It's summertime, and the fields of Yolo County, Calif., are filled with rows of sunflowers, dutifully facing the rising sun. At the nearby University of California, Davis, plant biologists have now…

Are e-cigarettes harmful? It's probably the wrong question. Caffeine is quite toxic but the Centers for Disease Control doesn't promote concern about Red Bull energy drinks. What is known to be…

While preventing cancer is impossible, what will be possible soon is making cancer far more manageable, like diabetes, and treatment far less debilitating. A new drug delivery system called a "…

Lake Nona, Fla., August 25, 2016 -- Scientists at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have identified a previously unknown way that stress hormones (glucocorticoids) shut off…

New Haven, Conn.-- The Zika virus reproduces in the vaginal tissue of pregnant mice several days after infection, according to a study by Yale researchers. From the genitals, the virus spreads and…

During the 2016, after 8 years of politicians refusing to work together, it may surprise you to learn that other groups do consult experts outside their own circles. It won't surprise you to learn a…

Does how much hair a man has matter in how he is perceived? A gigantic cosmetic surgery industry say it's true. What we unclear was how much was objectively true versus how much it was just a…

Researchers have identified a DNA variation in a gene called PDSS2 that appears to curb coffee consumption. The authors suggest that the gene reduces the ability of cells to breakdown caffeine,…

University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers discovered new genetic markers associated with a fast rate of nicotine metabolism, which potentially leads smokers to smoke more, thereby, increasing…

In the last decade, hurricanes have been essentially inconsequential. Sandy was so mild by the time it hit New York City that Manhattan media had to invent the term "Super Storm" to talk about it,…

Studies show that men are not as environmentally friendly as women. Let's face it, not too many "man caves" feature solar panels, recycle bins or posters of electric cars. It's just not manly. But…

Peer pressure is a proven social motivator, and seeing a friend or colleague succeed at a task can boost individual effort. Researchers at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering probed…

Alexandria, VA - Human evolution and paleoanthropology are tricky subjects, not just because of the rarity of these fossils, but also because human nature seems to be getting in the way of modern…

As an old time chessplayer who's stopped competing in tournaments, I often entertain myself with the odd blitz game in some internet chess server. And more often than not, I play rather crappy chess…

If you read media headlines or watch television programs like "The Dr. Oz Show" you might be convinced that an out-of-whack balance of microbes causes obesity, and that stool implants or fancy…

Customers may grumble about having to pay fees for everything on an airplane, American airport security and a la carte pricing has certainly turned travel into a third world experience, but a new…

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (AUGUST 23, 2016). Seventy percent of football players in the US are youths 9 to 14 years of age, yet most data on head impacts sustained in this sport have been from high school…

In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues to understanding…

Just another short post on Nibiru following on from my recent petition calling for responsible mainstream journalist reporting on "doomsday stories". It's featuring in many mainstream news sites…

Bacteria that cause tuberculosis, leprosy and other diseases, survive by switching between two different types of metabolism. EPFL scientists have now discovered that this switch is controlled by a…