This male Hetaerina damselfly from the occisa species has red spots at the base and tip of its wings but no black pigmentation.
Why do so many animal species — including fish, birds and insects — display such rich diversity in coloration and other traits? In new research, Gregory Grether, UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary [...]

the Mercury Surface

A NASA spacecraft gliding over the battered surface of Mercury for the second time this year has revealed more previously unseen real estate on the innermost planet. The probe also has produced several science firsts and is returning hundreds of new photos and measurements of the planet’s surface, atmosphere and magnetic field.

  
Teeny Ted from Turnip Town by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s smallest book. Each page measures about 11 by 15 microns:
The Robert Chaplin/SFU Nanobook project was produced using a focused-gallium-ion beam with the assistance of Dr. Li Yang, and Dr. Karen L. Kavanagh of Simon Fraser [...]

Artist’s rendering of viruses. Scientists have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body’s immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells.
Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body’s immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their [...]

The Briz is a concept air conditioner that takes the familiar form of blinds. But instead of just blocking the sun out, when these blinds are open they keep the air inside cool.

Hemigraphis alternata, or purple waffle plant, one of the highest ratedornamentals for removing indoor air pollutants.

Air quality in homes, offices, and other indoor spaces is becoming a major health concern, particularly in developed countries where people often spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Surprisingly, indoor air has been reported to be as much [...]

New data from rats with head-mounted microscopes shed light on how we put the world together seamlessly while we move around.
By building a tiny microscope small enough to be carried around on a rats` head, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, have found a way to study the complex [...]

Body maps in our brain may influence how we perceive our physical bodies — for example, if there is a lot of brain area associated with our right arm, we will view it being as longer compared to our left arm.
There are areas in the brain devoted to our arms, legs, and various parts of [...]

Sitting in Style while Travelling

Dutch designer Erik De Nijs created Suited Case — a collection of four functional suitcases that can be linked together in the form of a couch. His goal was to give travelers a taste of home while away:
This concept came from a research on nostalgia during travelling. When a familiar object [...]

New research confirms that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world’s oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.

In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed [...]

Nazca Lines in the Peruvian Desert.
An ancient South American civilisation which disappeared around 1,500 years ago helped to cause its own demise by damaging the fragile ecosystem that held it in place, a study has found.

 CyberWalk has developed an omni-directional treadmill, which allows humans to walk in any direction yet stay centered on the treadmill. The user should be able to walk seemingly endlessly in any direction without leaving a small room.  Underneath the walking surface is many densely packed small balls which let the friction of the user’s shoes do [...]

Now you SEE me…
Want to rule the office with an iron fist? Well, if that’s the case, you’ll a facial recognition time attendance system, like the CVJB-G107 (pictured above). This device uses a set of digital cameras that can be used in the dark to track the attendance of your employees via facial recognition. The [...]

New research finds that a quick glance at someone’s facial structure may be enough for us to predict their tendency towards aggression.
Angry words and gestures are not the only way to get a sense of how temperamental a person is. According to new findings in Psychological Science, a quick glance at someone’s facial structure may [...]

Splash your way into the future!

What will bathrooms look like in 10 years time? Will it be the boring old room like the ones we currently use? Well, if the Roca Active & Relax Bathroom is anything to go by, the future is looking pretty clean (pun intended). How would you like a giant display [...]

Plowing tractor exhaust into the field, eliminating fertilizer costs
A wheat farmer in Australia has eliminated adding fertilizer to his crop by the simple process of injecting the cooled diesel exhaust of his modified tractor into the ground when the wheat is being sown. In doing so he eliminates releasing carbon into the atmosphere and at [...]

British scientists have developed an anti-snoring jab that they claim can cure noisy snoozing in just two minutes.  The “snoreplasty” involves injecting a chemical called sodium tetradecyl into the roof of the mouth — the two-minute treatment eases snoring by stopping the soft tissue at back of the mouth from vibrating, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.

Start Thinking in 3D!

Samsung’s foray into the AMOLED TV world has yielded this 30″ screen which supports 3D picture (stereoscopic) alongside the traditional full HD resolution view for movie buffs. The panel is painfully thin at a mere 2.5mm, where it was made possible thanks to Samsung’s patented Simultaneous Emission with Active Voltage (SEAV) technology.

Nymphaea lotus.
Approximately 120-130 million years ago, one of the most significant events in the history of the Earth occurred: the first flowering plants, or angiosperms, arose. In the late 1800s, Darwin referred to their development as an “abominable mystery.” To this day, scientists are still challenged by this “mystery” of how angiosperms originated, rapidly diversified, [...]

Researchers have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear. Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a cellular pathway that may explain the link.

A U.S.-Chinese venture is out to prove the benefits of quick-charge buses.
Municipal transit agencies have tried to reduce the carbon footprint of their bus fleets using a range of options over the years, from biofuels and hydrogen to batteries and hybrid-electric diesel. Now a Chinese company and its U.S. partner say that ultracapacitors could offer [...]

In a discovery that could help tackle sleep disorders, scientists found that our internal body clocks are shaped by the weather as well as by the seasons and environmental signals.
 

Heavy users may face a higher risk of developing brain tumours later in life
Long-term use of mobile phones may be linked to some cancers, a landmark international study will conclude later this year.  A £20million, decade-long investigation overseen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) will publish evidence that heavy users face a higher risk of developing [...]

The galaxy cluster named JKCS041 is some 10.2 billion light years away
The furthest galaxy cluster from Earth has been spotted some 10.2 billion light years away.  The group of galaxies, known as JKCS041 has beaten the previous record holder by around a billion light years.  It appears as it was when the Universe was only [...]

Shasta-Trinity fire from space
An omniscient eye in the sky can spot natural and man-made disasters, give advance warning about forest fires, water contamination or an oil slick.  A new Tel Aviv University (TAU) technology combines sophisticated sensors in orbit with ground based sensors to create a “Hyperspectral Remote Sensor” (HRS).