It's pretty hard to find a fossil of something that's completely squishy and tiny. Without bones or exoskeletons, there's not a lot from many microorganisms that gets preserved. But a 200-million year old cocoon has shown us a glimpse at an ancient microorganism that looks incredibly similar to some modern examples.
Harvard team makes Legos out of DNA
A team of researchers from Harvard's Wyss Institute have created self-assembling 3D nanobricks out of DNA — essentially inventing a nanoscale version of Lego — that can be used to build thousands of different objects.
Why cigarette butts are good for birds
Many birds will use whatever they can get their beaks on to construct their nests — including cigarette butts. Now, new research suggests that there might be a side benefit to using discarded cigarettes for nest materials: it seems to keep the bugs out.
Researchers decode the chemical signals of bed bugs in real time
Bed bugs are a major cause of paranoia, and the mere suggestion of an infestation can lead to mass panic. But with all the scientific tools at our disposal, we ought to be able to figure out how these things work, and stop them from infesting our homes and us miserable. Right? And now, luckily, there's been a major…
We've all heard tales of elderly friends and relatives who have fallen for financial scams. Pyramid schemes, Nigerian emails, dodgy "computer repair" calls, you name it. That said, there may be a reason for it — a scientific explanation for how we get scammed more easily the older we get.
These creatures live in a lake that's been sealed beneath ice for 2,800 …
Antarctica's Lake Vida has been sealed beneath the ice for 2,800 years. Its depths have become a concentrated briny brew, freezing cold, and shrouded completely in darkness. And now, researchers have just shown that it has a thriving bacterial ecosystem.
Tiny remnants of fossilized poop tell us where ancient humans lived
Figuring out when humans first arrived in a location is surprisingly tricky. Sometimes, you find a nice chunk of pottery or something, but oftentimes artifacts aren't as easy to find. Predators can leave bones that look a lot like ones that a human might butcher, and a natural fire leaves coal much the same as a human …
How weather prediction models can be used to forecast flu outbreaks
The complex computer models we use to predict the weather be used to predict illness, too. According to a new paper, these models could help us know weeks in advance just how bad this flu season will be.
Harry Houdini's incredible book about home science experiments — free…
As any steampunk will gleefully tell you, the Victorian era was a period of incredible discovery, where scientific breakthroughs occurred at an astonishing rate. Which was the perfect environment for a book like Scientific Amusements to be published - a hodgepodge of science, illusion, party tricks, naturalism, and…
Wormholes — made by actual worms in wood, not gravitational forces in space — are a key to the past. These holes are where beetles lay their young, in trees, furniture, and even great works of art.. And now scientists say the wormholes in ancient paintings reveal the movements of insect species hundreds of years ago.
