Aug 13 Why are so many lullabies also murder ballads? By Jenny Marder Judging by lyrics alone, the lionshare of lullabies are not sweet and soothing; they are dark and creepy and macabre. So why are so many lullabies murder ballads? And as it relates to their primary function -- to lull the… Continue reading
Aug 12 NASA’s carbon dioxide imaging mission shows first sign of success By Anna Christiansen A NASA spacecraft dedicated to measuring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has achieved final orbit, producing its first science data this week. Continue reading
Aug 12 Panda triplets born in China By Andrew Troast Chinese zoo officials in the southern city of Guangzhou’s Chimelong Safari Park have officially announced the birth of extremely rare panda triplets. Continue reading
Aug 12 Robin Williams’ death rekindles questions about creativity and depression By Colleen Shalby Williams is not the only creative genius to have suffered from depression. That much is clear from history. Continue reading
Aug 10 Study: More coffee may prevent your ears from ringing By Xander Landen Drinking coffee may prevent tinnitus, or chronic ringing of the ears, according to new research from Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston. Doctors previously thought that people with tinnitus should give up drinking coffee, in fear that caffeine may increase… Continue reading
Aug 08 IBM Researchers develop processor modeled after the human brain By Charles Pulliam-Moore Using the same kind of silicon used to make traditional computer chips, the “neurosynaptic processor” is designed to distribute various computing functions associated with memory storage and communicating across more than 4,000 individual cores. When linked together, the chips… Continue reading
Aug 08 Fish exposed to anti-anxiety meds live longer, better lives By Dave Sloan A study released on Friday revealed that young fish live longer after they are exposed to anti-anxiety medicine concentrated in sewage runoffs. Continue reading
Aug 08 Scientists launch technology that can change the weather … in your photos By Travis Daub After analyzing thousands of webcam snapshots of landscapes in various weather conditions, computer scientists at Brown University have developed a system that can automatically change the appearance of weather in nearly any outdoor photo. Continue reading
Aug 07 Astronomers discover 2.6 million light-year bridge between galaxies By Justin Scuiletti A team of astronomers and students have discovered a stream of hydrogen gas in space that is the largest known to date -- and dwarfs our own galaxy in comparison. Continue reading
Aug 07 Ten-year astronaut sleep study reveals widespread use of sleeping pills in space By Anna Christiansen According to the longest sleep study ever conducted in space, astronauts’ use of sleeping pills, like ambien, is extremely high. The decade-long study also revealed space-farers are chronically sleep deficient while in orbit, and during the period leading up to… Continue reading