Educational Science

Hundreds of fossilized creatures from the Age of Dinosaurs have been discovered inside a type of amber into which scientists have now glimpsed for the first time. The trove of ancient animals was found in pieces of opaque amber, the secretive sister of the more familiar translucent amber gemstone. Though...

10 Deadly Cults

Cult or Religious Sect? Cultist groups have permeated society ever since people could chat and share ideas en masse, although modern cult experts today often clash about what, exactly, makes a group of people a cult. What's a loony or eccentric organization to one expert is often seen by others...

Flying in the face of conventional thought, overweight children have fewer cavities and healthier teeth compared to other kids, a new study finds. Scientists are clueless as to why. Researchers at the Eastman Dental Center, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, analyzed data on nearly 18,000 children who...

Men More OK with Discrimination Than Women Are

Men are more tolerant of discrimination than women are, but both tend to accept prejudice against some immigrants and Arab-Americans, according to a new study. The results come from telephone and online surveys of more than 3,300 people conducted in 2002 by University of Southern California researchers. Each of the...

Huge Flying Reptiles Ate Dinosaurs

With a name like T. rex, you'd expect to be safe from even the fiercest paleo-bullies. Turns out, ancient, flying reptiles could have snacked on Tyrannosaurus Rex babies and other landlubbing runts of the dinosaur world. A new study reveals a group of flying reptiles that lived during the Age...

Why Humans Bother With Emotions

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm happy, I'm anxious. At the end of the day, I'm physically and mentally exhausted from the whirling dervish that seems to have taken over my head. Why do we have emotions? Wouldn't...

Neurologist Explores Music's Healing Power

NEW YORK (AP) - Noted neurologist Oliver Sacks has found common ground with the pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church: Both men believe in the healing power of music. Sacks, the best-selling author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, was to share the church...

Faith in Prayer Kills Children

Last month in Portland, Ore., Carl and Raylene Worthington's toddler Ava got sick with a blood infection and pneumonia. Both conditions were treatable with antibiotics, but unfortunately for little Ava, her parents belong to the Followers of Christ Church, some members of which believe that prayer can cure the sick....

Nanowire 'Paper Towel' Designed to Clean Up Oil Spills

A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, scientists announced today. MIT researchers and colleagues say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil,...