People with depression feel better after listening to sad music, research suggests

Once more, with feeling.

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Study uncovers how brain damage increases religious fundamentalism

Research has found religious belief is associated with certain regions of the human brain, but there is still much to learn about how these areas influence religious belief. A new study in the journal Neuropsychologia found that lesions in a particular brain region tend to increase religious fundamentalism.

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Animated, interactive digital books may help kids learn better

Digital books may have a few advantages over ordinary ones when it comes to kids remembering their contents, according to a new study. Animations, especially ones keyed to verbal interactions, can significantly improve recall of story details — but they have to be done right.

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I'm testing an experimental drug to see if it halts Alzheimer's

In January, we broke the news that we may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s disease. For decades, it had been thought that the condition is caused by a protein called beta-amyloid going awry in the brain. But in 2019, evidence pointed the finger elsewhere: at Porphyromonas gingivalis, a type of bacteria involved in gum disease.

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How an Alzheimer’s ‘cabal’ thwarted progress toward a cure - STAT

This stifling of competing ideas, say a growing number of scholars, is a big reason why there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s.

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The first U.S. trials in people put CRISPR to the test in 2019

When it was unveiled in 2012, people had great hopes that the gene editor CRISPR/Cas9 could treat or even cure hundreds to thousands of genetic diseases. This year, researchers in the United States began testing the gene editor in people, a crucial first step in determining whether the technology can fulfill its medical promise.

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Is the Future Already Written?

A conscientious cosmologist rejects Einstein’s notion that time is an illusion and the future is set

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Hydrogen-powered drones point way to future travel

Hydrogen-powered drones have several advantages to lithium ion-powered ones, says Dr Enass Abo-Hamed.

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Can technology reduce traffic congestion, these mathemeticians say yes

Scientists at St. Petersburg State University, proposed a solution to traffic congestion…

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10-year-old boy forced to take off clothe before boarding a flight over snake picture

A New Zealand family said their 10-year-old son was forced to take off his T-shirt and wear another one before boarding a flight because it had picture of a snake on it. On December 17, Stevie Lucas embarked on a family trip from New Zealand to South Africa to visit his grandparents. His parents Steve and Marga said security officers at Johannesburg airport told them snake toys and printed clothing was not allowed on board.

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Kenya Installs the First Solar Plant That Transforms Ocean Water Into Drinking Water, and It Could Be the Solution to the Global Lack of Water

The Earth is a watery place. In fact, 71 percent of our planet is covered in water. Despite this, one in nine people do not have access to safe drinking water – that’s around 785 million people.

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The Biggest Alien Planet Discoveries of 2019

The year did not disappoint.

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Magic mushroom compound psilocybin found safe for consumption in largest ever controlled study

The largest controlled study of psilocybin – the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms – has found the compound safe for human consumption, bringing researchers one step closer to developing a psilocybin-based treatment for depression.

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The tiny desert community that could hold the secret to how language first spread

Researchers are hoping a remote Aboriginal community can help them unlock the secrets of language.

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Rainbow Eucalyptus–The Most Colorful Tree on Earth

These trees may look like they've been painted on, but these colors are all natural. This peculiar tree is called Eucalyptus deglupta, commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus, and also known as the Mindanao Gum, or the Rainbow Gum. The multi-coloured streaks on its trunk comes from patches of outer bark that are shed annually at different times, showing the bright-green inner bark.

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This Type of Chocolate May Help Prevent Depression

New research finds that dark chocolate could reduce the risk of depression.

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Elon Musk says Las Vegas tunnel will hopefully be operational in 2020

Elon Musk said that Las Vegas is "hopefully" getting a fully operational underground commercial tunnel in 2020.

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The five biggest space failures of 2019

2019 was the shot. 2020 is the chaser.

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We know contact with nature makes you feel better. Can virtual contact do the same?

The positive effects of spending time with nature on psychological wellbeing and health are well documented. However, not everyone can enjoy a trip to a green-space.

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Paul Krugman on climate, robots, single-payer, and so much more

The Nobel prize-winning economist explains it all.

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Artificial Intelligence Identifies Previously Unknown Features Associated with Cancer Recurrence

December 27, 2019 — Artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Japan has successfully found features in pathology images from human cancer patients, without annotation, that could be understood by human doctors.

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Sky shepherds: the farmers using drones to watch their flocks by flight

For some farmers in New Zealand, Britain and Australia, drones are not just a toy – they’re an increasingly vital tool

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3D Printing Is Going to Reshape Retail in These 4 Ways

3D printing can create a product from almost any material at mass scale, generating large quantities while individually tailoring each product to consumers.

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Chimpanzees Sway, Clap Their Hands When They Hear Music

While the chimps didn't match the beat, it's an indication they respond instinctively to sounds.

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The Oldest Known Tattoo Art Found in Egyptian Mummy

Scientists discovered the world’s oldest known tattoo art on an ancient Egyptian mummy exhibited at the British Museum for 100 years. Previously, academics and museum visitors saw only pale and dark spots on the right arm of the mummified man. However, recent infrared research has revealed that the marks are actually tattoos depicting two animals, a giant wild bull and a wild North African goat-like creature.

