Surprising Science

When researching medical treatments online, Web users have to be discerning and think like consumers, not patients, to avoid scams and commercially motivated advice.

Ageing and death are not something human beings generally look forward to but biologists say that immortality could prove a disadvantage to the survival of our species.

In an “important step” in stem cell research, scientists have for the first time succeeded in creating human embryonic stem cells by injecting DNA from a skin cell into an unfertilized egg.

Scientists have created a working cloaking device using sheets of carbon nanotubes which create the “mirage effect” observed in deserts or on long roads in the summer.

The gap between controlling an artificial limb and feeling a physical touch has been bridged via a virtual prosthetic hand that monkeys were able to control using only their minds.

Three astrophysicists who discovered that the universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate, rather than decelerating, have won the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics. 

Compared with the Chinese who are developing space-based solar power, the United States does not have a long-range national space strategy or direction, and desperately needs one.

A revolutionary spaceship that that travels at 2,200 miles per hours would allow vacationers to reach any destination in less than two hours. It could become a fixture in the skies.

The genetic mutation that drives evolution is random. But here’s a list of some beneficial mutations that are known to exist in human beings

There’s Judy the teenage bulimic, devout Catholic Salamoe, gay Ken and over 100 more. Artist Kim Noble talks about living with multiple personality disorder. 

A single dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms,’ brings about a measurable and lasting personality change—’openness’—lasting at least a year. 

People who think they can learn from their errors have a different brain reaction to making mistakes than people who think intelligence is fixed. The former group bounces back better. 

Children are born curious about the world and their playtime reflects the empirical way they investigate nature. But their curiosity is a fragile thing and stolid teaching can uproot it. 

While many practices in alternative medicine are slowly but surely making their way into the mainstream, acupuncture is one that still produces skeptical eyebrow raises.

Images of tone, skinny bodies and ideal beauty stare us down everywhere—from web sites to TV shows, in magazines and advertisements. Men are not immune from the pressure. 

Too much alcohol dulls more than your wits. It also weakens your immune system and could make you much more vulnerable to viruses, including H.I.V.

At a recent Health 2.0 conference, several new gadgets were on display that bring contemporary technology into the realm of preventative medicine and patient care. 

The dietary zeitgeist favors foods that are ‘whole’ over those that are ‘processed’. But omitting processed, packaged foods can make it hard to meet your body’s dietary needs.   

Researchers at the University of Illinois have created materials that can repair themselves if they crack by pumping healing fluids around the material like the circulation of animal’s blood.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have given a rat an artificial brain part—the cerebellum—thereby ushering in the era of true brain-to-computer communication for humans.

Wear and tear presents a unique problem for nanomachines since the devices are far too small for technicians to swap in spare parts. The solution? Make them out of diamonds. 

A new theory suggests that the accelerating expansion of the universe is merely an illusion. The false impression results from the way our particular region of the cosmos is drifting in space.

Last week, scientists at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy claimed to observe neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light. Now teams are preparing to test the claim.

A programmer from Nevada is testing the old probability axiom that a million monkeys on a million typewriters would eventually compose the complete works of William Shakespeare. 

The Internet may provide a kind of immortality: Numerous websites now offer professional services to make it easier for the bereaved to create an online presence for a departed relative.

Digital communication technology has made it possible for individuals to consult a therapist online but the service is not without its drawbacks and pitfalls. Not everyone is eager to sign on. 

Investment decisions are no longer being made by financiers, but increasingly by Ph.D. mathematicians and the immensely complex computer programs they devise.

Berkeley scientists say with MRI and computer models they can reconstruct our visual experiences, paving the way to reproduce our mental movies, such as dreams and memories.

Sociologist Steve Fuller says we’re headed for a new humanity which will no longer take as given the “normal human body”. Our self-enhancements will include ‘cosmetic neurology.’

Neuroimaging has revealed the neural basis of the intense imagery induced by the “spirit vine”, a hallucinogenic brew long used by rain forest shamans to provoke mystical visions.