Surprising Science

Always be looking for solutions, but don’t try too hard, says Jonah Lehrer. When we leave the mind to its own devices and forget about strict concentration, we are more likely to create. 

While anti-depressants work to regulate serotonin in the brain, the chemical is found more plentifully in other parts of the body where it helps with processes like digestion and development. 

By measuring how women’s brains respond to images of food and sex, researchers may be able to predict whether the women are set for weight gain or sexual activity in the months ahead. 

A new smartphone accessory which creates a digital image of medical test results is helping to build a new global database of disease information that will help prevent future epidemics. 

The adage that children raised in rough households grow up fast has some fresh genetic evidence to support it, say Duke researchers who examined age markers in children’s DNA.

Researchers at Northwestern University have decoded the brain’s electrical signals to bypass injured spinal cords and reanimate limbs that no longer receive stimulation from the brain. 

A Polish-born gynecologist claims he has found the biological source of the female orgasm. Known as the G-spot, the anatomical mystery has legendary powers of sexual stimulation. 

People who are more optimistic, hopeful and satisfied with their lives are less likely to have heart problems, says a new Harvard meta-analysis that has aggregated over 200 independent studies. 

What’s the Big Idea? “Contemporary research on consciousness in neuroscience rests on unquestioned but highly questionable foundations. Human nature is no less mysterious now than it was a hundred years […]

Does news of private entrepreneurs mobilizing missions into space cause you to feel excitement or anxiety? Does it make you feel nothing at all? Stop for a moment and imagine: […]

A microchip equipped with 20 gel posts can perform 20 genetic tests using just one drop of blood. It may be the advance the new era of personalized medicine has been waiting for. 

We expect works of art to enlighten us, and we expect science to enlighten us — yet the two fields are frequently regarded as separate, distinct entities which we respond to using different areas of the brain. Are those distinctions are arbitrary?

Despite predictions to the contrary, Intel has developed a new computer chip which fits more transistors into a smaller space. Computer power is still looking set to increase into the future. 

The NAO is a fully programmable, 57cm humanoid robot made by Alderaban Robotics. This cute robot contains a full array of body language, text and visual recognition, as well as […]

While talk of mining near-Earth asteroids has concentrated on metals like gold and platinum, the real treasure may be mining water and using its hydrogen to propel ambitious space missions. 

Throughout the history of our solar system, the sun’s proximity to exploding supernovae has had an important influence on the development of life on Earth, says a new study out of Denmark. 

In 1962, the latest and greatest form of artificial illumination was invented; the light emitting diode (LED).  In recent years, they have reached a level of illumination suitable for most applications of indoor lighting.

To make a resume for how today’s bosses read them—quickly and mercilessly—you’ll need to learn about white space, dumb algorithms and lingerie. You should drop your photo, too.

Is there something about rapid technological change that necessitates bold cultural shifts? If so, that might explain why so many Internet companies have run afoul of regulation. 

The French know a thing or two about cooking food so might they better understand how to eat it, too? Their midday lunch breaks make people more sociable and more productive. 

Certain cognitive tests that improve attention and working memory have been shown to increase people’s IQ scores, once considered a fixed measure of how smart someone is. 

When women watch pornography, their brains play down the role of the visual cortex, focusing instead on physical arousal. This contrasts how the brain reacts to most other visual stimuli.

When you ingest cannabis, the chemical THC binds to the body’s cannabinoid receptors which influence of the functioning of everything from your appetite to short-term memory. 

A new study of over 200,000 Australians suggests that leading a sedentary lifestyle is unbelievably bad for you, greatly increasing your risk of death within the next three years. 

As technology changes our relationship to the office, we need to change how we take breaks from work. That means using the flexibility of our technology to treat ourselves well. 

Scientists in Britain have created artificial DNA, called XNA, by replacing natural sugars with synthetic polymers. In laboratory conditions, the XNA evolved according to Darwinian rules. 

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have used 3D printers to synthesize chemical compounds commonly used in medicines, enabling a future of on-demand health care. 

The prevailing belief in Glen Rose, Texas, is that humans and dinosaurs walked the Earth together, though archaeologists say the species lived 60 million years apart.

French women today experience their sexuality in a more open way. “This is a huge change.”

The basics of social behavior come from the brain’s emotional system, which is an important contributor to empathy and morality from infancy through adulthood. Babies often cry when they hear another baby crying, because knowing that another person is unhappy makes them feel bad.