2+ day, 18+ hour ago   (1390+ words) One of the most popular explanations of human behavior has been that somewhere beneath our rational mind lurks an ancient “lizard brain”—a primitive evolutionary holdover responsible for instinct, emotion, fear, and aggression. There is just one problem. Neuroscientists have…...

3+ day, 20+ hour ago   (1018+ words) For more than a decade, scientists have known that strange bacteria living in aquatic mud can conduct electricity along distances thousands of times longer than a single bacterial cell. Such long-range electrical conduction should be extraordinarily difficult for a living…...

4+ day, 17+ hour ago   (429+ words) The Debrief A New Organism’s “Alien” Reproduction, Levitation and Dark Matter, and Genetic Evidence of an Ancient Killer This week in stories we’re covering at The Debrief… Scientists say they have discovered an organism whose behavior mirrors the reproductive horror…...

5+ day, 16+ hour ago   (500+ words) Astronomers monitoring an unusual young neutron star report a stellar surprise after years of apparent silence, as the space object has displayed sudden changes in its rotation, including one large event they characterize as a “glitch” that could point to…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago   (730+ words) A small piece of material sits nearly motionless in the dark. However, shine light on it and within seconds it begins to swell at an extraordinary rate. Aim the light differently, and the same material can curl itself into a…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (768+ words) Using the same basic physics based on the familiar hollow tone produced by blowing across an empty bottle, researchers in Switzerland have developed a sound-powered propulsion system that can steer microrobots and even lift tiny machines. In a new study…...

4+ week, 18+ hour ago   (510+ words) Some modern humans may owe their larger body size and greater muscle mass in part to a growth hormone receptor inherited from Neanderthals, according to new research. Scientists say the genetic variant was passed to our ancestors through interbreeding between…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (497+ words) New evidence suggests the structure that holds protons together also dictates the quantum property that separates matter from mysterious antimatter. This property, known as the baryon number, and its related structure—the baryon junction—comprise two elements that lie at…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (284+ words) Scientists in China have developed a new method for regrowing bone after Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head (SONFH), in work that uses a 3D-printed scaffold inspired by coral to overcome inflammation that typically inhibits effective bone repair. In a…...