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SpeechJammer,
Ponytail Physics
Win Ig Nobels

Sep 21, 2012 3:20 AM CDT

SpeechJammer, Ponytail Physics Win Ig Nobels

One weird science winner found brain activity in dead fish

(Newser) - Teams that scanned the brains of dead fish and studied the physics of coffee sloshing and ponytails were among the winners at this year's Ig Nobel celebration of strange scientific research. The acoustics prize went to the Japanese inventors of the SpeechJammer , a device that repeats a speaker's...

New Robotic Jellyfish Powered by Water Itself

Mar 21, 2012 3:32 PM CDT

New Robotic Jellyfish Powered by Water Itself

Scientists create device powered by external hydrogen

(Newser) - A group of scientists backed by the US Navy is developing a robotic jellyfish that should, in theory, be able to power itself indefinitely, because it draws its fuel from the hydrogen in the water around it, the Telegraph reports. The so-called "robojelly" works a lot like real jellyfish,...

Pot Linked to
Slacking Off
at Work

duh study says

Feb 24, 2012 1:19 AM CST

Pot Linked to Slacking Off at Work

Not-so-surprising research links pot to low motivation on the job

(Newser) - Here's a finding that seems to be a waste of research money: Smoking marijuana is linked to decreased motivation at work. But scientists aren't sure if the pot is to blame, or if people who tend to toke are a tad too chill to begin with—or so...

Vitamins Boost Women's Mortality Rate: Study

Vitamins Boost
Women's Risk
of Dying

study says

Oct 10, 2011 2:50 PM CDT

Vitamins Boost Women's Risk of Dying

High concentration of nutrients may turn toxic: researchers

(Newser) - Popping too many vitamins may actually shorten your life, a new study says. Researchers looked at the supplement intake of 38,000 women, starting in their early 60s, over 19 years—and found vitamin-users had a 2.4% higher chance of dying. Multivitamins, B6, iron, zinc, copper, folic acid, and...

Apples, Pears Reduce Chance of Stroke: Dutch Study

Apples, Pears Fend Off Strokes

study says

Sep 16, 2011 3:16 PM CDT

Apples, Pears Fend Off Strokes

White-fleshed fruit reduced strokes in Dutch study

(Newser) - An apple a day may keep the doctor away, and more specifically lessen your chance of having a stroke. High consumption of apples and other white-fleshed fruit like pears, bananas, and cauliflower reduced people's likelihood of a stroke by 52% in a new Dutch study, the Daily Mail reports....

Early Risers Happier, Healthier

study says

Sep 15, 2011 3:30 PM CDT

Early Risers Happier, Healthier

Morning people tend to be less stressed, depressed, overweight

(Newser) - If you're not a morning person by nature, perhaps this will convince you to lay off the snooze button: A new study finds that those who get out of bed by 6:58am, on average, do better in the workplace and have a lower chance of being depressed, stressed,...

'Jaws' Leaps Into
Research Boat

Jul 20, 2011 4:00 AM CDT

'Jaws' Leaps Into Research Boat

It takes crew more than an hour to get killer back where he belongs

(Newser) - A great white shark proved a bit too cooperative, and leaped into a boat full of researchers who were luring the killer creatures off South Africa by throwing bait into the water. "Next thing I know I hear a splash, and see a white shark breach out of the...

Team to
Unearth Bones...
of Mona Lisa?

Apr 6, 2011 2:58 AM CDT

Team to Unearth Bones... of Mona Lisa?

'CSI art researchers' aim to find out who she is once and for all

(Newser) - Florence researchers are about to excavate the bones of the woman they believe served as the model for Mona Lisa. Their hope is that facial reconstruction will prove once and for all if Lisa Gherardini was the subject of the Leonardo da Vinci portrait that has mesmerized viewers for centuries....

'Tree Octopus' Hoax Shows Kids Believe Anything Online

Students believe everything they read online, warns researcher

(Newser) - Today's students have a worrying habit of believing everything they read on the Internet, according to a researcher who found it easy to trick young people into believing that endangered "tree octopuses" live in the Pacific Northwest. Students directed to a phony website highlighting the creature's plight continued to...

