A TV advert paid for by an oil industry lobbyist telling Americans "more CO2 results in a greener earth" would be almost funny if it weren't so depressing picked by blindworld 3 weeks ago

Yesterday the discovery of 32 new extrasolar planets was announced, bringing the total number we know of to over 400 and making 2009 the most successful year to date for planet hunting. picked by Mithridates 3 weeks ago

Just about every month -- if not every week -- a new study emerges touting the health benefits to be gained from a daily glass of wine or a pint of dark beer. picked by blindworld 3 weeks ago

Scientists have discovered another vegetarian spider and have named it Bagheera kiplingi (named after the panther in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book). I think Bagheera badbudi would be a better choice :D picked by suebe 3 weeks ago

Plants soak up an incredible amount of sunlight, absorbing 95% of its energy. Amazingly they do this with very little loss of sunlight as heat because they manage to convert the light into carbohydrates in one million billionths of a second. How plants manage this feat has been a mystery. A possible answer has now been found and it opens up new mysteries. picked by 2manyusernames 3 weeks ago

Jupiter's moon, Europa has ocean water twice as much as all of the Earth. New evidence indicates that not only is there enough oxygen to support microorganisms but perhaps even enough to support greater lifeforms. The time it will take to unlock this oxygen is a good sign for eventual life as it gives time for organisms to evolve protection against oxygen's harmful effects. picked by bernardblack 3 weeks ago

I wash my hands in scalding hot water, just so everyone knows that they're clean. Nothing says "this dude's hands are CLEAN" like Lobster-hands! picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

A Satanic leaf-tailed gecko, a type of lizard that can camouflage itself to resemble a shrivelled autumn leaf, has been captured on camera in a stunning image. picked by ITC518 3 weeks ago

For as long as human hair has turned gray, elders have looked at their successors and frowned. "Children nowadays are tyrants," goes an old quotation widely attributed to Socrates. "They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers." picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

Can you tell if a man is dangerous by the shape of his mug? picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

Not the base, the 527-foot former missile tracking ship. It was sunk off the Florida Keys to create a reef...And critters are moving in. picked by maven 3 weeks ago

An electromagnetic black hole has been created for the first time. It works at microwave frequencies but it is expected to be able to eventually catch visible light as well. This would open up new possibilities for solar power cells. picked by 2manyusernames 3 weeks ago

The Catlin Arctic Survey was working with the World Wildlife Fund, and the WWF warns, "This could lead to flooding affecting one-quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes." picked by suebe 3 weeks ago

If we see a person first in a good light, it is difficult subsequently to darken that light.


*does this halo make my butt look big?* picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

Brain signals have shown that calves do appear to feel pain when slaughtered according to Jewish and Muslim religious law, strengthening the case for adapting the practices to make them more humane. picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

A search through decades-old frozen infant stool samples has yielded rich dividends for scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases picked by Bornbad 3 weeks ago

A crow-sized reptile sporting a lengthy tail likely soared through the skies some 160 million years ago, snatching feathered dinosaurs and tiny flying mammals from the air, suggest fossils of a newly identified pterosaur. picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago

The frenzy is building over mostly Western generated misinformation regarding the Mayan calendar.

The Maya have more important things to worry about, like rain. picked by jhordie 4 weeks ago

There's only one place left in this world that hasn't been explored, and it is guaranteed to teach us more than the rest of the planet has ever told us. It's the bottom. picked by Pazez 4 weeks ago

A Gömböc is a strange thing. It looks like an egg with sharp edges, and when you put it down it starts wriggling and rolling around with an apparent will of its own. picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago

The first video of the series, which demonstrates how a high-magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault would impact Southern California. (Hint: It’s not good.) picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago

A large number of short discussions on history. Read them or listen to them, but learn something how our culture is formed by human creativity. Click above link or this link to search by keywords all previous episodes. picked by 2manyusernames 4 weeks ago

Be careful about your 'shrooms! picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago

An oxygen-depleted "dead zone" the size of New Jersey (well, figures!) is starving sea life near the coast of Oregon and Washington. picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago

NASA has recalculated the trajectory of asteroid Apophis and concluded that Bruce Willis can stand down from a state of doom-body-busting readiness. picked by Bornbad 4 weeks ago