Newly discovered “nano-chameleon” fits atop your fingertip
In the northern regions of Madagascar, scientists have discovered the smallest reptile species known to humankind: the Brookesia nana, also known as the nano-chameleon. The tiny specimen is unlike any reptile you’ve ever seen, with its entire body being able to fit on the top of a fingertip. Read More...
Study: Exercise prompts muscles to fight inflammation on their own
That exercise is good for the body in all kinds of ways is a given, but researchers are only just uncovering a rather surprising effect that exercise has on muscles. Apparently, exercise prompts muscle cells to fight off inflammation on their own. Scientists at Duke University have been Read More...
Science Moms: This group is rallying mothers to become climate activists
As a climate scientist and a mother, Emily Fischer says it can be hard to study climate change because the data feels “very real” to her. She thinks about our climate timeline in terms of her own kids, knowing that the estimated 10 years or less that we have to perform a massive shift in the Read More...
Amputees perceive their legs as too heavy, but scientists have a solution
Despite the fact that prosthetic legs are usually less than half the weight of a natural limb, leg amputees often perceive their prosthesis as too heavy. This is due to the loss of sensory feedback that amputees suffer from. In order to restore sensory feedback and help amputees perceive their Read More...
5 Evidence-backed ways to feel happier in hard times
As coronavirus pandemic trudges onward to a backdrop of political antics, you may be finding yourself looking at the post-pandemic future as a time where happiness can be experienced again. But there’s a problem with deferring happiness to the future—after all, all we got is the present. Read More...
A paralyzed man just fed himself using thought-controlled robotic hands
It’s been decades since Robert “Buz” Chmielewski could properly move his arms. A surfing accident robbed him of this ability as a teenager, causing him to be paralyzed from the neck down. But now, over 30 years since the accident, Chmielewski was able to cut food and serve himself thanks to a Read More...
How a biologist and a composer are making music from the northern lights
While you may be familiar with the natural phenomenon known as the northern lights (aurora borealis), did you know there’s an audio element to this brilliant light show? When humans see those sweeping green and violet lights over the Arctic sky, what we’re actually seeing are collisions Read More...
2020: Scientists discover world’s ugliest orchid and other plant species
While orchids are known as some of the most beautiful flowers in the world, scientists have discovered a new species of orchid that does not live up to its family’s reputation. In fact, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (RGB Kew) are calling it the “ugliest in the world.” Read More...
Tweet tweet! Study finds birds are linked to happiness levels
If you find yourself happier around singing birds, you’re not alone. A new study from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research indicates being around greater bird biodiversity is actually linked to greater happiness levels amongst people. To come to this conclusion, the Read More...
15-year-old inventor named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’
For 92 years, Time Magazine has finished the year off by presenting a “Person of the Year” on its front cover. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg graced the magazine’s front cover last year, becoming the youngest ever to do so at the age of 16. This year, Time wanted to recognize “the Read More...