Science has the power to change the world, but it’s not always an easy path to enlightenment. At many junctures throughout history, proponents of revolutionary ideas have come up against criticism and pushback from the establishment. Science is all about experimentation, trial, error, and evidence. It may have taken years, but each of the following

From a distance, anybody would have been fooled. It was the same size as a potato, and its brown, dirty appearance resembled every other muddy spud in the potato chip factory. But this was no harmless vegetable. The unusually heavy spud-like object discovered in a Hong Kong potato chip plant this weekend was in fact

Scientists have just found a new distinction between the brains of the two sexes: age-related changes to the brain occur more slowly in women than in men. The jury is still out on whether cognitive differences between men and women are created by nature or nurture – or to what extent they even exist –

Over the past week, record levels of rain have deluged Queensland in northeastern Australia, prompting emergency evacuations – as well as some surreal sights. Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes in and around Townsville, a city on the coast of Queensland that has suffered the bulk of the unprecedented flooding. Nearly

Harvard Business Review’s recent cover story makes the case for prioritising time over money, and making daily decisions accordingly. Unfortunately, writes Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, most of us do just the opposite. One of the most intriguing points in the article is this: “We overestimate the amount of time needed to enjoy an

Imagine being confined to a small, dark room, with no social interaction whatsoever for 30 days. Not many people would jump at this opportunity. But, in November 2018, a professional US poker player Rich Alati bet US$100,000 that he could survive 30 days alone and in total darkness. He was kept in a small, completely

Humans have travelled to the moon and uncovered the secrets of the Taos Hum, the Devil’s Kettle, and maybe even the pyramids of Egypt. But there are still plenty of phenomena that science can’t explain yet. Though scientists may have theories about the following phenomena, no one can say for certain why they occur. Here are nine mysteries

In the current polarized climate, it’s easy to find yourself in the midst of a political disagreement that morphs into a religious argument. People’s religious affiliation predicts their stances on abortion, immigration and other controversial topics, and disagreements about these issues can seem intractable. The seeming futility in arguing about politics and religion may arise

It happens to me more often than I care to admit. I check my calendar for the following workday and see a call I scheduled weeks ago, when I was busy and overwhelmed and couldn’t take on any new assignments. The only issue? Right now I am also busy and overwhelmed and can’t reasonably take

We know that some modern human genomes contain fragments of DNA from an ancient population of humans called Denisovans, the remains of which have been found at only one site, a cave in what is now Siberia. Two papers published in Nature today give us a firmer understanding of when these little-known archaic humans (hominins)

Those of us who pay even a little bit of attention to the news would probably agree that today, the world is intensely polarised. Yet despite the feeling that global conflict is all that rolls across our newsfeeds, this collective despair is a gross misreading of the situation, and it could even be perpetuating our

Since its discovery in 1938, the drug LSD — that’s lysergic acid diethylamide — has puzzled researchers. They knew the drug had a profound effect on people, causing hallucinations and an altered state of consciousness, but they couldn’t figure out why. Now that could be changing. A research team from the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich thinks it’s figured out

Long after your flesh is dust and your stories forgotten, your bones will whisper secrets about your life. Future archaeologists will wring out truths about your health, your past, and your place in society. Many of these clues can vanish if our remains are split and warped by the heat of cremation, but a new

What was once thought to be a scattering of ancient stone huts on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, has turned out to be the remnants of a thriving city, lost to history for 200 years. Beneath the dense vegetation, there isn’t much to see with the naked eye. And after three decades of careful

One of them is a little green gnome-like figure. The other is half-human, half-Vulcan. Both have pointy ears and considerable wisdom. But which is ultimately wiser? It’s a reasonable thing to wonder, perhaps even logical. After all, Yoda from Star Wars and Spock from Star Trek have come to represent the quintessential archetypes of sage

Today, art and science are often seen as two wildly different pursuits. Historically, the pair are not always so easily distinguished. Ever since the Folkton Drums were first discovered 130 years ago, the three chalk cylinders have been praised for their remarkable and intricate decorations, carved more than 4,000 years ago in Britain. Now, a

