Science

Imagine you’re a cat, and, every time you meowed, the loud voice of a snooty-sounding British gentleman kindly informed your human guardian of your every thought and feeling (well, the thoughts and feelings you had before you were terrified by the sound of the voice).

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the giraffe for the first time, uncovering DNA quirks that help explain how the tallest animals on earth developed their remarkably long necks.

Alternative medical practitioners are fighting for more authority and Medicare reimbursement with the help of their "corporate partners," vitamin makers.

Magic mushrooms have lifted severe depression in a dozen volunteers in a clinical trial, raising scientists’ hopes that the psychedelic experiences beloved of the Aztecs and the hippy counter-culture of the 1970s could one day become mainstream medicine.

Have you ever walked past a fountain in the park and seen beautifully coloured fish swimming about, and wondered how they got there? Often with the best of intentions, people leave unwanted pet fish in public fountains, ponds and natural waterways for a variety of reasons, including boredom with their pet, moving house, or frequent illness in their fish.

In today’s world, “walking a mile in someone else's shoes” really just sounds exhausting. Luckily, a new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience suggests that acetaminophen, the generic name for the popular pain reliever Tylenol, may curb your ability to do just that.

Emma’s issues with sleep began three years ago. It was around the time she started to suspect her husband was having an affair. After her suspicions were confirmed, her husband left her. It was at this point that Emma*, a 30 year old human resources manager in San Francisco, began to experience depression and insomnia. She says she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep since June of last year.

Lots of people have to adopt gluten-free diets because they suffer from celiac disease. That said, gluten-free diets have also become a trendy fad diet in recent years among people who believe that eliminating gluten from your diet will inevitably make you healthier. A recently published article in The Journal of Pediatrics shows that this is not the case, however.

Recently, United States Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work publicly confirmed that the Pentagon’s Cyber Command was “dropping cyberbombs,” taking its ongoing battle against the Islamic State group into the online world. Other American officials, including President Barack Obama, have discussed offensive cyber activities, too.

Young Americans are still learning about creationism in schools despite the fact that it has no basis in scientific reality. The Daily Beast notices that the curriculum map used by the Youngstown, Ohio school district recommends that teachers show students a video called "Cambrian Fossils and the Creation of Species" that purports to completely disprove the theory of evolution.

A trial to see if it is possible to regenerate the brains of patients who have been declared clinically dead has been approved. Reanima Advanced Biosciences aims to use stem cells, injections of peptides, and nerve stimulation to reverse “brain death as noted in clinical examination or EEG”, a project which at least scores highly on ambition.

Spontaneous abortion, also known as miscarriage, is an ordinary yet important part of normal reproduction; one of several ways nature promotes healthy babies who grow up to have babies of their own. But among the caribou of northern Alberta, Canada and the orcas of the Pacific Northwest, abortion has become alarmingly common.

A rock flake found in Australia is believed to be from the world's oldest known axe and likely dates from just after humans arrived in the country around 50,000 years ago, scientists said Wednesday.