Surprising Science

Watch Jupiter “Kiss” the Moon Tonight

Tonight, night sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere can see Jupiter pass less than a finger’s width away from the waxing Moon

January 21, 2013

A Lucky Two Percent of People Have a Gene for Stink-Free Armpits

But a new study finds most of them still use deodorant

January 18, 2013

Researchers Discover New Method of Barnacle Sex

Upending 150 years of theory, scientists observed that some barnacles can capture sperm from the water for reproduction

January 17, 2013

New Study Suggests Crabs Can Feel Pain After All

Most of us assume that crustaceans can’t feel pain—but new research suggests otherwise

January 16, 2013

Plants Flower Nearly a Month Earlier Than They Did A Century Ago

In 2012, many plants in the eastern U.S. flowered earlier than in any other year on record

January 16, 2013

NASA Drones to Study Stratosphere for Climate Change Clues

On Friday, the agency will send an unmanned aircraft 65,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean to gather data for use in climate change modeling

January 16, 2013

Hair and Eye Color Can Now Be Determined for Ancient Human Skeletons

A new method based on DNA forensics can tell us about the appearances of those who lived long ago

January 15, 2013

Long-Term Marijuana Use Could Have Zero Effect on IQ

Last summer, a study found that long-term cannabis use reduced cognitive skills. A new study seems to say the opposite

January 14, 2013

Communication Towers Are Death Traps for Threatened Bird Species

Nearly 7 million North American birds - including 13 threatened species - lose their lives through tower collisions each year

January 14, 2013

Scorchingly Hot 2012 Riddled With Extreme Weather

Drought, heatwaves, cyclones—even a tornado in Hawaii—mark last year as one filled with record-breaking severe weather

January 11, 2013

A Breathalyzer Test for Bacterial Infections

A new approach to detecting lung infections could be faster and less invasive

January 11, 2013

Video: Tiny Artificial Muscles Dance Like Mexican Jumping Beans

MIT scientists have created thin polymer sheets that expand and contract when in contact with water, lifting several times their weight

January 10, 2013

Drill, Baby, Drill: Sponges Bore Into Shells Twice as Fast in Acidic Seawater

In acidic water, drilling sponges damage scallops twice as quickly, worsening the effects of ocean acidification

January 10, 2013

Is Climate Change Strengthening El Niño?

New research on Pacific corals that trace climate patterns back 7,000 years shows how recent El Niños compare with those of the past

January 9, 2013

Proven: Pruney Fingers Give You a Better Grip

A new study shows that when our fingers get wrinkly, they’re better at gripping wet objects

January 9, 2013

Could Diet Soda Cause Clinical Depression?

A new study suggests a link, but it’s important to remember the difference between causation and correlation

January 8, 2013

What’s Inside a 2,000-Year-Old, Shipwreck-Preserved Roman Pill?

Ancient Roman pills, preserved in sealed tin containers on the seafloor, may have been used as eye medicine

January 7, 2013

Determined Fish Climb Waterfalls With Special Sucker Mouths

One goby species in Hawaii uses its suction-cup mouth for both feeding and scaling walls, presenting an evolutionary chicken-or-egg conundrum

January 7, 2013

A 2.1 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Reveals Water on Mars

Chemical analysis shows that the meteorite, discovered in Morocco, contains ten times as much water as any Martian rock previously studied

January 3, 2013

Bonobos Offer Banana Bribes for Friendship

Chimpanzees will sooner kill than share food, but bonobos will sacrifice some of their own goods for the pleasure of interacting with strangers

January 2, 2013