Scientists studying the effects of particulate matter on cloud cover in the Amazon say increasing air pollution could have serious consequences for local weather patterns, rainfall and thunderstorms.…

Osteoporosis is a risk factor for hip fractures, and a study published in BMC Research Notes has found that martial arts training is a suitable way to teach seniors with osteoporosis how to fall down…

Ocean acidification is a real problem, and unless our weather breaking carbon dioxide emissions are substantially curbed, the ocean will continue to become more acidic, according to a new report by…

Academics are being increasingly pressured to produce 'publishable' results and The quality of scientific research may be suffering as a consequence, according to a new PLoS ONE study. The analysis…

The suggestion that famous athletes serve as role models for underage fans is "rubbish," say researchers writing in Drug and Alcohol Review. The authors found that the loutish and drunken behavior of…

The exoplanet GJ 436b has left scientists confused after defying their assumptions about the composition of its atmosphere. Neptune-sized planets as hot as 800 Kelvin -- about 1,000 degrees…

Miguel de Cervantes said that a "man must eat a peck of salt with his friend, before he knows him." If the Institute of Medicine has its way, there are going to be a lot fewer friends out there for…

In the field of regenerative medicine, embryonic stem cells are considered the “mother cells” that can replace virtually any type of tissue that are damaged or lost as a result of injury of…

Lasers can do many things for us, from scanning barcodes at the grocery checkout to searching for life on the surface of Mars. And, according to chemists at Idaho National Laboratory, lasers might be…

Well, who exactly is DORIS?  “She” is actually the first Doppel-Ring-Speicher (which translates neatly into English as “Double-Ring Storage”) at DESY, the Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron in…

Arctic Tipping Points - #5: Where Warm Water Meets Ice The flows of meltwater and ocean currents in the Arctic make Niagara Falls look like a kitchen tap. This series is a follow-on to my 3-part…

Perhaps one of the most outstanding sides to autism is the "Islands of Genius" . Weather we are the famous Rain Man type Savant or Einstein or even well hidden fairly normal people that…

About a week ago, I asked the question "What is the most important field of science for the public?" Many of the comments suggested that general reasoning skills are more important than any…

Anyone who has worked with children with autism knows that, based on symptoms alone, this disorder is comprised of several different types. Yet, surprisingly, no authoritative study exists to…

Researchers who blog are a rare and endangered species. As far as rarity is concerned, it is easy to understand why that is so. Scientific research is a round-the-clock occupation, not your regular…

Researchers writing in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology say they have discovered an 11 million-year-old species of Pliopithecus primate, Pliopithecus canmatensis, in the Vallès-Penedès…

A new study in the International Journal of Health Geographics has linked cold, dry weather to an increased incidence of prostate cancer in the Northern United States. While unsure why the…

The ESO's VISTA telescope has captured a stunning new image of the Cat's Paw Nebula - NGC 6334. The view in the infrared is strikingly different from that in visible light. With dust obscuring the…

 A team of chemical engineers have discovered what may be the "ancestral Eve" crystal that billions of years ago gave life on Earth its curious and exclusive preference for so-called left-handed…

The future effects of global warming could be significantly altered over very small distances by local air movements in complex or mountainous terrain, according to a new paper in the International…