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Fish in polluted waters have evolved into toxin-resistant super mutants [Evolution]
The Atlantic tomcod that live in the heavily polluted Hudson River have come up with an extreme solution to deal with all the toxins surrounding them: mutate, and mutate fast. But though their super-speedy adaptation has allowed them to survive over th… Continue reading
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Tagged adaptation, biology, Chemicals, Ecology, Environment, evolution, Fb, Fish, hudson river, mutation, Pollution, science, Striped bass, syndicated, Tomcod, tweet
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To defeat ticks, we must first defeat the lizards [Mad Science]
The Western fence lizard was once believed to be our best defense against lyme disease. That’s because ticks carry lyme disease, but lizards carry a lot of ticks. In fact, ticks are so enamored of lizard blood that they basically act as a buffer zone … Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Environment, Fb, Lyme disease, mad science, medicine, syndicated, tweet
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The truth about why things smell bad: Vibrating molecules [Biology]
For over a century, our sense of smell has been explained with the “lock and key” hypothesis, which holds that each odor molecule has a particular shape that allows it to fit into particular smell receptors in the nose. But now a controversial study in… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, drosophila, fruit fly, Odor, olfaction, science, sense of smell, Smell, syndicated, Top
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The Unsung Hero Who Discovered The Double Helix [Secret History]
It’s commonly believed that James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix shape of DNA. But in fact, they based their work on one of their colleagues at King’s College in London – Rosalind Franklin, an x-ray diffraction expert whose image… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Dna, Rosalind franklin, secret history, syndicated, Top
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Parrots hold the evolutionary secret of why we’re left-handed or right-handed [Evolution]
Almost everybody has a dominant hand that they use, but it’s actually a mystery why that is. After all, we can see both of our hands just as well, and there’s no built-in reason why one should work better than the other. But some grabby parrots might h… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, evolution, evolutionary biology, handedness, left-handed, Parrot, Right-handed, science, syndicated
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Study that linked autism and vaccines was "an elaborate fraud" [Bad Science]
British doctor Andrew Wakefield already lost his medical license over his faulty research linking vaccines and autism, but now a new report says his 1998 paper, published in the Lancet, was actually fraudulent.
British journalist Brian Deer was paid by… Continue reading
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Tagged Andrew wakefield, Ap photo, Autism, bad science, biology, Conspiracy nuts, Conspiracy Theories, measles, syndicated, vaccinations
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Asparagus smell — wee progress [Asparagus Smell]
No question is too small for science, and there is a body of research devoted to determining the whos and hows of the asparagus smell of human urine. Here’s a snapshot of said research.
For Marcel Proust, one of the after-effects of eating asparagus, w… Continue reading
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Tagged asparagus, Asparagus Smell, biology, Republished, science, syndicated, Urine
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Why do we describe spicy food as being "hot"? [Food]
Chili peppers are served at the same temperature every other ingredient in a curry. Why, then, do we universally describe them as tasting hot? Mass synesthesia? Or something else?
There are plenty of instances in which people associate unlike things. T… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Curry science, food, Neurology, science, syndicated
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10 Amazing Science Books That Reveal The Wonders Of The Universe [Scifigiftguide]
If you’re looking for a perfect holiday gift for science lovers, consider these ten amazing books. They prove science is awesomer than fiction, and are packed with beautiful pictures too.
On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition by Charles Dar… Continue reading
Posted in books, syndicated
Tagged Astronomy, biology, botany, Charles Darwin, Elements, giftguide, Johannes kepler, NASA, Periodic Table, science, Scifigiftguide, syndicated, time travel, Top
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Everything you need to know about NASA's "completely new form of life" [Io9 Backgrounder]
NASA scientists have just announced the discovery of life fundamentally different from anything else we’ve ever seen before. Here’s what this discovery means for our understanding of biology, the search for extraterrestrial life, and even how this coul… Continue reading
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Tagged alien life, Aliens, biology, Chemistry, Io9 backgrounder, NASA, science, space, syndicated, Top
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Computer Game Makes You a Genetic Scientist
A new online game harnesses the computational power of idle brains to help decipher the origins of genetic diseases.
The game, called Phylo, stands on the shoulders of crowdsourced science giants like the protein-folding game Foldit and the celestial … Continue reading
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Tagged biology, citizen science, medicine, Miscellaneous, syndicated
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Revolutionary eye implants have restored sight to the blind [Breakthrough]
By tucking high-tech implants inside people’s eyes, researchers in Germany have given three blind people the ability to see.
The implants only work for those suffering from a hereditary condition called retinal dystrophy, which causes the eye’s light … Continue reading
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Tagged biology, biotech, Breakthrough, Eye implants, Retinal implants, science, syndicated, tweet
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You have taste receptors in your lungs [Biology]
It sounds like the plot of a Troma flick, but yes, your lungs contain taste receptors. When these receptors encounter bitter compounds, they open up your airways — this discovery could radically improve the treatment of lung conditions like asthma.
T… Continue reading
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Tagged asthma, biology, Fb, lungs, Madscience, medicine, science, syndicated, taste, Tastereceptors
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New evidence that Alzheimer’s disease is infectious [Brains]
Alzheimer’s disease is caused in part by a build-up of protein debris in the brain. Scientists already knew that this protein debris, called amyloid peptides, is infectious. But now it turns out that it’s easier to catch than they thought.
Neurologist… Continue reading
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Tagged Alzheimer's, Beta-amyloid, biology, Brains, Neuroscience, science, syndicated, Top
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The X chromosome is all that stands in the way of our clone army [Mad Science]
A new study published in Science Express shows that by de-activating a gene found in the X chromosome they see a 9-fold increase in cloning efficiency of the adorable mice you see above. The gene is XIST, which normally shuts down one of the two X chro… Continue reading
Biologists reveal why mosquito repellent DEET is doomed to fail [Bug Overlords]
Everyone’s favorite mosquito repellent, DEET, works by making a smell that mosquitoes can’t stand, or by blocking their ability to smell humans, depending on who you ask. But even the greatest repellents won’t stop all mosquitoes. New evidence suggest… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Bug overlords, Insects, mad science, Mosquitoes, science, Smell, syndicated, tweet
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Charles Darwin performed the world’s first terraforming experiment [Mad Science]
Nearly two centuries ago, famed scientists Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker transformed the barren volcanic island of Ascension into a lush artificial ecosystem, unwittingly inventing terraforming. Now, Darwin’s incredible achievement could help us tra… Continue reading
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Tagged Ascension, biology, Charles Darwin, Fb, Joseph hooker, mad science, Mars, science, syndicated, terraforming, tweet
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The smell of freshly-cut grass is actually a plant distress call [Mad Science]
The lovely scent of cut grass is the reek of plant anguish: When attacked, plants release airborne chemical compounds. Now scientists say plants can use these compounds almost like language, notifying nearby creatures who can “rescue” them from insect… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, mad science, Plant biology, Plants, science, syndicated, Top
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Is evolution pushing our DNA towards diabetes? [Evolution]
Eighty DNA variants associated with type-1 diabetes have undergone positive selection, increasing in prevalence over recent generations. Here’s the crazy part – 58 of those variantsincrease the risk of the deadly disease. Why is evolution seemingly out… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Diabetes, evolution, Fb, Genetics, Genomics, science, syndicated, tweet
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Meet your true ancestor: The segmented worm [Evolution]
Segmentation, the replication of anatomical structures throughout the body, is found in many animal species. It’s also a huge reason why all those species succeeded, and it comes from a single common ancestor 600 million years ago.Specifically, segment… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, evolution, Fb, science, Segmentation, syndicated, tweet
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