Allowing the mind to wander aids creativity   History is rich with ‘eureka’ moments: scientists from Archimedes to Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are said to have had flashes of inspiration while thinking about other [...]

The first private-sector flight to the International Space Station will open up myriad opportunities for science Next month, SpaceX, an aerospace company in Hawthorne, California, is scheduled to launch the first cargo resupply mission by [...]

‘Smart’ containers can be customized to drive chemical reactions Armed with a three-dimensional (3D) printer and the type of silicone-based sealant typically used for bathrooms, researchers have demonstrated a novel way to control chemical reactions: [...]

Device identifies target then releases deadly payload. DNA origami, a technique for making structures from DNA, may be more than just a cool design concept. It can also be used to build devices that can [...]

Powerful analgesics can restore normal nerve function.   Has a cheap and effective treatment for chronic pain been lying under clinicians’ noses for decades? Researchers have found that a very high dose of an opiate [...]

Everyone can see the resulting data and download it, including scientists   A wealth of extra free genetic data could be at scientists’ fingertips if a new website allowing the public to make their test [...]

US intelligence agency aims to forecast unrest by reading the runes of social media. It is every government’s dream: a system that can predict future events such as riots, political upheavals and the outbreak of [...]

The creator of a marketplace for scientific research explains how it could transform the enterprise Last week, Science Exchange in Palo Alto, California, launched a website allowing scientists to outsource their research to ‘providers’ — [...]

What’s new, and old, about the latest in computing Today IBM unveiled a new ‘cognitive computing’ microchip that, according to the company, emulates some of the brain’s abilities. The chip is the latest development in [...]

Findings present potential strategy to control spread of malaria. Tinkering with male mosquitoes so that they cannot produce sperm is a promising way to control the spread of the malaria-carrying insects in the wild. Researchers [...]

An antibody that recognizes all strains of influenza A could be a universal vaccine blueprint. Scientists have found an antibody that inactivates all influenza A subtypes. The antibody binding site, tucked away in a stable [...]

Those wanting to raise awareness about a rare disease will be able to take advantage of an initiative being launched later this year: a website that connects research projects with members of the public who [...]