Surprising Science

Thanks in part to a successful crowdfunding campaign, backers of the DrinkSavvy line — glasses, cups, straws and stirrers that react to the presence of common “date-rape” drugs — will start receiving the product next month.

The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is preparing to experiment with using Maveric drones to find pools of water that host mosquito larvae, ideally making eradication easier.

Virtually, that is: Researchers at Switzerland’s CERN laboratory have launched an app that allows the public to view and mark animations of particle tracks. Their discoveries could eventually help determine how, if at all, gravity affects antiparticle movement.

Literally: Pixelate is a head-to-head tabletop video game that uses real plates of fruit, special forks, and on-screen positive reinforcement.

More than 60 years after her death, Lacks’ genetic material can no longer be used by researchers without family consent. Is the same true for the rest of us? Not exactly.

A Quebec designer set up an installation that combines a standard “For Rent” sign with a surveillance camera, computer software, and a motorized track.

Much of the NSA’s data collection efforts simply work to skim private information from the vast consumer caches held by corporations like Facebook, Google, and Amazon.

Water is among the natural resources—including oil, fish, timber, and minerals—that face increasing demand as a result of population increases and economic growth.

By measuring the level of acetone gas in the breath, users of a new breathalyzer can tell if they are getting a good workout, helping to incentivize exercise and aid individuals in managing their diet.

MIT doctoral student Kuang Xu has created a mathematical formula that can reduce the amount of time injured people wait for medical attention in the emergency room by ten percent.

Using stem cells extracted from two separate cows, researchers in Germany have created the world’s first synthetic beef. The stringy protein was grown in laboratory conditions.

A survey of recent health studies suggests that standing up at work may confer qualitatively unique health benefits, helping the body stay fit and avoid disease in ways that rigorous exercise cannot.

In an experiment in which individuals were asked to memorize pairs of words, those who engaged in mild exercise while learning the word pairs did significantly better than those who sat quietly.

A trap created by Rutgers University scientists that resembles an overturned plastic dog food bowl caught many more bedbugs than a similar, shallower trap. The addition of special chemical lures made them even more effective.

The next wave of terrorist attacks may be fueled by explosives surgically implanted inside the bodies of suicide bombers.

Reports of hearing meteors as they passed overheard were largely dismissed until about 20 years ago, when a scientist proved that very low-frequency radio waves could be picked up by certain objects, such as wire-rimmed glasses.

A new study warns that the rock that landed near Chelyabinsk in February may be part of a larger group of asteroid remnants, all with orbits that could potentially lead them to Earth.

An Australian man’s newly-launched campaign is the latest effort to address the phenomenon of people paying more attention to their phone than to other people around them.

Lee Smolin posits the idea that new universes are born from parent universes through the mechanism of black holes. 

A recent study showed that people who spend most of their days under some form of artificial light can reset their internal clocks to match the sun’s cycle after only a week out in nature.

Harvard researchers took inspiration from the cooling ability of skin for their microfluidic circulatory system, which can save energy and lower air-conditioning bills.

Writers who now publish skeptical thoughts about the field of neuroscience are confirming what the public-at-large has known for five years, according to data gathered by Slate’s Daniel Engber. 

Microbiology students at Penn State-Erie treated the handles with a silver-based compound and found that they successfully killed bacteria transferred to them from a person’s hand.

Chemical analyses of ancient cheese-making tools, found in modern-day Poland by archeologists, are shedding light onto how the consumption of dairy products influenced the rise of Europe’s first farming societies.

This past weekend the 2013 CrossFit games ended, once again crowning Rich Froning as the fittest man on Earth.  CrossFit is a combination of high intensity workouts that combine power […]

Veterinarians have observed that people are more willing to improve the lives of their pets through diet and exercise than they are to tackle their own health challenges. 

A working group of cancer experts formed by the National Cancer Institute has recommended that the word “cancer” be used more sparingly, even eliminating it from some common diagnoses.

The area historically believed to be the home of Adam and Eve has been restored to its original marshland, 20 years after Saddam Hussein’s infrastructure projects turned it into a desert.

Scientists at the University of Michigan have found a way to preserve vital intestinal function through courses of chemotherapy treatments, preserving the health of the patient for longer.

Earlier this month, the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act was introduced as a bill in Congress, proposing that the spot where the Apollo 11 team landed be made a national park. Reactions range from ridicule to enthusiasm.