Science on Digg

SO IT'S... WATERWORLD?

Our Closest Earthlike Planet Appears To Be Covered In Water

In the search for life outside of our cosmic backyard, an Earth-sized, newly-discovered rocky exoplanet has scientists woozy: They've concluded that the planet may in fact be covered in oceans of liquid water—water that could contain life.

GHOST IN THE MACHINE

When Her Best Friend Died, She Rebuilt Him Using Artificial Intelligence

Ever since Mazurenko’s death, Kuyda had wanted one more chance to speak with him.

MCINTOSH DESTINY

The Quest To Create The Perfect Apple

Vox Food 13h

The Honeycrisp apple is as good as the Red Delicious is bad. Its story is also a harbinger of apple greatness still to come.

SWIPER NO SWIPING

The Problem With Modern Romance Is Too Much Choice

nautil.us Human Nature Studies 9h

Are we happier with few or many choices? One subject settles the debate — dating.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

'We’re Growing Brains Outside Of The Body'

BBC 12h

They’re made from human skin — and one day they may be able to think.

A PRIMER

Trying To Unravel Time Travel Paradoxes Is An Easy Way To Fry Your Brain

Explainer Video 1d

Around and round it goes. Where it stops nobody knows.

BACTERIA THAT COULD PREVENT CANCER

The Breast Has Its Own Microbiome

Scientific American Health 2h

If certain bacteria do instigate cancer, the finding could lead to new screening methods or treatments.

'PAUPERS, BEGGARS AND THIEVES'

America's 'Worst' Family

timeline.com Histories 1d

At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, one panel in the eugenics exhibit showed the genealogy of the best family in America: the Roosevelts. Juxtaposed to that was another panel, showing the genealogy of the worst family in America: the Ishmaels.

OLD NEWS

Why The Human Lifespan Ends At 122

Gizmodo Human Nature 1d

The oldest human to have ever lived died at the age of 122 — and that was nearly 20 years ago. A recent analysis of global demographic data suggests this may very well be the maximum age attainable by humans, and that it’s extremely unlikely anyone will ever live much beyond this advanced age. That is, unless we science the shit out of this problem.

A MATTER OF SCALES

How Many Fish Are In The Sea?

The Atlantic Nature Animals Audio Long Reads 1d

Figuring out how many fish there are in the sea is an impossible, essential challenge. Marine life provides a crucial source of protein for billions of people around the world, as well as necessary income for people in coastal communities. But the trends are alarming.

BLINDED BY THE DARK (ENERGY)

What The Heck Is Dark Energy?

Scientific American 14h

The path to understanding dark energy begins with one question: Has it remained the same through the universe’s history?

A LIVER DEATH ISSUE

The Silent Epidemic No One's Talking About

Scientific American Long Reads Health 5h

As nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, stealthily becomes a leading cause of transplants, drug companies race to develop treatments.

MONKEY BRAINS

The New Anthropomorphism

The Chronicle of Higher Education Animals Long Reads Nature 6h

Anthropomorphic thinking is now mainstream science — but not all researchers are happy about that.

IT'S STILL NOT A VEGETABLE

Engineering A Healthier Frozen Pizza

The New York Times Food 1d

In the food labs across the world, scientists are trying to save their companies by creating healthier junk food.

LIFE, TRULY, IS NOT FAIR

The Psychology Of Victim-Blaming

The Atlantic Human Nature 1d

When people want to believe that the world is just, and that bad things won’t happen to them, empathy can suffer.

WE'RE ALL GONNA BE A LPB

Humanity’s War On Latency

arstechnica.co.uk Technology 1d

As tech integrates with society and our bodies, the battle against lag heats up.

TINY VICTORIES

Three Chemists Share Nobel Prize For Work On Molecular Machines

Washington Post News 1d

Operating on a scale a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair, these "machines" are specially designed molecules with movable parts that produce controlled movements when energy is added.

PRIZE FIGHTER

How Vera Rubin Discovered Dark Matter

astronomy.com Long Reads Histories 1d

This famous astronomer carved herself a well-deserved place in history, so why doesn’t the Nobel committee see it that way?

THEIR WORK... MATTERS

Nobel Prize In Physics Awarded To Britons For Study Of Exotic Matter

CNN News 2d

"This year's laureates opened the door on an unknown world where matter can assume strange states," said the Nobel Foundation in a statement Tuesday.

DEMOCRACY LAB

Science Is What Made America Great

Medium Histories 1d

There are a lot of stories we tell ourselves about how the United States became the greatest, wealthiest, most powerful country in the world. But the most important narrative in our nation is that of our scientific progress.