Neanderthals Hand Structures

According to the study, the hands of the Neanderthals, in contrast to the predicted, were too curvy to hold objects between the thumb and the other fingers. The Neanderthals could hold objects between the thumb and the other fingers, just as we would hold our pencil, because their hands were much more curved than they thought. The finding helps explain the activities that require a large number of skills, such as the Neandertals, tool making, painting cave walls, drawing patterns on the bird’s bones, and twine.

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To Dispel Myths, Redirect the Belief, Study Says

Beliefs can be hard to change, even if they are scientifically wrong. But those on the fence about an idea can be swayed after hearing facts related to the misinformation, according to a study led by Princeton University.

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A Japanese Company Claims It Will Utilize SpaceX Rockets to Land on the Moon

A Japanese space agency, iSpace, announced on Wednesday 26th September that it will launch a lunar lander and rover to the moon in 2020 and 2021. The uncrewed iSpace spacecraft will go to space on board a SpaceX Faclon 9 Rocket, the organization said. On the off chance that it all g oes well, in 2020, the company will endevour to orbit the moon with one of its landers. In 2021, it will attempt to securely place a lander on the lunar surface and send lunar rovers to investigate further

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Richest people work system to pay less tax than those on average wages

More than 80 of the country's wealthiest people are paying the same or less income tax as the average worker, a shocking report has revealed. Ten years on from the economic crash, a combination of clever accounting and loopholes is allowing some of the country's richest individuals to minimise their contribution to the State's coffers. The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) reviewed how 480 people, classified as 'High Wealth Individuals' (HWI), interact with the Revenue Commissioners.

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Lasers Reveal 60,000 Ancient Maya Structures in Guatemala

The largest-ever survey of a region from the Maya civilization has located over 60,000 previously unknown structures in northern Guatemala. The survey, conducted with the help of lasers, challenges long-held assumptions that this area was poorly connected and sparsely populated. The structures researchers identified include farms, houses and defensive fortifications, as well as 60 miles of causeways, roads and canals connecting large cities across the civilization’s central lowlands.

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Watching a Friend Get Eaten Could Help Animals Learn to Stay Alive

“Predator boot camps” in Australia are teaching a group of native animals some hard lessons in coexistence

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As NASA turns 60, here are the space agency's greatest achievements.

On 1st October, sixty years ago, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—better known as NASA—began operations, ushering in a new era of space exploration for the United States. The space agency emerged from its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, which was created in 1915, in part, because America was lagging behind Europe in the field of airplane technology.

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Neil Armstrong Walked on the Moon. To These Boys, He Was Just Dad.

With an upcoming auction of the astronaut’s keepsakes, his sons reflect on an unusual childhood.

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Ford Makes Surprise Unveiling of Electric Self-Driving Zero Emissions Truck

Ford made a surprise unveiling by its Turkish design center (Ford Otosan) at this year's IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany. The American truck manufacturer revealed its F-Vision concept heavy-duty truck, a commercial vehicle that combines clean energy, autonomous driving, and many other futuristic features.

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Cats Are Surprisingly Bad at Killing Rats

Over a 79-day period, feral felines killed just two rats, instead opting to hunt less challenging prey

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World's first human case of rat disease discovered

For the first time, a case of rat hepatitis E has been discovered in a human in Hong Kong. A 56-year-old man has been diagnosed with the disease, researchers from the University of Hong Kong said. It was not previously known the disease could be passed from rats to humans. "Previous laboratory experiments have found that rat hepatitis E virus cannot be transmitted to monkeys, and human hepatitis A virus cannot be transmitted to rats," said Dr. Siddharth Sridhar...

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Scientists create most powerful indoor magnetic field, blow up own lab

Watch as the newly built instrument goes BANG, after generating a magnetic field strength of 1,200 teslas.

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Contraceptive pill linked with reduced risk of ovarian cancer

Women who use modern forms of the combined pill are at a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who don’t take hormonal contraception, research suggests. The study backs up previous findings for older forms of the combined pill – an oral contraceptive that contains artificial versions of both oestrogen and progesterone. Modern forms of the pill contain different doses of synthetic oestrogen and different types of progestins, and are sometimes taken continuously.

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CERN Scientists Say The LHC Has Confirmed Two New Particles, And Possibly Discovered a Third

The Large Hadron Collider is at it again, showing us new wonders in the world of particle physics. Scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) collaboration have observed two new particles that have never been seen before - and seen

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Orca 'apocalypse': half of killer whales doomed to die from pollution

At least half of the world’s killer whale populations are doomed to extinction due to toxic and persistent pollution of the oceans, according to a major new study. Although the poisonous chemicals, PCBs, have been banned for decades, they are still leaking into the seas. They become concentrated up the food chain; as a result, killer whales, the top predators, are the most contaminated animals on the planet.

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New Research Finds that Caravaggio Died of Sepsis, Not Syphilis

Before established a certain cause of death for the Baroque painter, scientists first had to find his body.

