The erupting volcano is the poster-child for classroom science fairs around the world. But as exciting as this timeless do-it-yourself experiment is, when it is not done properly, it can raise serious safety concerns. A working volcano model exploded this week at a science workshop in the city of Kochi, India, sending fragments of paving

A once-in-a-lifetime discovery in Czechia was made by an unusual sort of archaeologist. A dog named Monty, on a walk with his human in March, stumbled across a cache of Bronze Age artefacts in the Orlické Mountains of northeastern Bohemia. His human – one Mr Frankota – rushed over to see what Monty had found

It’s never aliens. That’s the lesson we can all take from the recent mysterious shutdown of the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico – which is about to reopen. The site, which hosts one of the largest active solar telescopes in the world, was shut down on 6 September and evacuated without an official explanation

Celebrities often use their platforms to spread awareness on important issues. But while many of us have become numb to their warnings, there’s something about Harrison Ford that makes people sit up and listen. Maybe it’s the cult following he’s acquired from playing heroic characters like Indiana Jones and Han Solo.  More likely, though, it’s

Archaeologists working in Israel have uncovered what they think is the world’s oldest brewery, which may have been producing booze as far back as 13,700 years ago. Anyone who enjoys a tipple owes these people a lot. The new find pre-dates evidence of previous beer-making by several thousand years – this could mean human beings

We get it. There’s so much cool science happening every week, and so little time to read all about it. So, to make it easier for you to catch up with it all, we’ve rounded up some of this week’s most popular ScienceAlert stories in a fun quiz. The answers are at the bottom of

Last year the world took a turn for the worst. A global survey of human emotions has ranked 2017 as the gloomiest and most miserable year in more than a decade. While positive experiences have remained steady, today’s world is more stressed, worried, sad and in pain than at any point since 2005, when the

Something is amiss in the state of New Mexico, and the chain of mysterious events has all the hallmarks of a sci-fi plot. The state’s Sunspot Solar Observatory, home to one of the largest active solar telescopes in the world, was shut down last Friday and all personnel evacuated. The FBI were on the scene

Taking a vacation from your daily routine and a break from all the excitement (and horror) of the latest science happenings is certainly very healthy. But a lot happens in science, even in only a few days, so we’ve put together the top 9 science highlights you may have missed over summer.  1. Space is

Breaking from a conversation in Spanish and turning it into a discussion in German is a two-step process that requires a degree of cognitive effort. Until now, researchers have never been sure which part required more work: ending the first language or starting with the second. A new study reveals just what’s going on upstairs

Sexual pleasure was once thought to be a cure for female hysteria – a totally fabricated disease meant to explain fainting, anxiety, sleeplessness and, of course, a woman’s “tendency to cause trouble“. As little as 100 years ago, it was routine practice for doctors in the Victorian era to bring their female patients to orgasm

Several hundred kilometres to the east of what is today Cape Town, South Africa, stands one of the world’s oldest art galleries. The cave is already known for ancient inscriptions, but one art-piece discovered back in 2011 stands out from the rest. It consists of a handful of intersecting red lines on the side of

A literal pot of gold has been found not at the end of a rainbow, but in the basement of an old, abandoned Italian theatre. During an archaeological dig last week, historians discovered a broken soapstone amphora – a kind of stone urn – at the bottom of the Cressoni Theatre in Como, northern Italy.

A man is suing a cryonics ‘life extension foundation’ for failing to freeze his father’s body – preserving only the head – and sending the rest of his decapitated, cremated remains home in an unexpected package. Laurence Pilgeram passed away at his home in California in April 2015 after a cardiac arrest. He was 90

Ever been in a situation where passing wind is going to be hugely embarrassing and you’ve had to hold in a fart? Let’s face it – we all have. Trying to hold it in leads to a build up of pressure and major discomfort. A build up of intestinal gas can trigger abdominal distension, with

What is the purpose of life? Whatever you may think is the answer, you might, from time to time at least, find your own definition unsatisfactory. After all, how can one say why any living creature is on Earth in just one simple phrase? For me, looking back on 18 years of research into how

You’re at home, making your dinner and suddenly you see an eight legged intruder waltzing around your kitchen. Although it probably won’t be much comfort in the moment, your spider encounter is extremely typical, according to a new study out of the UK. The researchers, from the University of Gloucestershire and the Charles Darwin House

I feel a sentimental longing when I recall the day I attended a The Cure concert with my friends, the mornings I drew on the condensation of the school bus windows, and the evenings I played board games and watched Disney movies with my brothers. Clearly, this wistful longing for the past is quintessential nostalgia.

