Taking the Temperature of Dark Matter
Physicists are using gravitational lensing to take the temperature of dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up about a quarter of our universe.
Strange & Offbeat News
Fighting Opioids With An Unlikely Supplemental Painkiller: Anti-Itch Medicine
Researchers are investigating whether an anti-itch medication that targets a specific part of our nerve cells can make morphine — which targets a different part–more effective. The findings suggest it can.
Foam Offers Way To Manipulate Light (VIDEO)
Scientists have shown that a type of foam long studied by scientists is able to block particular wavelengths of light, a coveted property for next-generation information technology that uses light instead of electricity.
‘Are We Alone?’ Study Refines Which Exoplanets Are Potentially Habitable
Researchers are first to combine 3D climate modeling with atmospheric chemistry to explore the habitability of planets around M dwarf stars, which comprise about 70% of the total galactic population.
A Planet That Should Not Exist
Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict.
An Artificial Skin That Can Help Rehabilitation and Enhance Virtual Reality
EPFL scientists have developed a soft artificial skin that provides haptic feedback and – thanks to a sophisticated self-sensing mechanism – has the potential to instantaneously adapt to a wearer’s movements.
Using Math to Blend Musical Notes Seamlessly (VIDEO)
Algorithm enables one audio signal to glide into another, recreating the ‘portamento’ effect of some musical instruments.
Perception Of Musical Pitch Varies Across Cultures (VIDEO)
How people interpret musical notes depends on the types of music they have listened to.
Did a Common Childhood Illness Take Down the Neanderthals?
A 21st century nuisance for parents may have proved deadly to early man.
Supercomputer Shows ‘Chameleon Theory’ Could Change How We Think About Gravity
Supercomputer simulations of galaxies have shown that Einstein’s theory of General Relativity might not be the only way to explain how gravity works or how galaxies form.
Artificial Nose Identifies Malignant Tissue In Brain Tumours During Surgery
An artificial nose developed at Tampere University, Finland, helps neurosurgeons to “sniff out” and better identify cancerous tissue during surgery and enables the more precise excision of tumours.
Beyond Queen’s Stomp-Stomp-Clap: Concerts and Computer Science Converge In New Research
New research suggests how to get large numbers of people engaged in participating during a live performance like a concert — or a lecture — and channel that energy for a sustained time period.
Phantom Sensations: When The Sense Of Touch Deceives
A new Bielefeld University study shows how, without being aware of it, healthy people sometimes mis-attribute touch to the wrong side or even a completely different part of their body.
Coal could yield treatment for traumatic injuries
Graphene quantum dots drawn from common coal may be the basis for an effective antioxidant for people who suffer traumatic brain injuries, strokes or heart attacks.
Water That Never Freezes
Can water reach minus 263 degrees Celsius without turning into ice? Yes it can, say researchers, if it is confined in nanometer-scale lipid channels.