Diamond's Structural Secrets Revealed

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  277 words  |  Trudie Dory

Sure, diamonds are shiny and sparkly, but their beauty may ultimately come from their unique crystal structure, one mathematician says. Toshikazu Sunada, of Japan's Meiji University, conducted a mathematical analysis of the crystal structure of diamond and found that it has certain special properties, especially in its symmetry. In a crystal, atoms are packed in ordered, repeating patterns, with the bonds between them holding them tightly together. Crystals can be represented in models by points (representing the atoms) connected by lines, or edges in particular patterns. [Read More]

Face of Gandhi Found On Google Mars

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  486 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Now that Google Mars, a new online map pieced together from satellite images of the Red Planet, is up and running, space enthusiasts the world over are finding interesting objects on the Martian surface. The latest is a face found by an Italian named Matteo Ianneo, who has also claimed to have found vegetation, entrances to underground tunnels, and city ruins on Mars in the past few weeks. Ianneo says his latest surface find, which is located at 33°12'29. [Read More]

Fix Me: Nips and Tucks Soar

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1388 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Liposuction. Boob jobs. Lip-plumping Botox. Pec implants to die for. These are a few of our favorite beauty enhancers. Sure, cosmetic procedures go awry, as seen lately with Priscilla Presley whose botched silicone injections have sent her jaw and lower face sagging. And people have died from minor plastic surgeries or reactions to higher-risk procedures such as liposuction. Nonetheless, beauty-upgrades are "skyrocketing," said Dr. Angelo Volandes of Massachusetts General Hospital, whose specialty is internal medicine. [Read More]

Freaky Mutant Mouse Steals Genes to Resist Poison

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  614 words  |  Trudie Dory

Poison-resistant mice have been giving homeowners throughout Germany and Spain increased trouble in recent years. New research indicates that some of these mutant mice developed their immunity in a surprising way: by stealing it from another species. Poison resistance usually evolves as a result of changes to one letter, or chemical base, of the genetic code. In contrast, these freak mice, a mutant form of the European house mouse, inherited a whole chunk of genes from Algerian mice, a species they shouldn’t have been able to breed with. [Read More]

How to Sleep Better

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1131 words  |  Trudie Dory

Live Science is bringing our readers a monthly series on personal health goals. We'll give you tips and tricks for reaching those goals, based on the advice we've gathered from the countless health experts we've interviewed. Each month, we'll focus on a different goal, and the goal for August is "Get Better Sleep." Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to connect with other readers who are working toward these goals. Jump to: January — Lose Weight | February — Eat Healthy | March — Start Exercising | April — Cope with Allergies | May — Protect Yourself from Sun and Heat | June — Stay in Shape Outdoors | July — Get Gutsy About Gut Health [Read More]

Images: Ancient Egyptian Kittens

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  1 minutes  |  154 words  |  Fernande Dalal

HierakonpolisThe excavation site at an elite cemetery in the ancient Egyptian city of Hierakonpolis. Among the many animals buried in the cemetery are six newly discovered cats, including four kittens. Excavating SkeletonsBioarchaeologist Wim Van Neer excavates a small pit containing 6 cat skeletons at Hierakonpolis. Cat SkeletonsA pit about 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter holds the remains of two adult cats and four kittens. Cat Close-UpCat skeletons found in an elite cemetery in Hierakonpolis may have been sacrified and buried as part of some religious ritual. [Read More]

Literary Fiction May Boost Mind-Reading Skills

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  452 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Reading a piece of fiction could enhance one's "mind-reading" skills, suggests a new study that also reveals a short story by Anton Chekhov may be more effective than a passage penned by Danielle Steel. Researchers at the New School for Social Research in New York tested how people performed on tests that gauged their "theory of mind" capabilities after reading an except from a book or article. Theory of mind refers to a set of skills people use to understand the emotional states of other people; it can be measured, for example, through tests in which participants have to match the correct emotion to a picture of an actor's eyes. [Read More]

Spider Spins Web in Man's Ear (Cue the Nightmares)

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  346 words  |  Patria Henriques

A man in eastern China recently visited a hospital with complaints of "a crawling sensation" in his right ear. Upon examination, the doctor found a spider that had really made itself at home. The tiny arachnid had spun a web that covered the patient's entire ear canal. Dr. Zhang Pan of the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University treated the man, inserting an endoscope into his ear and capturing footage of the eight-legged intruder, which was shared online by Newsflare on May 8. [Read More]

Surprising number of pregnant women at NYC hospitals test positive for COVID-19

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  543 words  |  Patria Henriques

A surprising number of pregnant women delivering babies at two New York City hospitals tested positive for COVID-19 without showing symptoms, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the true rate of COVID-19 infection in the city overall could be much higher than thought. In the United States, people are generally tested for COVID-19 if they have serious symptoms, and so exactly how many people have the disease is unclear. [Read More]

Two Elements Named: Livermorium and Flerovium

 Posted on May 31, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  521 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Chemistry's periodic table can now welcome livermorium and flerovium, two newly named elements, which were announced Thursday (Dec. 1) by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The new names will undergo a five-month public comment period before the official paperwork gets processed and they show up on the table. Three other new elements just recently finished this process, filling in the 110, 111 and 112 spots. All five of these elements are so large and unstable they can be made only in the lab, and they fall apart into other elements very quickly. [Read More]