Gone is the solitary genius - science today is a group effort

Mar 08, 2016 23:58 pm UTC| Science

Scientific discovery was once a mostly solitary endeavour and a common view was that genius was responsible for significant advances in knowledge. The Nobel Prize the ultimate prize for discovery reinforces this...

Dreaming big with biomimetics: could future buildings be made with bone and eggshells?

Mar 08, 2016 23:42 pm UTC| Science

As the world grapples with climate change, we urgently need to find ways of reducing our CO₂ emissions. Sectors which rely heavily on fossil fuels, such as energy and aviation, are commonly held to be the worst offenders....

Why '7' is the luckiest number

Mar 08, 2016 23:02 pm UTC| Science

Football teams have been wearing numbers since Arsenal experimented with putting their players in numbered shirts in 1928 (it didnt bring them much luck they lost 3-2 to Sheffield Wednesday). But it was Manchester United...

Jupiter returns as king of the night sky

Mar 07, 2016 22:19 pm UTC| Science

Since January, there have not been any planets to see in the evening sky. Instead, all five bright planets have been visible in the early hours before sunrise. But now Jupiter, the king of the planets, is making a return...

The 'Math Myth' fuels the algebra wars, but what's the fight really about?

Mar 05, 2016 11:28 am UTC| Science

I discovered recently that my calculus students do not know the meaning of the word quorum. Since a course in American government is a high school graduation requirement in most states (including here in Florida), I was...

How can scientists believe evolution is compatible with religion?

Mar 04, 2016 15:14 pm UTC| Life Science

Evolution and religion may not be at war after all. True, the two may sometimes seem like incompatible, competing worldviews: evolutionary science is regularly rejected by prominent religious figures, and its teaching in...

Great balls of fire: the truth about Scotland's mysterious flash of light

Mar 03, 2016 00:14 am UTC| Science

On Monday February 29 around 18:45, many lucky people in Scotland and the north of England witnessed something spectacular. A bright light streamed across the sky, flashing several times before fading away. You could see...