Scientists have created a self-flying glider that uses machine learning to navigate rising air currents, in an experiment that could help our understanding of how birds migrate. Soaring birds ride warm air passages known as…
Posts tagged science
Crows ‘reverse engineer’ tools from memory: study
New Caledonian crows use mental pictures to twist twigs into hooks and make other tools, according to a provocative study that suggests the notoriously clever birds pass on successful designs to future generations, a hallmark…
Sweet tooth? Brain-tinkering study makes sugar taste vile
Have you ever been on a diet and wished that spinach excited your tastebuds? Or that chocolate left you cold? Neuroscientists said Wednesday they have discovered how to manipulate the brain to make sweet things…
Octopus skin inspires versatile new camouflage material
The octopus is a master of disguise because it can stretch, bend and make its skin take on new shapes. Inspired by these intelligent cephalopods, researchers said Thursday they have invented a new kind of…
Controversial DNA research sparks ethical debate
Scientific techniques that can wipe out invasive species or alter mosquitoes’ ability to carry disease are pushing ahead, raising concerns about the ethics of permanently changing the natural world, experts say. This fast-moving field of…
Quest for new antibiotics gets right up your nose
Biologists on the hunt for new medicines to fight a growing epidemic of drug resistance said Wednesday they found an antibiotic in an unexpected place — the human nose. The promising compound is produced by…
Big-brained mammals more likely to go extinct: study
Mammals with large brains tend to be smarter but they also face a greater chance today of going extinct, according to a study published Wednesday. Scientists have long known that having oodles of grey matter…
What happens when you ‘crack’ your knuckles and is it safe?
New research tackles one of life’s great mysteries: What causes a knuckle to ‘crack’ out loud when cracking your knuckles? … Sound science of cracking your knuckles Research presented at the annual meeting of the…
New step toward making painkillers from yeast
A team of US scientists said Thursday they have taken an important step toward engineering painkillers from yeast, a process that has raised both hope and concern worldwide. The report in the US journal Science…
What we didn’t know about penis anatomy
Diane Kelly, a comparative biologist that studies anatomy, shares that there are basic facts about the human body that we’re still learning. During her talk at TEDMED, Kelly delved into how a mammalian penile erection…