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There is a theory that the spark of genius lurks hidden within all of us. Now scientists are developing a 'thinking cap' that could turn that theory into practice and unlock the amazing potential of the human brain. The device uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain works and has produced remarkable results in tests.
A pillow that doubles as an alarm clock has been invented by a pair of university students. The Glo Pillow has in-built LEDs that brighten gradually over the space of 40 minutes. This pulls you slowly from a deep sleep and leaves you feeling wide awake. It proves an alternative to a traditional alarm clock, which gives the body a sudden shock and can interrupt any stage of the sleep cycle.
Liberated ... Bart Bunting hits the pavement with his trusty mobile phone GPS device.
No more than a few months ago Bunting was forced to ask for detailed, turn-by-turn directions whenever he wanted to go anywhere new and then memorise every step he took to ensure he could make it home.
But today, armed with a mobile phone containing GPS software purpose-built for visually impaired people, Bunting is liberated and can go wherever he likes, safe in the knowledge that home is only the push of a button away.
© Illustration by Todd Marshall, copyright 2008 National Geographic Society The newfound Aerosteon riocoloradensis had both lungs (in red) and air sacs (in other colors), much like modern-day birds.
The 33-foot (10-meter) long dinosaur—described in a September 2008 study—has given scientists new insight into the evolution of bird lungs.
The 33-foot (10-meter) long dinosaur—described in a September 2008 study—has given scientists new insight into the evolution of bird lungs.
The elephant-size dinosaur Aerosteon riocoloradensis lived 85 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.
The fossil provides the first evidence of dinosaur air sacs, which pump air into the lungs and are used by modern-day birds, said Paul Sereno, the project's lead researcher and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.
Melbourne - One of Charles Darwin's extinct giant Galapagos tortoises could soon be bred back to life - thanks to scientists who claim to have discovered a living species that shares its DNA.
An international team, led by Macquarie University, has found that a species on Volcano Wolf on Isabela island actually contains the DNA of an extinct one from the island of Floreana.
According to lead scientist Dr Luciano Beheregaray, if more of these mixed individuals are found, a captive breeding programme could help in restoring the species, Geochelone elephantosis, back to life.
An international team, led by Macquarie University, has found that a species on Volcano Wolf on Isabela island actually contains the DNA of an extinct one from the island of Floreana.
According to lead scientist Dr Luciano Beheregaray, if more of these mixed individuals are found, a captive breeding programme could help in restoring the species, Geochelone elephantosis, back to life.
LOS ANGELES - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has discovered evidence of past water at its Martian landing site and spotted falling snow for the first time, scientists reported Monday. Soil experiments revealed the presence of two minerals known to be formed in liquid water. Scientists identified the minerals as calcium carbonate, found in limestone and chalk, and sheet silicate.
© European Space AgencyOne of the first images of the re-entry of the European Space Agency's space freighter, Jules Verne, over the Pacific Ocean
The planned burn followed the craft's six-month mission to the space station to provide the crew there with a fresh shipment of food, fuel and supplies. The crew reloaded the freighter with 2.5 tonnes of garbage before launching it back into space.
© Science/AAASA large band of ancient rocks in northern Quebec, known as the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt, has produced what may be the oldest rock on Earth – at 4.28 billion years old
Finding the oldest rocks on Earth is important because they should help scientists solve one of geology's great mysteries: how the surface of our planet was transformed from the ocean of magma that existed in the Hadean - the earliest era in Earth's history - into the floating tectonic plates we have today.
Rather than building stronger ocean-based structures to withstand tsunamis, it might be easier to simply make the structures disappear.
A collaboration of physicists from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille Universite in France and the University of Liverpool in England have conducted laboratory experiments showing that it's possible to make type of dike that acts as an invisibility cloak that hides off-shore platforms from water waves. The principle is analogous to the optical invisibility cloaks that are currently a hot area of physics research.
© M. Farhat, S. Enoch, S. Guenneau and A.B. MovchanLaboratory experiments show that obstacles arranged in fluids in certain patterns can effectively make objects they surround invisible to waves. If it works as well in in scaled-up versions, it could lead to new ways to protect ocean-based platforms and coasts from devastating tsunamis.
Dark energy is at the heart of one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics, but it may be nothing more than an illusion, according physicists at Oxford University.
The problem facing astrophysicists is that they have to explain why the universe appears to be expanding at an ever increasing rate. The most popular explanation is that some sort of force is pushing the accelerating the universe's expansion. That force is generally attributed to a mysterious dark energy.
Although dark energy may seem a bit contrived to some, the Oxford theorists are proposing an even more outrageous alternative. They point out that it's possible that we simply live in a very special place in the universe - specifically, we're in a huge void where the density of matter is particularly low. The suggestion flies in the face of the Copernican Principle, which is one of the most useful and widely held tenants in physics.
© NASA/STScI/Ann FeildChanges in the rate of expansion since the universe's birth 15 billion years ago. The more shallow the curve, the faster the rate of expansion. The curve changes noticeably about 7.5 billion years ago, when objects in the universe began flying apart at a faster rate. Astronomers theorize that the faster expansion rate is due to a mysterious, dark force that is pulling galaxies apart.
Although dark energy may seem a bit contrived to some, the Oxford theorists are proposing an even more outrageous alternative. They point out that it's possible that we simply live in a very special place in the universe - specifically, we're in a huge void where the density of matter is particularly low. The suggestion flies in the face of the Copernican Principle, which is one of the most useful and widely held tenants in physics.
