If you ever looked at the inside of a computer, you would find intricate wirings and connections. But the computer is essentially useless until you’ve downloaded all the necessary software and…

For some years now a small group of scientists have been pioneering a revolutionary idea; that the vertebrate immune system could have a role in the regulation of iron in the body. Now a study in the…

I went to the Scottish Games in Woodland, California last weekend, two young boys in tow.  They weren't remotely interested in Scottish women doing traditional dances and they were vaguely…

The New York Times recently published an editorial opining that the Federal Communications Commission should reclassify broadband Internet service, from a U.S. regulatory point of view, as a…

Roller coasters are a lot of fun, but conditions experienced during the rides may cause damage to your ears. Physicians at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit say they have found a link between the force…

Molecules called microRNA can silence genes that protect the genome from cancer-causing mutations, say Ohio State researchers writing in PNAS. Their study shows that microRNA-155 (miR-155) can…

Mountains that rise from the seafloor, called seamounts, represent one of the most common ecosystems on earth, say scientists from the NOAA and Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Their…

Plants are getting too much blame for global warming, according to a study by scientists at the University of Ediburgh and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The research, published in…

Despite significant declines in the cinematic depiction of smoking over the past 20 years, researchers writing in Thorax complain that tobacco imagery is still relatively common in UK films rated…

Arctic Tipping Points - #6: Are We There Yet? What might cause the Arctic sea ice to have a tipping point? Are we about to reach, or have we already reached a tipping point? This series is a follow…

Note: RPI put out a press release today (4/29/2010) on my work today so I am reposting this with today's date also. If you ever have a mysterious skin rash and show your doctor, he or she may very…

The End of the World seems to roll around every decade or so.   The last time it got a lot of press was the year 2000 A.D., a millennial event in the Gregorian calendar.   COBOL programmers…

I cannot but be happy about the decision of the Australian government led by Kevin Rudd to further tighten the moral suasion against smoking. They decided that starting in 2012, the name of the brand…

China's cyberculture may be growing rapidly,  but experts say it is unlikely to usher in an age of social and political freedom in the communist state, and may even facilitate government control…

There is no single advanced area of the human brain that gives it language capabilities above and beyond those of any other animal species, according to a new study in the latest edition of PNAS…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an equal opportunity destroyer. It attacks the central nervous system and eventually renders most patients disabled. Among its high-profile victims are celebrated cellist…

Astronomers have found signatures in X-ray data suggesting that two mid-sized black holes exist close to the center of the nearby starburst galaxy M82, located 12 million light years from Earth.…

A new study of embryonic stem cells shows that mammalian genes may all have a layer of control that acts like the pause button on your DVR, previously thought to be a peculiarity of particular genes.…

An international team of astrophysicists has just unveiled the most complete atlas of nuclear rings, enormous star-forming ring-shaped regions that circle certain galactic nuclei. The catalog, just…

Despite present-day conditions, Antarctica was not always covered with ice. Approximately 53 million years ago, the continent was a warm, sub-tropical environment and atmospheric CO2 levels exceeded…