Home>Popular science news: last month

Most popular science news & articles of the past 30 days

Extinct human cousin gave Tibetans advantage at high elevation

A Chinese researcher collects a blood sample from an ethnic Tibetan man participating in the DNA study.

Oklahoma quakes induced by wastewater injection, study finds

The dramatic increase in earthquakes in central Oklahoma since 2009 is likely attributable to subsurface wastewater injection at just a handful of disposal wells, finds a new study to be...

Transplanting gene into injured hearts creates biological pacemakers

Cardiologists at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have developed a minimally invasive gene transplant procedure that changes unspecialized heart cells into "biological pacemaker" cells that keep the heart steadily beating.

New feathered predatory fossil sheds light on dinosaur flight

This is an illustration of newly discovered feathered dinosaur, <i>Changyuraptor yangi</i>.A new raptorial dinosaur fossil with exceptionally long feathers has provided exciting insights into dinosaur flight. A paper published in Nature Communications on July 15, 2014 asserts that the fossil...

Seals forage at offshore wind farms

This is an aerial view of Sheringham Shoal wind farm.By using sophisticated GPS tracking to monitor seals' every movement, researchers have shown for the first time that some individuals are repeatedly drawn to offshore wind farms and pipelines. Those...

'Bone-house wasp' uses dead ants to protect their nest

This image depicts a 'bone house' wasp nest protection overviewA new species of spider wasp, the 'Bone-house Wasp,' may use chemical cues from dead ants as a nest protection strategy, according to a recent study published July 2, 2014...

ACP recommends against pelvic exam in asymptomatic, average risk, non-pregnant women

Many women and physicians believe that a pelvic examination should be part of annual well visits, but an analysis of the current evidence by the American College of Physicians (ACP)...

New study involving CU-Boulder tells the tale of a kangaroo's tail

Kangaroos may be nature's best hoppers. But when they are grazing on all fours, which is most of the time, their tail becomes a powerful fifth leg, says a new...

New reprogramming method makes better stem cells

This image depicts scanning electron micrograph of cultured human neuron from induced pluripotent stem cell.A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown for the...

Controversial clues of 2 'Goldilocks planets' that might support life are proven false

Mysteries about controversial signals coming from a dwarf star considered to be a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life now have been solved in research led by scientists at Penn State University. The scientists have proven, for the first time, that some of the signals, which were suspected to be coming from two planets orbiting the star at a distance where liquid water could potentially exist, actually are coming from events inside the star itself, not from so-called "Goldilocks planets" where conditions are just right for supporting life. The study is published by the journal <i>Science</i> in its early online <i>Science</i> Express edition on July 3, 2014, and also in a later print edition of the journal. This image shows the location of the six candidate planets that were believed to orbit the red dwarf star Gliese as of 2010. Blue indicates candidate planets in the habitable zone where conditions might be able to support life, orange indicates detections in the too-hot region that is too close to the star, green indicates detections in the too-cold region farther away from the star.Mysteries about controversial signals coming from a dwarf star considered to be a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life now have been solved in research led by scientists...

Tags reveal Chilean devil rays are among ocean's deepest divers

Thought to dwell mostly near the ocean's surface, Chilean devil rays (Mobula tarapacana) are most often seen gliding through shallow, warm waters. But a new study by scientists at Woods...

Scientist identifies world's biggest-ever flying bird

Paleontologist Dan Ksepka examines the fossilized skull of what may be the biggest flying bird ever found. Its telltale beak allowed Ksepka to identify the find as a previously unknown species of pelagornithid, an extinct group of giant seabirds known for bony tooth-like spikes that lined their upper and lower jaws.Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found. With an estimated 20-24-foot wingspan, the creature surpassed size estimates...

'Mississippi Baby' now has detectable HIV, researchers find

The child known as the "Mississippi baby" -- an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in The...

Ancient hedgehog and tapir once inhabited British Columbia

This is a reconstruction of the early Eocene (52 million-year-old) fauna that inhabited the rainforest around a northern British Colombia lake. The tapiroid Heptodon drinks in the shallows, while the small proto-hedgehog Silvacola acares stalks a green lacewing (<em>Pseudochrysopa harveyi</em>) in the foreground.The Earth has experienced many dramatic changes in climate since the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago. One of the warmest periods was the early Eocene Epoch, 50 to...

Dinosaurs fell victim to perfect storm of events, study shows

Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that wiped them out if it had taken place slightly earlier or later in history, scientists say.

Chimpanzee intelligence determined by genes

A chimpanzee's intelligence is largely determined by its genes, while environmental factors may be less important than scientists previously thought, according to a Georgia State University research study.

A first direct glimpse of photosynthesis in action

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, has just a reported a major step in understanding photosynthesis, the process by...

Related science article

Using sand to improve battery performance

This is a schematic showing how sand is turned into pure nano-silicon.Researchers at the University of California, Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering have created a lithium ion battery that outperforms the current industry standard by three times. The key material: sand....

WSU researchers chart an ancient baby boom

Sites like Pueblo Bonito in northern New Mexico reached their maximum size in the early A.D. 1100s, just before a major drought began to decrease birth rates throughout the Southwest.Washington State University researchers have sketched out one of the greatest baby booms in North American history, a centuries-long "growth blip" among southwestern Native Americans between 500 to 1300 A.D.

Meet the gomphothere: UA archaeologist involved in discovery of bones of elephant ancestor

Archaeologists have uncovered the first evidence that gomphotheres, an ancient ancestor of the elephant, were once hunted in North America.An animal once believed to have disappeared from North America before humans ever arrived there might actually have roamed the continent longer than previously thought -- and it was likely...

Brain activity in sex addiction mirrors that of drug addiction

Pornography triggers brain activity in people with compulsive sexual behaviour -- known commonly as sex addiction -- similar to that triggered by drugs in the brains of drug addicts, according...

Dog jealousy: Study suggests primordial origins for the 'green-eyed monster'

This image depicts emotion researcher Christine Harris, professor of psychology at UC San Diego, with Samwise, one of three border collies to inspire the study on dog jealousy.This will not surprise most dog owners: Dogs can act jealous, finds a new study from the University of California, San Diego. Darwin thought so, too. But emotion researchers have...

Popular News in Images

Breaking science news from the newsfeed