Surprising Science

New research makes one thing clear: crash diets are a terrible idea, at least if you have heart problems.

The answer is a resounding yes—but not if it’s loaded with sugar and milk products. 

Citizen scientists are advancing scientific knowledge.

A slice of pizza might just be a better choice than breakfast cereal when you get up in the morning. Cheers! 

Computer control in the form of AI and brain-computer interfaces is being introduced to the art of composing.

In her book, Rise of the Necrofauna, Britt Wray reports on the ethics and science behind de-extinction. 

The virtual reality that’s coming is like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Now’s the time to decide what it’s good for. 

A lot of the research on ketosis is positive, but the trending of the diet brings its own problems. 

Alas, much like parrots, they don’t know what they’re saying … it’s just that they can do it, which is still pretty remarkable. 

Scientists discover an antibody that blocks the triggering of allergic reactions.

A new meta-analysis of over 800 studies shows that e-cigs are healthier than cigarettes. But the authors don’t give them a clean bill of health. 

Intelligence of the male partner affects the strength and longevity of the relationship, find researchers.

For people who really don’t want to get those wonderfully torturous root canals anymore, there’s a new breakthrough involving stem cells that could eliminate the need for them entirely. 

As NFL linemen keep getting bigger, are they also risking their health? Here’s how the offensive lines of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles stack up.

There’s a complex biological system behind our intuition.

The list of substances banned from Olympic competition is staggering. Marijuana is on the list, but derivative cannabinoids aren’t. Whats going on, and should marijuana even be banned?

Researchers find that magic mushrooms can keep people from developing authoritarian views and more connected to nature.

Shanghai scientist Ruxin Li has already built the world’s most powerful lasers, and he plans a new one that can rip matter from empty space.

You see a gorgeous salamander. Science sees the key to regrowing limbs, eyes, and even bones.

Harvard’s theoretical physicist Lisa Randall links the extinction of the dinosaurs to the mysterious “dark matter”.

University of Bristol scientists find a way to levitate large objects with sound waves.

These findings will revolutionize power production, lighting, semiconductors, and informational displays.

Amid all the troubling stats about flu season, here’s a little bit of positive news from Georgia State University.

Archeologists find the largest frozen Scythian burial site ever found in Siberia.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency releases a dazzling map of the earth’s antineutrinos.

Propofol does more than knock a patient out — it blocks neural connections.

Despite his famous successes, Einstein also had some failures.

Meteorites could be sowing life throughout the galaxy.

New research from MIT is shedding light on how our brain forms and recalls memories.

New studies support the benefits of the Mediterrean Diet.