One of the biggest cultural shifts in recent years is the rise of fake news – where claims with no evidence behind them (e.g. the world is flat) get shared as fact alongside evidence-based, peer-reviewed findings (e.g. climate change is happening). Researchers have coined this trend the ‘anti-enlightenment movement‘, and there’s been a lot of

There are few monuments in the world that are as iconic as the Pyramids of Giza, a necropolis that dates back nearly 5,000 years. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the ancient seven wonders of the world still standing and, in 2007, 100 million people voted to select it as one

When you play a game of thrones, there are only two outcomes: you either win or you die. The question is, who amongst us has the iron dice stacked in their favour? If you are a male of low birth with a penchant for unwavering loyalty and an insistence on living, you will probably have your

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is keeping the Doomsday Clock set at two minutes to midnight – a metaphor for the end of the world – calling the threats against humankind “a new abnormal”. The scientists announced Thursday that the clock is stuck at 11:58, citing nuclear weapons and climate change as two existential

Human sacrifice has been around for centuries – the Maya, Aztecs, and ancient Egyptians killed prisoners of war, volunteers, and slaves over the course of their histories. But child sacrifice, especially mass killings, are incredibly rare. Previously, evidence of the largest youth sacrifice ever – 42 children – was discovered at Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlán,

The idea came to him in a dream, he later claimed, a vision delivered by supernatural forces. It was 1941, and Rudolf Hess – the Deputy Führer and second-in-line to Hitler himself – embarked upon a perilous solo flight to Britain in a wild bid to broker peace with Germany’s bitter enemy. Or did he?

We don’t wish to alarm you, but your mutations just aren’t what they were a million years ago. Sorry. By comparing genetic changes in the offspring of various primates, researchers have determined the mutation rate of humans has slowed since we parted ways. X-Men franchise fans might be disappointed, but the results could clear up

High in the Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the tiniest states in India. But it is about to embark on an experiment of global interest. Sikkim’s ruling party has announced an ambitious plan to implement a universal basic income for every one of its 610,577 citizens. If successful, the scheme would represent the largest trial

Archaeologists investigating a stone circle thought to be thousands of years old in Aberdeenshire, Scotland have been a wee bit chagrined by an unexpected revelation. After reports of the circle’s discovery hit the news, a farmer revealed he actually built the monument just decades ago. The “recumbent stone circle” found on the farm in the

In November, Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced that he had created the world’s first gene-edited babies. The move was met by a wave of criticism from the scientific community, and the media soon branded him the “Chinese Frankenstein”. Within days, Chinese authorities announced that they were banning He from conducting any further research and launching

Dogs may have stolen the Internet from cats, but cat memes endure – and many center on one theme: Cats are aloof jerks. The primary ambassador of this notion, naturally, is Grumpy Cat. But cats of all sorts, these memes tell us, desire to be left alone with their coffee, or demand darkness, or prefer

It’s amazing what you can find when you do a good clear-out. Just ask chemistry researcher Alan Aitken. The scientist, from Scotland’s University of St Andrews, was rummaging through a storage area under a chemistry lecture room back in 2014 when he stumbled upon a unique relic of scientific history. Stashed amidst chemicals and random

In 2009, supermodel Kate Moss caused a stir when she categorically stated that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. As jaw-dropping as the sentiment might have seemed to many, Moss’ pithy comment encapsulates a modern Western zeitgeist. From an evolutionary perspective, however, Moss’ statement is ludicrous, if not preposterous. Such a statement could only

It was promising to be an uncharacteristically warm winter day in Boston. The temperature on 15 January 1919, had soared to 40 degrees Fahrenheit from 2 degrees (4 degrees Celsius from -16) earlier in the week, prompting many downtown workers to head outdoors. Shortly after noon in the city’s bustling North End, as Model T

Here’s a funny one: genetically modified food. Okay, so maybe it’s not all that funny. But people’s reactions to it certainly are. Despite numerous and huge scientific studies validating the safety and benefits of genetically modified foods (aka GM or GMO foods), people just refuse to be convinced. Should we be surprised? Perhaps not: Americans

The acclaimed Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson will be forever remembered as one of the ‘fathers of DNA’. But also as something much worse. In a resurfaced controversy that further dims the shine of one of the 20th century’s most esteemed scientists, Watson – awarded the Nobel in 1962 for his role in the discovery

