A New Explanation for One of the Strangest Occurrences in Nature — Ball Lightning

Explanations for how ball lightning is formed are even more diverse than its physical characteristics.

Continue reading...

Insufficient sleep could be adding to your waistline

Adults in the UK who have poor sleep patterns are more likely to be overweight and obese and have poorer metabolic health, according to a new study. The findings showed that people who were sleeping on average around six hours a night had a waist measurement that was 3cm greater than individuals who were getting nine hours of sleep a night. And shorter sleepers were heavier too.

Continue reading...

Is There a Place in America Where People Speak Without Accents?

Newscasters and Stephen Colbert seem to think so.

Continue reading...

No, Facebook Did Not Panic And Shut Down An AI Program That Was Getting Dangerously Smart

In recent weeks, a story about experimental Facebook machine learning research has been circulating with increasingly panicky, Skynet-esque headlines....

Continue reading...

Mathematicians Bridge Finite-Infinite Divide

A surprising new proof is helping to connect the mathematics of infinity to the physical world.

Continue reading...

After Delays, SpaceX and Boeing Aim to Launch Astronauts Next Year

Back in 2014, SpaceX and Boeing both received contracts under NASA's Commercial Crew Development program to build spacecraft that could carry astronauts to the International Space Station. The program is intended to allow NASA to launch astronauts on American spacecraft again, something that hasn't happened since the last flight of the space shuttle in 2011.

Continue reading...

Study finds parallels between unresponsive honey bees, autism in humans

Honey bees that consistently fail to respond to obvious social cues share something fundamental with autistic humans, researchers report in a new study. Genes most closely associated with autism spectrum disorders in humans are regulated differently in unresponsive honey bees than in their more responsive nest mates, the study found.

Continue reading...