Spider Brains Overflow into Legs

Researchers have found the brains of smaller spider species are proportionally larger compared to total body volume, so much so that some can fill up to 80% of the body cavity including about 25% of their legs.

Japan Quake Shifted Satellites

The Tōhoku earthquake that struck Japan last March was so strong as to alter Earth's gravitational field enough to change the orbit of the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, sensitive NASA instruments designed to map Earth's gravity field from 500 km above the surface.

Unknown Carvings in Jerusalem

A set of newly discovered "V"-shaped carvings dating back at least 2800 years in the limestone floor of the City of David excavation site in eastern Jerusalem have experts stumped as to the use and purpose of the design.

Biggest Black Holes

Astronomers have identified astonishingly massive black holes (NGC 4889, NGC 3842) with diameters ten times the size of our solar system and masses equal to 21 billion and 9.7 billion Suns, respectively, providing additional insight into the formation of the largest and oldest galaxies in the universe.

Voyager Hits Stagnation Region

NASA's Voyager 1 probe has entered a "stagnation region" at the edge of our solar system, a calm region at the border of the heliosphere where the charged solar wind has stopped and the magnetic field has increased in intensity in response to the interstellar medium.

First Habitable Planet Found

NASA's Kepler satellite has identified its first planet (Kepler-22b) existing within the so-called "habitable zone," an orbit around a star with conditions where liquid water could exist and therefore the possibility of life.

Crab Grows Its Own Food

The newly discovered yeti crab (Kiwa puravida) that lives in the deep sea off the shores of Costa Rica cultivates "gardens" of symbiotic bacteria in its bristled claws that it periodically harvests and eats as its primary food source.

Wasps Recognize Faces

Researchers have demonstrated that the golden paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus) can recognize individuals of its same species from their facial markings, an ability thought to be a product of their highly social lifestyle.

Outsider's View of Galaxy

The twin Voyager space probes are now far enough away from our own solar system to detect the Lyman-alpha wavelength of light from the Milky Way's center for the first time, a trace indicator of star formation unable to be detected from Earth.

Baby-Filled Dinosaur Nest

A "breathtaking" fossilized nest has been discovered in Mongolia containing 15 juvenile protoceratops estimated to be about one year old when they died, providing evidence for extended parental care among dinosaurs.

Turtle Eggs Communicate

Researchers have found that the eggs of the Australian river turtles (Emydura macquarii) all hatch at the same time, despite temperature differences between the top and bottom of the nest that should affect development and hatching times, suggesting possible chemical communication among the clutch.

Invasive Ants Vanish

One of the world's most invasive species, colonies of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) are collapsing and disappearing from New Zealand without human intervention, with speculation that low genetic diversity has made then susceptible to widespread disease.

Bones from Inkjet Printer

Researchers have used standard inkjet printer technology to build a three-dimensional scaffolding material of calcium phosphate, zinc and silicon to be used in orthopedic procedures and dental work for real bones to grow and heal as it dissolves within the body.

Psychopath's Brains Are Different

Diffusion tensor (DFI) and functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) of prisoner's brains reveal reduced connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala in persons diagnosed as psychopaths, possibly explaining their callous and impulsive antisocial behavior.