Flat wrong: the misunderstood history of flat Earth theories

Jan 29, 2016 06:44 am UTC| Science

For most people, being described as a flat Earther is an insult. The idea of the Earth being flat is considered not only wrong, but a model of wrongness, the gold standard of being incorrect about something. This being...

Why would anyone believe the Earth is flat?

Jan 29, 2016 06:41 am UTC| Science

Belief in a flat Earth seems a bit like the attempt to eradicate polio just when you think its gone, a pocket of resistance appears. But the flat Earthers have always been with us; its just that they usually operate under...

Can citizen science empower disenfranchised communities?

Jan 27, 2016 06:04 am UTC| Science

Early in 2015, a group calling itself the Nappy Science Gang hit the parenting scene in the U.K. It was made up of moms and dads who used cloth nappies or diapers with their kids, and wanted to know the best ways to keep...

Explainer: why are cities warmer than the countryside?

Jan 25, 2016 10:29 am UTC| Science

In cities, the air, surface and soil temperatures are almost always warmer than in rural areas. This effect is known as the Urban Heat Island a term which first came into use in the mid-20th century. Until the 1980s, this...

Claims about new planets that turned out to be wrong – and why 'Planet Nine' may be different

Jan 23, 2016 09:18 am UTC| Science

Theres a real buzz among planetary scientists after a new study suggested that an unseen planet, dubbed Planet Nine, of about ten times the Earths mass could be lurking in the Kuiper belt, a band of icy objects beyond...

Can you turbo-charge your genes to produce 'designer babies'?

Jan 23, 2016 09:07 am UTC| Health Science

If you have bad skin or are losing your hair you might jokingly blame your parents for passing on the genes that cause these problems. Of course, most traits that youve inherited probably developed many generations ago....

Scientists find way to predict who is likely to wake up during surgery

Jan 22, 2016 03:45 am UTC| Science

Measuring certain kinds of brain activity may help doctors track and predict how patients will react to anaesthesia before going under for surgery, our research has found. Doctors currently have no perfectly reliable...