Scientists hunting for amino acids in the giant dust cloud at the center of the Milky Way were surprised to discover ethyl formate, a chemical that smells like rum and gives raspberries their unique taste. picked by Bingo 1 month ago

Even as a "threadhead", I never understood just how these machines make stitches. Here is an article with VERY good animations of how it happens! picked by bcgrote 1 month ago

This is just going to be a light-hearted thread about things that science can't explain. picked by Bornbad 1 month ago

In the largest study of its kind, more than 4000 prostate cancer patients were tracked. Findings from the study show that aggressive cancer requiring surgery has a certain protein indicator. More than 60% of the patients lacked the indicator and could be treated with careful monitoring. picked by bernardblack 1 month ago

Beat the defenseless into the hopeless. picked by Bornbad 1 month ago

Meet Buttkiss, the black pacu who has eaten more than 175,000 fish during his residence in Queens. picked by suebe 1 month ago

Since man first touched the moon and brought pieces of it back to Earth, scientists have thought that the lunar surface was bone dry. But new observations from three different spacecraft have put this notion to rest with what has been called "unambiguous evidence" of water across the surface of the moon. picked by Bornbad 1 month ago

Researchers say they have found a small but statistically significant increase in the number of patients who die each year when junior doctors start work. picked by suckersklub 2 months ago

Do you ever wonder why dogs sniff each other’s butts? Whether it is a new acquaintance or old one, they meet up and immediately run to the rear. Most people believe it is their way of saying “hello.“ However, this is a myth. Dogs sniff each other’s butts for a much deeper reason - to get to know one another. picked by Bornbad 2 months ago

Here's a look at how other developed countries provide and pay for healthcare compared with the U.S. system, based on the most recent information available. picked by Bornbad 2 months ago

Everyone knows too much beer can cause brain damage — but did you know alcohol might actually help cure it too? picked by suebe 2 months ago

We've been looking at other planets through telescopes for four centuries. But if you really want to get to know a place, there's no substitute for being there. And in the past decade, more than 20 spacecraft have ventured into the deepest reaches of our solar system.*check out Photo Gallery* picked by Bornbad 2 months ago

A new ghostshark species has been identified off the coast of Southern California, and it’s darker and weirder than any shark we know. The purplish black ancient relative of the modern shark comes packed with a suite of odd features that give its taxonomical family the name chimaera, after the mythical beast made from the parts of many animals. picked by equinox 2 months ago

The main premise of the New Agers is that our thoughts create our reality—positive or negative. So, by extension, our thoughts make us sick or well. On an elementary level, that seems easy enough to accept. After all, we all know people who are stuck in a quagmire of self-pity, depression, and anger who exhibit physical symptoms that mirror their mental state picked by Bingo 2 months ago

It is supposed to the happiest news a couple can get, especially a couple who have difficulty conceiving and carrying babies. The in vitro fertilization procedure had been a success: Carolyn Savage was pregnant. picked by nateebiinature 2 months ago

The New York State Health Department is now requiring mandatory seasonal and swine flu vaccinations for all hospital, home health and hospice workers. No other state or city agency in America has such a requirement, and a coalition of local health care workers unions are considering filing a lawsuit to block it. picked by suebe 2 months ago

At MIT, an experiment identifies which students are gay, raising new questions about online privacy. picked by suebe 2 months ago

Scientists have found another reason for Mars appearing red. For a long time scientists hypothesized that it must be 'rust' coloring, but they now have an alternate explanation. picked by Ankabout 2 months ago

A three-pronged approach to treating spinal cord injuries allowed paralyzed rats to walk without receiving signals from the brain. picked by proverb 2 months ago

Right from the start of modern evolutionary science, why humans are hairless has been controversial. "No one supposes," wrote Charles Darwin in The Descent of Man, "that the nakedness of the skin is any direct advantage to man: his body, therefore, cannot have been divested of hair through natural selection." picked by kakana 2 months ago

As if bushfires, drought and floods aren't enough, Australians have now been warned to watch out for volcanoes.
A scientist has warned an eruption is "well overdue" and says there are hundreds of volcanoes that could cause trouble, from South Australia and Victoria through to Queensland. picked by kakana 2 months ago

Just as humans speak louder in noisy locations, great tits likely avoid low-pitched tones so that their calls will carry further, said the researchers, who will present their findings at an Ornithological Society of Japan's conference that began on Saturday in the Hokkaido Prefecture city of Hakodate. picked by kakana 2 months ago

If you pop the head off a dandelion, white sap oozes freely from the wound for about a second.
But if you pop the head off the genetically engineered variety, the sap oozes for minutes, producing five times more latex than from the average dandelion. picked by kakana 2 months ago

Most people can see and most textbooks point out the evolutionary similarity between a human arm, a dolphin's fin, and horse's leg. Insect legs, lacking bones are far different. Both type of limbs evolved independently of each other. However scientists are finding there is more homogeneity between the two evolutionary paths and similar seemingly disparate features than we thought. picked by 2manyusernames 2 months ago

Are you taking a daily aspirin or multivitamin to stay healthy? Avoiding eggs and choosing no-cholesterol margarine over butter? Convinced that jogging will ultimately kill your knees? Advice that was once considered gospel truth among the medical community is now being questioned. picked by Bornbad 2 months ago