Medical training exercises are getting more and more realistic. Recently, companies have developed robots that medical students can practise on. The idea is that these pretend people can lead us a little way into the uncanny valley, so we have to deal with the emotional response as well as the methodology behind a procedure. One

A series of attacks with a microwave weapon is the latest theory for what could have sickened or distressed roughly two dozen people associated with the US Embassy in Cuba over the past two years. This hypothesis, advanced in recent days in several news reports, dominated a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Cuba policy

New research suggests the human eye and brain are capable of seeing ghosted images, a new type of visual phenomenon that scientists previously thought could only be detected by a computer. It turns out our eyes are more powerful than we thought. The discovery could teach us more about the inner workings of the eye

At 58 storeys and 645 feet high (197 metres), the luxury Millennium Tower is the tallest concrete structure in San Francisco. It’s also one of the most unstable. On Saturday, an apartment owner detected a large fissure in his window on the high-rise’s 36th floor, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Earlier that day, residents

Residue on 7,200 year old pottery found in Croatia has pushed back the dawn of cheese making in the Mediterranean. The find resets the timeline of agriculture in the region, with fermented dairy products being made a mere five centuries after milk was first stored. But its innovation was more than just a culinary milestone

Why is it sometimes so hard to convince someone that the world is indeed a globe, or that climate change is actually caused by human activity, despite the overwhelming evidence? Scientists think they might have the answer, and it’s less to do with lack of understanding, and more to do with the feedback they’re getting.

It’s an irreversible tragedy that has been felt the world over. On Sunday, a huge and devastating fire ripped through Brazil’s National Museum (Museu Nacional). And just like that, in a matter of moments, two hundred years of work, research and knowledge was wiped from the collective history of humanity. The museum, which was founded

The paywall that separates millions from free access to scientific knowledge is finally being torn down, thanks to a radical new initiative announced by 11 European nations. The UK, France, Italy, and eight other countries have formed a bold pact called cOAlition S, designed to ensure that from 1 January 2020, all publicly funded scientific

Do you want $500? No, seriously, you can have it right now. Or, if you can hold off for a little while… you can actually have $1,000. So, what’s it going to be? As it turns out, the way you decide to answer this hypothetical question may in fact be a predictor of your earning

Scientists say microwave signals may have caused brain injuries to 33 US officials and their family members at embassies in Cuba and China. The saga began in 2016 when 24 US diplomats and their family members fell ill after being exposed to what US officials claim was some form of “sonic attack”. The victims suffered

A massive, devastating fire has largely destroyed the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil (Museu Nacional) in Rio De Janeiro, according to reports from local and international media. The fire started on Sunday night local time after the museum was closed, and so far there are no reports of injuries or deaths – but things are

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed an incredibly rare treasure in the Nile Delta: the remains of an ancient village, dating back to around 5,000 BCE. It’s one of the oldest ever discovered in the region, predating the pyramids at Giza by 2,500 years. The Neolithic site, at the fertile Tell el-Samara some 140 kilometres (87 miles)

You’ve more than likely heard of some of Europe’s tiniest nations – countries like Malta, San Marino, and the Vatican City state instantly come to mind. But there is a long list of tiny, self-declared independent states around the continent that aren’t recognised as independent by the governments of other nations. The Principality of Sealand

It started with a late-night cough. “He was otherwise fine, but … something was weird and different,” said Verai Ramsammy, who was worried about her miniature schnauzer, Louie. She was a meticulous dog person, the kind who bought special food for her pets. She made a veterinary appointment just to be safe. Within months, Ramsammy’s