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Thirty-seven new spider species discovered in Queensland

Dozens of new creepy crawlies have been discovered on Queensland's Cooloola Coast in the space of one weekend, and scientists believe there are many more out there waiting to be found. The thought of 37 new spider species might send shivers down most people's spines, but for spider expert Robert Whyte, it is exciting.

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After century of removing appendixes, docs find antibiotics can be enough

After more than a century of slicing tiny, inflamed organs from people’s guts, doctors have found that surgery may not be necessary after all—a simple course of antibiotics can be just as effective at treating appendicitis as going under the knife. The revelation comes from a large, randomized trial out of Finland, published Tuesday, September 25, in JAMA.

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Powerful jets found shooting from neutron star with incredible magnet

For the first time, astronomers have witnessed a fast-moving jet of material shooting outward from a neutron star with an extremely powerful magnetic field — one that is some 10 trillion times stronger than the Sun's. The surprising discovery not only caught researchers off guard, but is also forcing them to fundamentally rethink their current theories regarding how jets form throughout the cosmos.

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In 10 Years, Windowless Planes Will Give Passengers A Panoramic View Of The Sky

Tired of fighting for the window seat every time you travel by plane? Well then when you read about and see the latest idea for plane travel you may wonder–what took so long?! A British Technology research firm known as The Center for Process Innovation says they are creating the key to future airplane travel: windowless planes.

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The Coming Quantum Leap in Computing

The buzz gets louder, the potential is huge, but the hurdles remain high. When will quantum computing make its mark on business? Our recent research says the answer may be sooner than many people think. Quantum computing is not a replacement for the binary classical computing that has become a staple of modern life. But to paraphrase Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, because quantum computers use quantum physics to emulate the physical world, they can solve problems that today’s computers will never have the power to tackle.

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Powerful antibodies suppress HIV for months, could simplify treatment

Anti-HIV drugs have prevented millions of early deaths from AIDS, but infected people must take the pills every day, for life. Now, two studies in small numbers of people show for the first time that infusions of two powerful anti-HIV antibodies can completely suppress the virus for several months. If the results pan out in larger studies, they could simplify treatment for people who have difficulty taking daily medication, reduce the risk of drug resistance emergence, and even help cut HIV transmission rates.

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Bizarre Particles Keep Flying Out of Antarctica's Ice, and They Might Shatter Modern Physics

There's something out there that physicists have never seen before, and it's coming up from the bottom of the Earth. Scientists think it's a brand-new particle.

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Cheaper Battery Is Unveiled as a Step to a Carbon-Free Grid

The entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong says his company’s tests of zinc-based storage for solar and wind energy show the potential for large-scale use.

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Congratulations. Your Study Went Nowhere.

Researchers should embrace negative results instead of accentuating the positive, which is one of several biases that can lead to bad science.

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Spheres can make concrete leaner, greener

Rice University scientists have developed micron-sized calcium silicate spheres that could lead to stronger and greener concrete, the world's most-used synthetic material.

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Eating junk food raises risk of depression, says multi-country study

Eating junk food increases the risk of becoming depressed, a study has found, prompting calls for doctors to routinely give dietary advice to patients as part of their treatment for depression. In contrast, those who follow a traditional Mediterranean diet are much less likely to develop depression because the fish, fruit, nuts and vegetables that diet involves help protect against Britain’s commonest mental health problem, the research suggests.

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New Drug Offers Hope for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

A new drug offers hope to people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS).In clinical trials, the drug reduced nerve damaged in patients by almost 50%. Research tested an oral drug called ibudilast in patients with progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 255 Multiple Sclerosis patients were recruited from medical centers and were randomly assigned to take either ibudilast or placebo pills for 96 weeks.

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Power outages during a hurricane can be deadly. Solar could fix that.

Within two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Richard Birt, a Las Vegas fire captain, flew to San Juan on what would be the first of many missions to try to get the island’s 96 fire stations up and running—not by fixing the problematical grid but by using solar power. With the encouragement of San Juan fire chief Alberto Cruz Albarrán, logistical help from San Juan firefighters, and donated equipment from the company Sunrun, within a day-and-a-half a team outfitted the flat roofs of the fire department in Barrio Obrero—one of the poorer neighborhoods in San Juan—with solar panels.

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Antidepressants might fail if you use your phone in bed, study suggests

Monash University research raises the prospect of a link between antidepressants and light sensitivity.

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How Will Police Solve Murders on Mars?

Mars P.D. will have to deal with new blood-spatter patterns, different body decay rates, and space-suit sabotage—and they won’t be able to fire guns indoors. By Geoff Manaugh.

