SCIENCE

Try Solving This Riddle From a High School Math Competition

Can you figure out when Cheryl's birthday is?

4 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries Spotted by Satellite

The view from above—sometimes way above—has revealed lost cities, forgotten pyramids, and ancient trading routes.

Why Coloring and Doodling Make Us Feel Good

Quick, low-pressure art projects activate the brain’s reward center.

iStock/Photo illustration by Lauren Spinelli

Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?

Your morning cup o' joe can give you more than just a caffeine buzz.

'Indulgent' Names Get People to Eat More Veggies

“Twisted citrus-glazed carrots” will beat out “smart-choice vitamin C citrus carrots" almost every time.

Ansgar Walk, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.5

Polar Bears Are Consuming Less Mercury—But There's a Downside

Scientists say climate change in the Arctic has forced the bears to change their eating habits.

Why Do Limbs 'Fall Asleep'?

There's a word for that pins-and-needles sensation: paresthesia.

Could Broccoli Sprouts Help Treat Type 2 Diabetes?

Rats, mice, and obese humans with Type 2 diabetes all responded positively to doses of concentrated broccoli sprout extract.

Andreas Trepte, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.5

Survey Says: Gray Seals Are Back

Researchers used Google Earth and radio tags to survey seals at sea and camouflaged against the ice.

Look Up Tonight! Saturn Is Big and Bright, With Rings Tilted Our Way

It's as close to the Earth as it's going to get this year.

Is Your Mobile Phone Use Bad for Your Mental Health?

Researchers are studying whether technology use is connected to depression, anxiety, and other issues.

Inexpensive 'Smell Test' Could Help Diagnose Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases

Nine out of 10 people with Parkinson's report a decreased sense of smell.

Are Cats Smarter Than Dogs?

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges, according to experts.

Ravens Can Hold Grudges for Weeks, Study Finds

The birds can remember who wronged them.

Baby Eels Migrate by Following Magnetic Fields

The eel babies join wild boars, deer, foxes, lobsters, butterflies, whales, and their own parents in the magneto-orienteering club.

Learning to Read as an Adult Changes Deep Regions of the Brain

"Even learning to read in your thirties profoundly transforms brain networks."

How Your Brain Fights Sleep Even When You're Exhausted

Brain cells called dorsal raphe nucleus neurons help support voluntary wakefulness in mice.

Scientists Find 99-Million-Year-Old Baby Bird Preserved in Amber

The tiny hatchling belonged to a group of toothed birds that died out along with the dinosaurs.

NASA Rocket Launch Will Create Blue-Green and Red Clouds on Sunday

As long as the weather holds—the launch has been postponed four times already.

Scientists: Maybe Yawning Isn’t Contagious After All

Everyone knows yawning is contagious. What this study presupposes is … maybe it isn’t?

Scientists Create Synthetic Melanin They Can 'Tune' to Different Colors

Melanin gives our eyes, hair, and skin their colors, but it can also protect against UV rays, store energy, and a whole lot more.

The front (left) and back (right) of a 3000-year-old copper mask. Small holes near the edges suggest the mask could have been attached with threads. Someone tried to repair the fracture near the left eye—note the holes near it.

Rainy Season in the Andes Reveals the Oldest Known Copper Death Mask

Its discovery complicates the long-standing idea that metalworking began on the continent in Peru.

SMBishop, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Bats Yell, Too

Scientists say bat brains can process the need to raise their voices in just 30 milliseconds.

Scientists Tell Octopus Species Apart by Counting Their Warts

Recognizing the different skin growth patterns will make it easier to identify them in the future.

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