This week’s SciShow news brings you discoveries involving two of the most exotic substances on Earth – the world’s rarest element and the world’s oldest water. Two great tastes that taste great together?
When art meets neuroscience, strange things happen.
Hank gives you the facts on stem cells – what they are, what they’re good for, where they come from, and how they’re used in medicine.
Does size really matter? It’s an age old question that finally has a scientific answer! Watch this DNews video as Trace tackles the HUGE-ly debated topic
There are a lot of ways to kill and be killed in the animal kingdom, but only a lucky few use the powers of venom. Not all are closely related, so how did they acquire the same defenses, where did venom come from, and how does it work? And what animals can kill you the most quickly?
Humans drew the short end of the toothbrush when it comes to our pearly whites’ longevity. Other animals such as reptiles and fish frequently lose and replace their teeth by growing new ones, but people are stuck with the same set of mature adult teeth their entire lives. If they lose a tooth–or all 32–dentures are usually the only option.
Some lucky animals are naturally endowed with bioluminescence, or the ability to create light. The firefly, the anglerfish, and a few more surprising creatures use this ability in many ways, including survival, hunting, and mating. Leslie Kenna investigates this magical glow – and our quest to replicate it.
Ever wondered if humans will ever be able to fly? Does stress really cause grey hair? And what exactly is the tingling feeling in our arms?
Why does music make us feel happy or sad? Or angry or romantic? How can simple sound waves cause so much emotion? I went from my comfy chair to the streets of Austin to investigate how it might be written into our neuroscience and evolution. Modern neuroscience says our brains may be wired to pick certain emotions out of music because they remind us of how people move!
Hank introduces us to 6 blood-drinking (or otherwise consuming) animals that you may not be aware of. Don’t freak out…
Modern psychiatric drugs treat the chemistry of the whole brain, but neurobiologist David Anderson believes in a more nuanced view of how the brain functions. He illuminates new research that could lead to targeted psychiatric medications — that work better and avoid side effects. How’s he doing it? For a start, by making a bunch [...]
The worlds of architecture and scientific illustration collided when Macoto Murayama was studying at Miyagi University in Japan. The two have a great deal in common, as far as the artist’s eye could see; both architectural plans and scientific illustrations are, as he puts it, “explanatory figures” with meticulous attention paid to detail.
Biofuels can provide energy without the reliance on environmentally harmful fossils fuels — but scientists are still searching for a plentiful source. Craig A. Kohn demonstrates how cellulose, the naturally abundant tough walls of plant cells, might be the solution.
We typically think of viruses as harmful. After all, they cause epidemics like influenza, smallpox and AIDS. But bacteriophages, the viruses that kill bacteria, may soon be coming to our rescue. Scientific American editor Anna Kuchment explains.
