Cool

Relics of the big bang
Astronomers have discovered two clouds of gas some 12 billion light-years away that appear to preserve the primordial conditions of the universe in the minutes after the big bang. The clouds contain just hydrogen and its isotope deuterium, making them ...

Mapping the moon
Two NASA probes that spent last year orbiting the moon have returned stunning new geological maps that could help explain how it, Earth, and other planets in our solar system formed. The probes, named Ebb and Flow, flew identical orbits ...

Deaf quadriplegic types with his eyes
A California quadriplegic has built up an 8,000-strong Twitter following for his warm and witty observations, written using a special computer that reads his eye movements. David Rose, 24, is deaf and unable to move his body, but communicates with ...

Study: Painkillers Dull Pleasure
Every week, more than 50 million Americans take acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and many other popular painkillers, to ease their aches and pains. But a new study has revealed that the drug also dulls emotions—including happiness. Prior research ...

Could we talk with whales?
Human-like sounds made by a captive beluga whale suggest that cetaceans could learn to mimic our voices, and perhaps even converse with us. Researchers at the National Marine Mammal Foundation first noticed in the 1980s that one of their whales ...

Denver Coffee Shop, Purple Door Helps Homeless
The owners of one Denver coffee shop aren't just talking about social issues, they're actually doing something about them. Co-founders Madison Chandler and Mark Smesrud opened the Purple Door two years ago with the goal of hiring homeless young adults, ...

Scientist Injects Himself With ‘Eternal Life’ Bacteria
Anatoli Brouchkov, a scientist whose curiosity and thirst for knowledge drove him to go beyond the standard protocol of his experimentation by injecting himself with an ancient "Eternal Life" bacteria. In 2009, a 3.5-million-year-old bacteria strain called Bacillus F was discovered deep ...

11 Bizarre Sources for Alternative Energy
Most people would agree that fossil fuels simply need to go. They’re the cause of pollution, wars and climate change. Scientists have been researching alternative energy solutions like wind and solar power, and hydrogen fuel for cars, for years. But ...

Positive Emotions Found To Have An Immune Boosting Anti-Inflammatory Effect
Awe-inspiring experiences, such as viewing works of art or overlooking a scenic vista, may have physical as well as mental health benefits, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that the positive emotions triggered ...

The Internet’s Dominant Languages
Of the world's billion Internet users, one in three logs on in English. That's no surprise. The technology got its start in the U.S., most Web pages are English, and more than 60 percent of the U.S., Canadian, U.K., and ...