Boost fundraising with something simple: Sandpaper

Researchers have discovered that touching rough surfaces increases awareness of discomfort in our surroundings, which can trigger empathy. This leads to more interest in donating to charities.

Creation of minimal cell with just the genes needed for independent life

Researchers have designed and synthesized a minimal bacterial genome, containing only the genes necessary for life, and consisting of just 473 genes.

Modified maggots could help human wound healing

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers show that genetically engineered green bottle fly larvae can produce and secrete a human growth factor -- a molecule that helps promote cell growth and wound healing.

Earth's moon wandered off axis billions of years ago

A new study reports Earth's moon wandered off its original axis roughly 3 billion years ago. Ancient lunar ice indicates the moon's axis slowly shifted by 125 miles, or 6 degrees, over 1 billion years. Earth's moon now a member of solar system's exclusive 'true polar wander' club, which includes just a handful of other planetary bodies.

Brad Pitt's and fruit flies' cowlicks controlled by cancer protein

What does Brad Pitt have in common with a fruit fly? His Hollywood hairstyles cover a prominent cowlick -- the swirl of hair that that is caused by a patterning mechanism also active in our two-winged friends -- that similarly feature 'polarized' hair patterns.

Using frog foam to deliver antibiotics

Scientists have shown that the foam made by Trinidadian frogs represents a new, non-toxic antibiotic delivery system that may help to prevent infections. Researchers have been analysing the frog foam, showing that it is highly stable and capable of taking up drugs before releasing them at a stable rate.

In the wilds of the Local Group, a lonely galaxy stays set apart

This scene, captured by ESO's OmegaCAM on the VLT Survey Telescope, shows a lonely galaxy known as Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte, or WLM for short. Although considered part of our Local Group of dozens of galaxies, WLM stands alone at the group's outer edges as one of its most remote members. In fact, the galaxy is so small and secluded that it may never have interacted with any other Local Group galaxy -- or perhaps even any other galaxy in the history of the Universe.