Surprising Science

By 2030 the physicist expects that we will have hot fusion reactors.

A row has broken out in France over whether teenagers should be allowed to genetically modify bacteria in the classroom.

A new study suggests that small meteorites may survive their plunge through Earth’s atmosphere intact much more often than previously suspected.

A brisk stroll every day helps improve memory in old age and wards off dementia, a study finds.

French researchers have corroborated studies which have revealed associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders.

Closing our eyes allows us to simulate a decision more extensively and seems to make us more sensitive to the ethical nature of our own and others’ decisions.

A core aspect of the Living PlanIT business model is the “urban operating system,” which could be used in existing urban environments as well as it is in new cities.

The disorder isn’t really on the rise—it’s just getting defined better, and diagnosed more frequently, explains Dr. Gerald Fischbach of the Simons Foundation.

Amazon has revealed that it has sold more Kindle ebooks than paperbacks in the U.S. during the final three months of 2010. The milestone has come sooner than expected.

Scientists have identified a brain pathway which, when defective, leads to an uncontrollable desire to smoke. The discovery may lead to new anti-smoking treatments.

Pay attention, marketers. If any study validates what you do, this one does. Researchers found that using a generic (vs. brand name) product undermines self-esteem.

People with busy lives might feel as if they live longer. Our brains use the world around us to keep track of time, and the more there is going on, the slower time feels.

Lack of sleep needs to be treated as a major health issue, according to a report published by the U.K. Mental Health Foundation.

New research suggests that whales use their sophisticated communication techniques to develop distinct and separate cultures.

In an often-quoted description, Richard Dawkins once wrote: “Ramachandran is a latterday Marco Polo, journeying the Silk Road of science to strange and exotic Cathays of the mind.”

Bird droppings, snail slime, excreted coffee beans—there’s no substance so vile that it can’t be a must-have product. The Independent explores a world of very gross profits.

Eating food containing trans fats and saturated fats could contribute to depression, scientists reported Wednesday. Spanish researches followed 12,059 people over six years.

Robots started out conceptually as automaton-servants but instead of creating a modern-day butler, much robotics research today focuses on creating emotional machines.

A cache of stone tools found on the Arabian Peninsula has reopened the critical question of when and how modern humans escaped from their ancestral homeland in eastern Africa.

Confident pronouncements of certainty have no place in psychiatry. Humility is the only honest attitude to take to this work. …Neither can we wait for definitive knowledge.

Jon Cohen’s new book reminds us that, for all the claims that apes and human beings are ‘98.5 per cent the same’ in terms of genetics, there is still an unfathomable gap between us.

Quit slouching—others may see you as weak! A recent study published in Psychological Science says posture plays an important role in how we perceive power in those around us.

The fallibility of eye-witness memory is well documented. But what about people’s memories of their own past intentions? This is an issue in memory research with real-life implications.

A new study has found that having an abortion does not put a woman at risk for mental health problems. But you know what does? Having a baby.

Longer words tend to carry more information, according to research by a team of cognitive scientists. That might sound intuitively obvious, until you start to think about it.

The complexity of our 21st century problems has not just led to a postponement in peak creativity. It has also lessened the importance of the individual.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of what astronomers believe may be the oldest galaxy ever seen—over 13 billion years old!

Vladimir Nabokov, popular author and self-taught expert on butterflies, once put forth a theory of evolution for the Polyommatus blues butterfly. Today, his theory is getting some attention.

Smiles are not simply the expression of an internal feeling. Smiles in fact are only the most visible part of an intimate melding between two minds.

A British nurse who had a long battle with depression has become the first person in the world to benefit from life-changing neurosurgery.