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The 15 most awe-inspiring space images of the decade

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Europe's Mars lander passes parachute test

Ground tests designed to validate the deployment of the parachutes that will be used on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars lander next year have started well at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. ESA’s ExoMars 2020 mission consists of the UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover, which will look for signs of past or present life, and the Russian Kazachok surface platform, which will monitor the local environment at the landing site.

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Will Elon Musk’s Solar Panels Blanket America? They Probably Should.

This might be where Elon Musk is best able to make a lasting mark.

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How Microbiomes Affect Fear

New studies help to explain how microbes in the gut can shape a host’s fear responses.

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Boeing documents show 'very disturbing picture' about the 737 MAX

Boeing provided new documents to federal investigators that 'point to a very disturbing picture' about the 737 MAX aircraft. CEO Dennis Muilenburg resigned on Monday.

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U.S. tests ways to sweep space clean of radiation after nuclear attack

The U.S. military thought it had cleared the decks when, on 9 July 1962, it heaved a 1.4-megaton nuclear bomb some 400 kilometers into space: Orbiting satellites were safely out of range of the blast. But in the months that followed the test, called Starfish Prime, satellites began to wink out one by one, including the world’s first communications satellite, Telstar. There was an unexpected aftereffect: High-energy electrons, shed by radioactive debris and trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, were fritzing out the satellites’ electronics and solar panels.

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Why your cat is lousy at chess yet way smarter than even the most advanced AI

If you share your home with a dog or a cat, look at it carefully and you will get a good overview of everything we don’t know how to do in artificial intelligence. “But my cat does nothing all day except sleep, eat and wash herself,” you may think.

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Scientists Likely Found Way To Grow New Teeth For Patients

Tooth loss is an unfortunate health condition that people all over the world can suffer from. Whether from decay, gum disease, or fractures, you can experience tooth loss in a variety of ways. But what if there was a way to grow back those lost teeth?

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Scientists attempt to recreate 'Overview effect' from Earth

The spectacle of Earth suspended in space was so overwhelming for Edgar Mitchell that the Apollo 14 astronaut and sixth man on the moon wanted to grab politicians by the scruff of the neck and drag them into space to witness the view. Such drastic measures may not be necessary, however. Scientists are about to welcome the first participants on an unprecedented clinical trial that aims to reproduce the intense emotional experience, known as the “Overview effect”, from the comfort of a health spa.

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Diving and driving on icy moons: One strategy for exploring Enceladus and Europa

Over the past 60 years, NASA has explored the solar system from the sun to the Kuiper belt. While many of these missions, especially those beyond Saturn, have been one-shot flybys, others have charted many of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn extensively by repeated orbital passes.

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Photos Of How People Will Look Like in 2100

A company has created a 3D model of a future human, based on some of these scientific predictions - and the result is truly horrifying.

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Astronomers are wondering whether Orion's shoulder will soon explode

The dramatic dimming of a giant star has astronomers wondering whether it's getting ready to go supernova. If Betelgeuse, the shoulder on the left side in the constellation Orion, were to explode, it would become as bright as a full moon.

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Pentagon warns against military service members using Ancestry, 23andMe kits

Citing the risk of inaccurate or unreliable health results.

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Famed supergiant star Betelgeuse will explode some day, and it's acting weird right now

One of the brightest stars in the sky makes up Orion's shoulder and also looks to be on the verge of going supernova sometime between today and 100,000 years from today.

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Are low-carb diets good for you? Sustainability and health benefits of carbs

A low-carb diet is bad for both your health and the planet, unless it's plant-based. Studies show that 50% of your calories shoud come from carbs.

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New engine tech could get us to Mars faster

Nasa wants to send humans to Mars one day, but do we have the engines to get us there?

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300m-year-old fossil is early sign of creatures caring for their young

Fossil found in Canada suggests pair were curled up together in a den when they died

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We live in testing times, but there are many reasons to be optimistic

As a new decade dawns, we should embrace a cautious optimism, rooted in facts and belief in human ingenuity

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World 'faces 80% calorie increase by 2100'

The amount of food needed to feed the world's population by the end of the century could increase by almost 80%, a study suggests.

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3 internet language trends from 2019, explained

As the year winds down, we'll get you up to speed. Plus, there's no better way to kill a trend than to bring it up at the dinner table in front of your kids.

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Scientists Gene-Edited Tomatoes to Make Them Grow Like Grapes

Look for them on the Mars menu someday.

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Next on California's roads: Autonomous pizza delivery trucks

California gives a green light to companies testing driverless delivery vehicles.

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Lyudmila from Chernobyl speaks for first time

The 'real' Lyudmila Ignatenko from the HBO/Sky Chernobyl series speaks for the first time about her life during and after the nuclear disaster.

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Warp speeds in 'Star Trek' are achingly slow, and a simple animation by a former NASA scientist proves it

The animation shows how long it takes the starship Enterprise in "Star Trek" to reach Pluto at warp factors that break the known laws of physics.

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Our Attitude Toward Aliens Proves We Still Think We’re Special

One summer’s day in 1950, the great Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi was having lunch with the physicists Edward Teller, Emil Konopinski, and Herbert York at Los Alamos when the conversation turned to a flood of recent UFO sightings all over the United States. There were also, coincidentally, reports of trashcans going missing in New York City at the time.

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