A paper about electrical activity in cultured human brain cells got a lot of attention this week: Scientists Just Detected Brain Waves in Mini Lab-Grown Brains Mini-brains grown in a lab show neural activity like preterm babies The study, published in Cell Stem Cell, was about cortical organoids, three dimensional blobs of brain-like tissue that are created from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Researchers Trujillo et al. recorded electrical activity from the organoids as ...read more

DNA obtained from an ancient woman's remains have established a genetic link between modern-day Indians and the Indus Valley Civilization's people. (Credit: Vasant Shinde) Two new genetic studies published this week offer some rare insights into the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the earliest human civilizations. The work helps illuminate where these people, who created one of the cradles of civilization, came from. Just as importantly, it also reveals where they went. The Indus Valley ...read more

GC1052-DF2 is a large, but very diffuse galaxy located some 65 million light-years away. The galaxy is thought to contain a negligible amount of dark matter. This image was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA/ESA/P. van Dokkum (Yale University)) Some 60 million light-years from Earth, not too far from our local galactic neighborhood, a strange little galaxy is causing a cosmic stir. This little island universe holds far fewer stars than yo ...read more

With cases of STIs on the rise, basic methods of protection are more important than ever.(Credit: Purple Anvil/Shutterstock) When it comes to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), we all know the classics: Syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and the like. But these health-class terrors are not the only microbes that can get passed on through sexual contact. There are more than 30 known STIs, and four in particular are becoming more common at a worrying rate. Some are developing antibiotic re ...read more

Wynn, James. Citizen Science in the Digital Age: Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement. The University of Alabama Press, 2017. 224 pages. Paperback $US 24.95. Citizen scientists have repeatedly faced resistance from skeptics questioning their experience, training, and ability, but recent technological advances have brought citizen science into the digital age, transforming many aspects of the process. This ranges from the experience of being involved in a project as a citizen scientis ...read more

One-third of GE's Catalyst engine, a turboprop set to fly in the Cessna Denali, is 3D printed. It has the most 3D-printed parts of any plane engine in the world. (Credit: GE Aviation) In 2014, eight engineers started a secret project behind the walls of GE Aviation’s headquarters. Their challenge? Build an aircraft engine with 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing. The engineers wanted to make an engine with fewer parts than normal – way fewer parts. The normal CT7 t ...read more

India could be the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface (Credit: ISRO) India’s space agency is prepping for their first soft landing on the Moon today. The mission, called Chandrayaan-2, would make India the fourth country to reach the Moon’s surface -- behind the United States, Russia, and China. The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-2 mission consists of several parts, including an orbiter to observe the Moon for a year, the ...read more

A study asking men to infer emotions by looking at the others concluded that testosterone does not affect empathy levels. (Credit: El Nariz/Shutterstock) Testosterone often gets a bad rap. The hormone responsible for male sexual development has been linked in studies to aggression and a lack of empathy. People with autism – a developmental condition that can lead to anxiety and trouble interacting with others – also have a hard time empathizing. Since the condition is four time ...read more

(Credit: Knowable Magazine) On March 30, 1981, 25-year-old John W. Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan and three other people. The following year, he went on trial for his crimes. Defense attorneys argued that Hinckley was insane, and they pointed to a trove of evidence to back their claim. Their client had a history of behavioral problems. He was obsessed with the actress Jodie Foster, and devised a plan to assassinate a president to impress her. He hounded Jimmy Carter. Then he ta ...read more

Subsurface water on Jupiter's moon Europa is one place humans plan to search for life. This artist's concept shows a massive plume of underground water erupting from the moon's surface. (Credit: NASA/ESA/K. Retherford/SWRI) As humans explore the solar system, the tantalizing possibility of discovering extraterrestrial life continues to pop up. But the goal of most scientists is to discover existing life on another world, not to accidentally bring it there from Earth. Whether travelers are ro ...read more