of cells they become and how to control them to develop new…

Ever since graphene was discovered in 2004, this one-atom thick, super strong, carbon-based electrical conductor has been billed as a "wonder material" that some physicists think could one day…

Comets contained vast oceans of liquid water in their interiors during the first million years of their formation, argue Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and colleagues at the Cardiff Centre for…

Detailed balance is a simple and powerful rule to describe the dynamics of two-state systems. If you know the probability of a transition from a state A to the other state B of a physical system (in…

Many geeks adhere to Stiff Paper Theory (SPT), holding that frogs made of expensive company letterhead will jump higher than those made of flimsy copy paper. However, while SPT adds giddy-up to any…

Previously thought to be indivisible, with negative charge for all, the electron is one of the fundamental building blocks of nature. A new experiment, however, has shown that electrons, if crowded…

There has long been an on-again, off-again debate about the health effects of red wine. Is it killing our liver or is it preventing the next pandemic? It appears scientists from Scotland and…

A University of Exeter research team recently tested squirrels' ability to learn to choose between two pots of food after watching another squirrel remove a nut from one of the pots. One group was…

Future biology may rely more heavily on ancient math - namely algebra - according to researchers at Sweet Briar College and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech. Future…

Plancks Law is a well-established physical law describes the transfer of heat between two objects. Some physicists have predicted that the law should break down when the objects are very close…

If you're an ordinary, law-abiding citizen in the UK, you can't own a gun.  So who owns them?  Criminals, of course, making crimes easier to commit.   But it isn't just organized crime…

Is organic food better for you than conventional food?   It's the second most asked question we get here about food, the first being 'What is the difference between organic and inorganic food?…

It’s 40 years this week since the Apollo astronauts landed on the moon. Analysis of the tapes shows that Neil Armstrong did say “small step for a man” – and not “small step for man” – though he said…

If you live in New York and like to feel a part of the local intelligentsia, you simply have to read The New Yorker. Which I do, regularly, every week. I can't get through the whole thing, so I…

Tangential Science: it's not necessarily science, but it's still funny.1. In an overhyped analysis certain to make biologists want to reach for their pistols, it has been declared that women are…

Individualism is the political philosophy or ideology that emphasizes independence and self-reliance. Individualists advance the idea of realizing one's goals and desires, while opposing most…

Besides the usual share of random readers who google something and get directed here by mere chance (to be read: by the sheer amount of valuable information I have posted here), this blog is read by…

Ministry Of Silly Tweets It could only happen in Britain.  Or the U.S.  Or just about anywhere where you find bureaucrats, which is just about everywhere, I suppose. A Whitehall…