Surprising Science

Parents who threaten punishment for bad deeds may only be encouraging their kids to lie, according to a recent study.

Their numbers are plummeting.

Michio Kaku: Can We Download Our Brains? One day we might be able to download our consciousness into a computer chip, preserving our personalities forever—but first we will have to […]

Psychologists and behavioral therapists have begun integrating cooking into their treatment strategies, extending the benefits of meal preparation far beyond satisfying hunger.

High blood pressure has just been linked to canned food, but it’s not just the sodium that’s the culprit–it’s the BPA from the can’s lining.

Dr. David Newman, together with his team, has developed a simple information tool, called the NNT, that allows doctors and researches to communicate more clearly to patients and the general public, the effectiveness of different treatments. 

Late night snacking and hunger impulses can prevent you from leading a healthy lifestyle. It’s important to take the necessary steps ahead of time to avoid falling into a late-night snack routine.

Sam Harris is embarrassed by the word “spirituality” because of its past misuse as a religious term. Despite its spooky etymology though, he argues that there’s no better word in the English language to describe one’s personal and intimate exploration of human consciousness.

Text messages may replace the old adage about an apple a day. A recent study has found that doctors sending texts to patients, increase the chance they’ll remember to take their medication.

We’re a sitting culture. We sit in cars, at work, in theaters and waiting rooms. Our sedentary lives are making us unhealthy and irritable. If you can’t dedicate yourself to a robust fitness plan, the least you can do is try standing more.

The Orion spacecraft has splashed down off the coast of Baja California after a successful test flight. NASA hopes to use Orion to send astronauts to the moon and Mars within 25 years.

After a recent Intelligence Squared U.S. debate the audience turns in their votes as ‘for’ GMOs. But some scientists, like Bill Nye, still aren’t convinced.

Obesity is one the rise, and telling people to just eat less isn’t enough to stop it. One study thinks it has found a way to curb men’s appetites by simply changing the lighting in the room.

A five-day downpour is a huge blessing for parched Californians suffering through a monumental drought, but experts warn not to get hopes too high any time soon. This is merely a drop in the bucket compared to what would be needed to reverse a 3-year drying trend.

No less than 40 percent of us hold the belief that God created the world 10,000 years ago, according to three decades of Gallup surveys. But another survey seeks to delve deeper into Americans’ beliefs, and has found, when pressed, our certainty waivers.

NASA’s Orion test flight is scheduled for this morning. The launch is a giant first step (you could say “a giant leap”) toward an eventual mission to Mars.

Exercise, especially walking, is a great way for the elderly to stay in shape and keep their wits about them. But a recent study indicates that running may be an even better option.

We weren’t always able to break down alcohol. Researchers have been able to point to when we may have gained this unique genetic ability to consume and digest ethanol effectively.

Why are there so many climate change deniers when there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that prove its existence? Researchers have looked into the psychology of this thought process and found our need for security will always trump the facts.

When restaurants post calorie counts, does it help everyone? Research indicates that only the educated and rich may benefit, while the poor and obese will continue ordering cake.

Left-handedness is all the rage in the United States and UK. We’ve cast of our Medieval notions of lefties being of the devil and now see them as predisposed to genius. But this new notion may also be a myth, according to a recent study.

Bill Nye the Science Guy addresses the national risks associated with producing a generation fraught with evolution deniers. He also addresses critics who claim evolution doesn’t exist and attempts to examine why they can’t bring themselves to accept the facts.

It’s harder to trace a smoking gun online than it is in real life. Yet with cyber warfare expected to grow in the coming decades, companies and countries alike are attempting to make sense forward strides in identifying the perpetrators of cyber attacks.

Just because there is more information available doesn’t ensure that we make more informed choices. The modern media provide information in ways that play right into the brain’s instinct to do as little work as possible, including the work of getting that information, and thinking carefully about it.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms are classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States, meaning they are considered to have the highest potential for abuse and lack any medical application.

Journalist Eric Schlosser, an executive producer on the film Food Chains, discusses the exploitation of poor workers in the American food system.

If we ate fewer calories we would reduce harmful farming and industrial practices, and begin treating animals more ethically. 

The works of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock are providing physicists with insight into the working of non-Newtonian fluid dynamics more than a half-century after the artists death.

Wearables are underutilized. These fitness devices have the means to prevent illness before it starts by notifying doctors when a patient isn’t practicing a healthy regimen.

Serious, long-term stress can have dire consequences for your brain. That’s because the immune system and the brain are intimately related.