Fracking fluid is leaking more often than we thought
Kelly Malony, USGSShale gas drill rigging at night in Pennsylvania.Hydraulic fracture oil and gas wells spill pretty often, according to a recent study in...
Why does this straw look like it's broken?
Brian KlutchOut of shapeHint: Water and air have different densities.Place a straw in a glass of water, and behold: It looks broken. What’s tricking...
What color are these squiggly shapes?
Brian KlutchColoring Inside The LinesThe watercolor illusionWhen you glance at the four rippled rectangles in front of you, do the spaces inside look light...
This ancient society passed power down from woman to woman
flickr user John FowlerRemnants of the Chaco Canyon great houses are preserved today in Chaco Culture National Historic Park.In a colossal 650-room structure built...
Audio engineering is making call center robots more 'human' and less annoying
Fisher PriceAudio engineering can make computerized customer support lines seem friendlier and more helpful.Say you’re on the phone with a company and the automated...
Why can whale nerves stretch and turn like bungee cords?
Margo LillieA micro-CT scan of a fin whale nerve, which shows a nerve coiled within an outer layer. This inner coiling allows nerves to...
Middle Eastern seed bank re-deposits backups into Svalbard's doomsday vault
Global Diversity Crop TrustSvalbard Seed BankThe Svalbard Seed Bank in Norway provides a backup repository for the world's agricultural crops.Today, the seeds of 49,000...
What pregnant women actually need to know about herpes
pexelsWhen I saw the press release for a new study linking the risk of autism to maternal infection with genital herpes, my heart sunk....
Want people to volunteer as lab rats? Turn your science into a game.
St. Martin's PressPower PlayPower Play: How video games can save the world by Asi Burak and Laura Parker.The following is an excerpt from Power...
This tiny camera could give drones predator vision
Thiele et al. Sci. Adv. 20173D-printed micro-cameraClusters of lenses were directly printed onto the chip.From body parts to supercars, the family of 3D printed...
McDonalds' fancy new straw doesn't suck
Billy Cadden/Popular ScienceWe tested out McDonald's new J-shaped straw with a layered Chocolate Shamrock shake.The phrase "reinventing the wheel" usually means someone is wasting...