Over the last few million years, humans and many other animal lineages have evolved larger brains – but why? Recent research from Dr. Michael Muthukrishna and colleagues suggests the development of socially transmitted behaviours within populations, or “culture”, may be a driving force behind this trend. They coined this theory the
How old should one be to watch Harry Potter? What about The Hunger Games? Or Transformers? So far, age ratings for movies depended on subjective opinions. However, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz suggested that we could base the age classification on the isoprene concentration in
Recent research from Durham University has identified a promising new method of malarial detection, that may assist or even replace current laboratory methods – sniffer dogs.
Would you kill one person to save five people? With the increasing popularity of self-driving cars, the famous ‘trolley problem’ has turned from a philosophical riddle into a real issue awaiting a solution.
Recent research from Stanford University has shed light on a phenomenon: liquid water stored in pockets within solid ice. This discovery has important implications for predicting sea level rises under climate change – rises that will impact the lives of billions of people.
World War II is widely known to be the most devastating and deadly war in the history of mankind. However, the study of its impacts beyond Earth is very recent and could play a major role in improving modern technologies. In a study published last month, professor of astrophysics Chris
While all-you-can-eat buffets always sound like a great idea, our bad choices can quickly turn them into much-more-than-you-can-eat sources of stomach aches and guilt. How do we choose between a juicy burger and mouth-watering lasagne? How do we figure out how much of this tempting apple pie is enough? Neuroscientists
Baeless, faved and yaas – if you use Twitter, you will have already seen some of these newly created words. But where do they come from?
“…I know they seem a little narcissistic, but they’re actually a really good person...” – maybe not, states recent research from the University of Copenhagen, which identifies a common denominator across many malevolent human behaviours: a dark core.
Recent research from the University of York gives an insight into the night-time pollination activities of moths. A pollination service that may be of great ecological importance, which has been overlooked, until now.
A quick tour of who’s who and what’s what in this year’s greatest scientific achievements
James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo’s research may save many lives