Placebo Effect Works—
Even if You Know Pill Is Fake

Dec 23, 2010 8:02 AM CST

Placebo Effect Works— Even if You Know Pill Is Fake

But a positive doctor-patient relationship thought to be essential

(Newser) - Turns out the placebo effect can work—even if the patient knows the pills he’s taking are fake. Researchers gave 40 people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome pills and explained they were like sugar pills—the bottle even had the word “placebo” on it—that patients had to...

iPhone App
Gauges Your
Happiness

Nov 12, 2010 11:40 AM CST

iPhone App Gauges Your Happiness

And finds that daydreaming is tied to bad moods

(Newser) - Turns out the all-powerful iPhone can also moonlight as your personal therapist, by way of the "Track Your Happiness" app. The app pings users at random times during the day, asking how they're feeling and what they're doing. Researchers looked at the responses of 2,250 adults and found...

Scientists May Soon Be Able to 'Record' Dreams

Oct 28, 2010 10:14 AM CDT

Scientists May Soon Be Able to 'Record' Dreams

Brain activity research could be applied to sleeping subjects

(Newser) - Sounds like something out of a movie, but it's real: Someday, scientists may be able to "record" your dreams. Research published in the journal Nature explains that it is already possible to record higher-level brain activity, and the same methods could be applied to dreams—though there is still...

Scientists Slash
Number of World's
Plants by 600,000

Sep 20, 2010 10:55 AM CDT

Scientists Slash Number of World's Plants by 600,000

Turns out that many plants have multiple names—some have hundreds

(Newser) - A comprehensive scientific study will trim some 600,000 duplicates from the world’s list of flowering plants, the Guardian reports. After centuries of scientists naming “new” plants that had already been discovered, we currently count the number of plant species at about 1 million—but a more realistic...

Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It

Sep 16, 2010 9:04 AM CDT

Irony: Even 4-Year-Olds Get It

And they can even use it themselves

(Newser) - You might have a hard time defining "irony," but children as young as four get it. Researchers for a new study observed the homes of 39 two-child families and found that all but one of the children understood at least one ironic comment their parents made, and some...

Younger Husband
Shortens Wife's Life

Younger Husband Shortens Wife's Life

Danish study defies expectations

(Newser) - Having a young husband can reduce a woman's life expectancy, a new study says. Marriage stats have long shown that men with younger wives tend to live longer. Researchers had assumed the same held true for women—but a study of 2 million Danish couples showed otherwise, Science Daily reports....

Racy Movies
Linked to
Early Drinking

Apr 26, 2010 6:58 PM CDT

Racy Movies Linked to Early Drinking

Study of kids finds strong tie between R-rated flicks, booze

(Newser) - Watching R-rated movies may encourage kids to start drinking alcohol at an earlier age, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed 3,600 middle-school children about their movie-watching habits, then followed up 2 years later with questions about alcohol consumption. Only 3% of those who were never allowed to watch R-rated...

Monotone
Male Voices
Are Irresistible

surprising study

Apr 19, 2010 12:23 PM CDT

Monotone Male Voices Are Irresistible

Turns out expressive voices just sound anxious

(Newser) - We like our men tall, dark, handsome…and able to whisper sweet nothings in a monotone voice? Apparently so. A new study shows that steady-voiced men have more sexual partners, thanks to the fact that such voices exude authority and confidence. Not convinced? Turns out a monotone voice doesn’t...

Scientists Map Genomes of Skin, Lung Cancer

Dec 16, 2009 3:02 PM CST

Scientists Map Genomes of Skin, Lung Cancer

Research ties disease to specific mutations

(Newser) - Scientists have mapped the genomes of skin and lung cancer, allowing them to know which specific mutations cause the disease. The development, hailed as a major breakthrough, could lead to earlier detection and better drug treatments. Melanoma and lung cancer are triggered by sets of tens of thousands of errors,...

Retire, Feel
8 Years
Younger

STUDY SAYS

Nov 9, 2009 3:28 PM CST

Retire, Feel 8 Years Younger

Freedom melts away maladies—if you're French

(Newser) - Retirement is great medicine, new research shows. A study of French workers for 7 years before and after they punched the time clock for the last time indicates health increases dramatically after retirement. Reports of poor health drop from 19.2% in the year before retirement to 14.3% the...

Diet Soda May Hurt Kidneys

Nov 4, 2009 1:17 AM CST

Diet Soda May Hurt Kidneys

Researcher: 'They're likely not good for you'

(Newser) - Hang on before opening that second diet soda. A survey has found significant reductions in blood filtering capabilities in the kidneys of older women who drank two or more artificially sweetened sodas a day. The study doesn't show a definitive link, but the lead researcher tells NPR that she avoids...