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Researchers Reveal Link Between Hunger and Mood, New Study

It seems “hangry” isn’t just a made-up term. University of Guelph researchers have revealed that the sudden drop in glucose we experience when we are hungry can impact our mood. “We found evidence that a change in glucose level can have a lasting effect on mood,” said Prof. Francesco Leri, Department of Psychology. “I was skeptical when people would tell me that they get grouchy if they don’t eat, but now I believe it. Hypoglycemia is a strong physiological and psychological stressor.”

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New nanoparticle superstructures made from pyramid-shaped building blocks

In research that may help bridge the divide between the nano and the macro, Brown University chemists have used pyramid-shaped nanoparticles to create what might be the most complex macroscale superstructure ever assembled.

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European Scientists Have Made an Intriguing Discovery in Alzheimer's Drug Research

Scientists in the UK and Sweden believe they’ve come across an unprecedented advance in Alzheimer’s disease research: A method of developing new drugs that can target the roots of the fatal disease in a way that previous attempts couldn’t. But while the latest published work is genuinely intriguing, outside experts are worried that the researchers’ claims to the public are too grandiose.

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Addictive behavior could trace back to an ancient retrovirus in our DNA

Millions of Americans struggle with substance abuse and tens of thousands die each year, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Though treating addiction has become a vast (and at times abusive) industry, the underlying causes of drug or alcohol dependency—and how to successfully treat these debilitating conditions—are still poorly understood by science. Now, researchers think they’ve found the germ of an answer in our genetic past.

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Top mathematician says he solved the 'single most important open problem' in math after 160 years

Mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah claimed he solved the "most important open problem" in maths, the Riemann hypothesis. At a lecture in Germany on Monday he...

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The Guillotine

The Coup

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U.S. Divorce Rate: Millennials Are Causing the U.S. Divorce Rate to Plummet

Americans under the age of 45 have found a novel way to rebel against their elders: They’re staying married. New data show younger couples are approaching relationships very differently from baby boomers, who married young, divorced, remarried and so on.

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Ancient Mars had right conditions for underground life, new research suggests

A new study shows that the breakdown of water molecules trapped in ancient Martian rocks likely produced enough chemical energy to sustain microorganisms for hundreds of millions of years beneath the Red Planet’s surface.

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UK to call for third of world's oceans to be protected by 2030

Britain is to call for a third of the world's oceans to be protected from damaging activity by 2030. The ambitious target, announced at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, would ensure the marine environment has a "buffer" against the effects of climate change, plastic pollution and human exploitation. It's a significant victory for Sky Ocean Rescue which has campaigned for tighter marine protection.

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Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

Sarcopenia, a decline in skeletal muscle in older people, contributes to loss of independence.

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Mayonnaise is disgusting, and science agrees

A lot of Americans can’t stand mayonnaise, here’s a look at why.

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Uber drivers and other gig economy workers are earning half what they did five years ago

More people are working for ride-sharing and delivery companies but on average they’re making less.

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Next crash will be ‘worse than the Great Depression’: experts

Ten years ago, it was too-easy credit that brought financial markets to their knees. Today, it could be a global debt of $247 trillion that causes the next crash. After a decade of escalating US household debt brought on by low wages and the national debt more than doubling over the same time frame, to $21 trillion, debt could soon put the brakes on this economic recovery, analysts warn.

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Opinion | Let Teenagers Sleep In

Starting schools before 8:30 a.m. shows a tragic disregard for both the mental health of children and for science.

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New battery gobbles up carbon dioxide

A new type of battery developed by researchers at MIT could be made partly from carbon dioxide captured from power plants. Rather than attempting to convert carbon dioxide to specialized chemicals using metal catalysts, which is currently highly challenging, this battery could continuously convert carbon dioxide into a solid mineral carbonate as it discharges.

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New research reveals a mitochondrial gene that protects against dementia and other diseases of aging

New research from USC has uncovered a previously unknown genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The study provides insights on how these conditions, and other diseases of aging, might one day be treated and prevented. The research from the Cohen Lab at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology sheds new light on the protective role of a naturally occurring mitochondrial peptide, known as humanin.

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Scientists Create Immature Human Eggs From Stem Cells

Scientists say they have taken a potentially important — and possibly controversial — step toward creating human eggs in a lab dish. A team of Japanese scientists turned human blood cells into stem cells, which they then transformed into very immature human eggs. The eggs are far too immature to be fertilized or make a baby. And much more research would be needed to create eggs that could be useful — and safe — for human reproduction.

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In depression the brain region for stress control is larger

Although depression is one of the leading psychiatric disorders in Germany, its cause remains unclear. A recent study at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) in Leipzig, Germany, and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Clinic in Leipzig found that those affected by depressive disorder have a larger hypothalamus compared to their healthy counterparts.

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Japan's rovers send pictures from asteroid

Japan's space agency (JAXA) has made history by successfully landing two robotic explorers on the surface of an asteroid. The two small "rovers", which were despatched from the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft on Friday, will move around the 1km-wide space rock known as Ryugu. The asteroid's low gravity means they can hop across it, capturing temperatures and images of the surface.

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