In the year 1006 a new star was seen in the southern skies and widely recorded around the world. It was many times brighter than the planet Venus and may even have rivaled the brightness of the Moon.…

The expanding debris of exploded stars produces some of the fastest-moving matter in the universe, according to a new paper. Supernova remnants accelerate cosmic rays to incredible speeds. Cosmic…

Why are physicists thick-skinned but biologists run for the hills when the comment trolls invariably appear?  It may help to be arcane and complex - it's harder to troll hard sciences. Everyone…

Researchers have discovered that many women with low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum have seen their tumors stabilize or shrink after taking a regular dose of the compound…

An animal model of recent human evolution found that a single mutation produced several traits common in East Asian people, from thicker hair to denser sweat glands. They also modeled the spread of…

2012 was the 40th anniversary since President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Water Act and established regulations for the discharge of pollutants to waterways - and even lets the government declare…

Lulu, the iOS and Android app for reviewing and objectifying men, had a good first week, reaching the Top 20 in the U.S App. store with over 100,000 downloads.   On Lulu, girls anonymously…

Although robotic jockeys for camel racing have been successfully deployed for several years now, some have voiced concerns about them – for many of the 'bots are configured to vigorously cane the…

Like the term 'junk DNA', the idea of 'primitive' reflexes is contextually confusing to some people outside biology. In reality, after millions of years of evolution, even a primitive reflex is…

Every two years physicists and astrophysicists who work in the area of neutrino physics get together in the wonderful setting of Palazzo Franchetti, a historical palace on the Canal Grande in Venice,…

Certain media sources have with the announcement of a possible black hole 26,000 light years away at W49B, mentioned the possibility of a wormhole. (I'm looking at you LA Times.) As a fan of many sci…

Some controversial modern psychologists claim that conservatives and liberals don't just differ in political ideology, correlation and causation is inferred in actual personality templates and even…

Famous problem, famous solution, but is that the whole story? How would you solve the problem of crossing the seven bridges of Konigsberg? Spiked Math proposes a number of other solutions that never…

New satellite images show that the ozone hole over Antarctica in 2012 was the smallest seen in the past decade. Long-term observations show that Earth’s ozone has been strengthening. The ozone sensor…

It is somewhat surreal to see the discovery of the largest prime number paraded on prime time broadcast media. Mathematicians around the world are asked to explain the significance of this discovery…

Despite passing every scientific review, the Keystone XL project, which would bring lots of new  jobs and lower energy costs for Americans, became a lightning rod for American activists when it…

Despite passing every scientific review, the Keystone XL project, which would bring lots of new  jobs and lower energy costs for Americans, became a lightning rod for American activists when it…

Genome sequences of seven well-studied ant species give researchers a detailed look at molecular mechanisms - including what may be a basis for complex behavioral differences in two worker castes in…

Which is more important, feeling close to your romantic partner or whether you are as close as you want to be, even if that's really not close at all?  Outside the social sciences, the…

New data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest a highly distorted supernova remnant  called W49B may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy. W49B appears to…