Dogs are said to be a human’s best friend – but they also provide an environmental conundrum to some of us. Altogether, the eating habits of our pets account for about 20 percent of the world’s meat and fish consumption, and this has an effect on a whole bunch of environmental issues, including the use

The year 2020 will be bringing us a new decade, an American presidential election, and a cruise for people who believe Earth is flat. Although details are currently thin on the ground, the cruise is being organised by the Flat Earth International Conference, and promises to be “the biggest, boldest, best adventure yet”. Well, we

We rarely portray Neanderthals, our close relatives, as telegenic. Museum exhibits give them wild tangles of hair, and Hollywood reduces them to grunting unsophisticates. Their skulls suggest broad faces, tiny chins and jutting brows. But to mock Neanderthals is to mock ourselves: Homo sapiens had lots of sex with Homo neanderthalensis. Neanderthal genes supply between

I teach people how to teach math, and I’ve been working in this field for 30 years. Across those decades, I’ve met many people who suffer from varying degrees of math trauma – a form of debilitating mental shutdown when it comes to doing mathematics. When people share their stories with me, there are common

If you need to remember something, you might do well to… draw it. According to a new study, drawing can be a more effective memory aid than writing and rewriting, simply looking at information, or using various other visualisation techniques. Older adults who take up drawing could even enhance their memory, the researchers say, providing

You may have heard of the Mona Lisa effect, or even felt her famous, haunting gaze yourself. If you’re not familiar, the idea is that the eyes in the iconic painting follow you around the room wherever you stand. A new study has found that the effect can be backed up by science – but

A tiny fragment of lapis lazuli pigment, discovered in the fossilised teeth of a medieval woman, is now challenging some of our most basic assumptions about the history of book production. Before the dawn of the 15th century, scribes and artists in Europe who wrote and illustrated religious manuscripts were often too modest to seal

We’ve barely entered the third week of the partial government shutdown in the US, and yet already, some national parks, such as iconic Joshua Tree National Park, are being forced to close due to growing trash problems. Anyone questioning the necessity of the country’s National Park Service (NPS) need only look at what’s happening at Joshua

The way infants are fed and nurtured in the first year of life could have something bizarre to do with being left- or right-handed, a new study suggests. The meta-analysis, which look at over 60,000 mother-child relationships, has now shown that left-handedness is lower among breastfed infants compared to bottle-fed infants. To be very clear,

They say death and taxes are the only two sure things in life. But before we get to the former, just what is paying the latter actually doing for you? According to political scientist Patrick Flavin, the science on how government spending affects things like public well-being and happiness is something of a mixed bag,

An archaeological dig in Suffolk, England has yielded up a Roman-era cemetery treasure: 52 beautifully preserved skeletons dating back to the 4th century. And of those skeletons, many had been decapitated, their disembodied heads placed neatly at their sides or feet for burial, or buried without bodies altogether. Only 17 skeletons had been buried normally.

Jeanne Calment died in 1997 in the southern French town in which she was born, and her death drew a flurry of attention. At 122, an age that had been certified by the Guinness World Records as well as public health researchers, she was the oldest documented person to have lived. But a Russian mathematician

Five teenage girls have died at a Polish escape room, where a fire broke out while they were celebrating a birthday. The 15-year-old girls were participating in an escape room game in Koszalin, northern Poland when a fire broke out around 5 pm local time according to the BBC. Police spokesperson Monika Kosiec said the

They were called camps, but in truth they were not camps. Most of the people who arrived at them only had a few hours left to live. Thousands did not even survive the trip, dying en route in the cramped, airless boxcars. This was Operation Reinhard: the deadliest saga of the Holocaust, in which Hitler

Police in Australia sent multiple officers to an emergency call about a man shouting death threats, but it turned out he was just trying to kill a spider. Officers visited the home on Wednesday after a passerby walking outside a house in suburban Perth heard a toddler screaming and a man shouting “Why don’t you

It’s not uncommon for New Year’s celebrations to get a little out of hand, but this year, in the Netherlands, the party got especially lit. Just as 2018 was coming to a close, an unruly bonfire in the seaside resort of Scheveningen began to spew an assembly line of firenadoes. Vuurtornado ziet er zo uit