Science / Technology News

It was all planned this way! Seriously. That's the spin Microsoft is giving, as it's been announced that the nearly universally panned Microsoft commercial series involving Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld is about to bite the dust.

Madison Decker has just celebrated her 1-month birthday, but the roots of her birth go back some 21 years: Her father, Ken, had his sperm frozen before undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease in the 1980s.

The slimy ooze inside prickly pear cactuses that helps the plants store water in the desert can also be used for scouring arsenic, bacteria and cloudiness out of rural drinking water, according to research at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Makeup sellers seeking to stand out amid crowded cosmetic counters are expanding into a niche once confined to those living under the scrutiny of the lens: high-definition makeup.

Over half of deaths in women from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease could be avoided if they never smoke, keep their weight in check, take exercise and eat a healthy diet low in red meat and trans-fats, according to a study published in BMJ.

On Tuesday, at a session at its Google Developer day in London, Google's Mike Jennings demonstrated a working Android mobile phone for "the first time in Europe." The slides (one above) clearly seem to resemble the HTC Dream, though branding was redacted.

For those of you who haven't heard of Valve, it's a gaming company, famous for games such as Half-Life, which really made the company's mark, as well as follow ups such as Day of Defeat, Counter-Strike, and more. And now you might ask, why would Google, monolith of all things Internet, be interesting in a gaming company (and one that doesn't have a web-based MMORPG, for that matter)?

Spying someone yawning often makes us yawn. Now, a new study shows your canine buddy can catch yawns from you, too.

The superior colliculus has long been thought of as a rapid orienting center of the brain that allows the eyes and head to turn swiftly either toward or away from the sights and sounds in our environment.

An Israeli city is using DNA analysis of dog droppings to reward and punish pet owners.

A new national survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project titled "Teens, Video Games and Civics" shows that virtually all American teens play video games, whether computer, console, or cell phone games --- go figure! While some might say, "you needed to do a study to figure this out?," the study (.PDF) shows a lot of interesting (and perhaps, for parents, frightening) data.

It's not a supernova. Nor is it a galaxy, or a black hole. In fact, astronomers have no idea what the mysterious object that in February 2006 suddenly flared up in an otherwise barren patch of sky might be ...

An international team of scientists predict that our Galaxy, the Milky Way, contains a disk of ‘dark matter’, in a paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

General Motors unveiled the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle on Tuesday, allowing outsiders their first full look at the car GM says will go on sale in 2010.

Britain's national academy of science is to be asked to explain its views on creationism in classrooms by a senior Member of Parliament "horrified" at the reported views of its education director.

A newly discovered species of a blind, subterranean predator a ' dubbed the "Ant from Mars" is likely a descendant of one of the very first ants to evolve on Earth, a new study finds.

The Smithsonian Institution will work to digitize its collections to make science, history and cultural artifacts accessible online and dramatically expand its outreach to schools.

A Silicon Valley engineer and longtime robot-tinkerer creates an autonomous vehicle that drives itself through San Francisco and across the Bay Bridge.

While the NTSB sought to determine if the engineer of a Metrolink commuter train was text messaging before a crash with a Union Pacific freight train, the head of the California Public Utilities Commission said he would seek an emergency ban of cell phone use by California train operators. 25 people were killed in the accident.

While AT&T has teased some by leaking free hotspot offers for iPhone owners, then pulling them down, it's the Zune which has first achieved free wi-fi access at McDonald's. On Tuesday Wayport and Microsoft announced a deal whereby Zune owners will gain free access to Wayport hotspots at over 9,800 participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide.