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Could There Be More Smallpox Samples Still Out There Somewhere?
The FDA found mysterious old vials labeled “variola” and determined that they did indeed contain the smallpox virus
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Astronauts Took Pictures of Typhoon Neoguri—And It Looks Huge, Even From Space
Even from space, Neoguri looks huge
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You May Have Been Eating Mushrooms That Were Unknown to Science
Scientists just discovered three new species of mushroom… in a London shop
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Gliese 581g, the First Exoplanet Found That May Have Been Able to Host Life, Doesn’t Actually Exist
So long Gliese 581g, the potentially habitable exoplanet that never was
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There’s a Cheap And Easy Way to Turn Things Invisible
Real invisibility cloaks are a long way off, but here’s a handy—if somewhat limited—replacement
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Titan’s Ocean Might Be as Salty as the Dead Sea
New data from the Cassini mission shows that the ocean under Titan’s ice shell is likely very salty
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These Amazing Pictures Made the Shortlist For Astronomy Photographer of the Year
The competition, now in it’s sixth year highlights beautiful images of the sky from around the world
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Africa’s Ongoing Ebola Outbreak Is the Worst the World Has Ever Seen
Since February there have been 544 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
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Flatten Out the Moons and Planets, And You Can See Just How Big Earth Actually Is
Comparing their surface areas side-by-side gives a sense of scale to some of the solar system’s inhabitants
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Here Comes Hurricane Arthur—the First Storm of the Season
Hurricane Arthur won’t be particularly strong, but a storm on Independence Day isn’t great news
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Malaria Parasites Might Make Their Infected Hosts Smell Tastier for Mosquitoes
So far, the finding has only been shown in mice
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What Scientists Thought Was a Single Species Is Actually 126-Plus
One species of lichen, genetic sequencing revealed, was many, many, many species
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High-Ranking Male Biology Professors Train Significantly Fewer Female Students
This might help explain why fewer women than men go on to hold biology professorships
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Here’s How You Should Actually Go About Comforting a Depressed Friend
Optimism and well-wishes are not necessarily the best way to show a suffering friend that you care
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Cuckoos Don’t Sneak Into Other Birds’ Nests—They Barge Right In
Cuckoos don’t just make other bird’s raise their young, they lay their eggs while the other bird is in the nest
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What If There’s a Way to Explain Quantum Physics Without the Probabilistic Weirdness?
An old idea is back in vogue as physicists find support for “pilot wave theory,” a competitor to quantum mechanics
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Facebook’s Mood-Manipulation Study Wasn’t Nice But It Also Wasn’t Very Good Science
Facebook tried to deliberately change the moods of some of its users
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The Experience of Almost Dying Is Surprisingly Calm
People who have had near-death experiences report that they are quite peaceful.
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Some Chimps Are Putting Grass in Their Ears For No Particular Reason
Some chimp are creating their own “ear accoutrements,” perhaps the animal equivalent of a fashion statement.
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Longer Prison Sentences Make Incarceration More “Contagious”
When people receive prison sentences about 17 months or longer, their peers become significantly more likely to be locked up
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