Does an anomaly in the Earth's magnetic field portend a coming pole reversal?

Feb 06, 2017 07:38 am UTC| Nature Science

The Earth is blanketed by a magnetic field. Its what makes compasses point north, and protects our atmosphere from continual bombardment from space by charged particles such as protons. Without a magnetic field, our...

Defining dual-use research: When scientific advances can both help and hurt humanity

Feb 03, 2017 15:39 pm UTC| Science

Scientific research can change our lives for the better, but it also presents risks either through deliberate misuse or accident. Think about studying deadly pathogens; thats how we can learn how to successfully ward them...

Scientists Create Cows That Are Immune To Serious Disease Transmittable To Humans

Feb 03, 2017 09:04 am UTC| Science

By using a powerful gene-editing tool in CRISPR, scientists were able to immunize cows to bovine tuberculosis, which is a dangerous disease that can actually be transmitted to humans. This development could have a huge...

Trace fossils – the silence of Ediacara, the shadow of uranium.

Feb 03, 2017 07:43 am UTC| Science

As an archaeologist working in the remote areas around Woomera and the Nullarbor Plain, my understanding of South Australia was first informed by rocks and soil. This was a landscape of fossils and trace fossils the...

Space Science Series

Colonizing Space To Result In Genetic Changes, Stark Differences To Earth-Bound Humans

Feb 03, 2017 07:14 am UTC| Science

Right now, there are several initiatives both public and private that have to do with going to space or colonizing another planet. Regardless of the reasons for doing so, one of the biggest obstacles to actually developing...

Scientists Want To Upgrade Laws Of Robotics To 23 From Just 3

Feb 02, 2017 12:54 pm UTC| Science

Isaac Asimovs Three Laws of Robotics have often been used as references in movies that featured artificial intelligence or servile machinery. Now that this sci-fi concept is so close to becoming real, scientists are...

Listen up: a plan to help scientists get their research heard by decision-makers

Feb 01, 2017 16:08 pm UTC| Science

Many scientists are keen to communicate research they believe can help inform the decisions people make, from public opinion to the policy of our governments. But the will of scientists to abandon intellectual ivory...