Archaeologists in Mexico have unearthed a rare treasure. A life-sized stucco mask recovered from the Palenque Palace is thought to represent one of Mesoamerica’s most important and beloved kings, K’inich Janaab’ Pakal. Also known as Pakal the Great, his reign is the longest in the history of the Americas. He ascended the throne at age

After a year on the job, astronaut in training Robb Kulin has resigned from NASA’s two year program - a decision that has only been made once before in the space agency’s history. Last summer, Kulin was ecstatic to find out that he was one of just 12 astronauts picked for the historic program – an incredible feat

The desire for a larger bottom is becoming more popular, with the number of so-called Brazilian butt lifts more than doubling in the last five years. However, a recent high-profile case involving a doctor in Miami who was banned from operating after the death of a patient during surgery, highlights the risks associated with having

An attempt to replicate the findings of 21 social science experiments published in two high-profile science journals has thrown up a red flag for reliability in research. The question of just how much trust we should put into one-off studies isn’t new. But there’s a silver lining to the so-called Reproducibility Crisis we need to

A 2017 expedition into the depths of the Amazon rainforest has provided a rare glimpse into the lives of a small community of people who it’s believed have no contact with the outside world. As mindblowing as it is that pockets of humanity are still isolated from global economics, technology, and communications in the 21st

We all do it sometimes, even though we know it’s wrong. But here’s the problem with lying: Research shows that the more you lie, the easier it gets, and the more likely you are to do it again. “The dangerous thing about lying is people don’t understand how the act changes us,” said Dan Ariely, behavioral psychologist

A collection of mummified human remains found in northern Chile is turning into black slime due to rising humidity levels, and researchers are at a loss for how to stop it. More than 100 of these mummies – which are at least 7,000 years old – have started to turn gelatinous, and last year local

Researchers have long been fascinated by the gulf that separates procrastinators and doers. But even though several social and psychological differences have been identified, until now, no one has compared the brains of these two groups. A new study has investigated the neural basis for impulse control, and has found that the brains of procrastinators

When it comes to on-again/off-again relationships, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton take the cake. Their passionate relationship – one of the most publicized of all time – failed so often, that after their second marriage, Taylor wrote to Burton: “Dearest Hubs, How about that! You really are my husband again, and I have news for

Ask a three-year-old why they think it’s raining, and she may say “because the flowers are thirsty”. Her brother might also tell you that trees have leaves to provide shade for people and animals. These are instances of teleological thinking, the idea that things came into being and exist for a purpose. Teleological explanations for

A 13-year-old girl who died over 50,000 years ago may not have had a long time alive on this planet, but she was in fact very special. Millennia later, a fragment of her skeleton reveals that she was the first-generation result of a mating between two different species of hominin. Her mum was a Neanderthal,

They’re incredible. Amazing. Magical. But perhaps the most fantastic thing about lucid dreams – in which the dreamer becomes aware they’re dreaming – is how realistic they seem. Sadly, only about half of us ever experience lucid dreams in our lives, and efforts to trigger the phenomenon have delivered mixed results. But now, new research

Everybody loves a good optical illusion - and this recently discovered perception trick has us questioning how we see the world around us. Take a look at those lines in the image above (or you can see the full picture below if you scroll down a bit). What kind of lines do you see? Are they

Not everybody ‘gets’ art, but one man’s failure to comprehend the artwork in front of him was so extreme he literally fell through a black void into limbo. A museum visitor scrutinising Anish Kapoor’s Descent Into Limbo at the Serralves Museum in Portugal let curiosity get the better of him when inspecting the ultra-black optical

Archaeologists have had a closer look at the bones inside that mysterious black granite sarcophagus, and now have a better idea about who was inside. The three skeletons belonged to two men and a woman, who lived during the early Ptolemaic period. Discovered in Alexandria in July, the sarcophagus – a stone receptacle for the

A new study has demonstrated that a bunch of the important brain processes known as ‘executive functions’ aren’t affected by someone’s sex or gender, as it has been argued before. The research references more than 150 previous studies into executive functions and associated behaviour, finding “small and subtle to no sex and gender differences in