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By Science Daily New evidence suggests heinous behavior played out in a virtual environment can lead to players’ increased sensitivity toward the moral codes they violated. That is the surprising finding of a study led by Matthew Grizzard, PhD, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo Department of Communication, and co-authored by researchers at Michigan …

By Richard Baker Some of Australia’s most senior orthodox Jewish leaders are under investigation for allegedly failing to report multiple instances of child sexual abuse. The Sunday Age has obtained witness statements and tape recordings from this month’s successful prosecution of a former Bondi Yeshiva authority figure, Daniel Hayman, that indicate senior Jewish leaders failed to …

By Sci-News   Gliese 832, also known as HD 204961 or LHS 3685, is a M1.5 dwarf located in the constellation Grus, about 16 light-years from Earth. It has about half the mass and radius of the Sun. This star is already known to harbor Gliese 832b, a cold Jupiter-like planet discovered in 2009. “With an …

By Harriet Hall   This post is dedicated to two people who are frequent commenters on SBM, Stephen S. Rodrigues and Peter Moran. Rodrigues is an MD/acupuncturist who tries to persuade us that acupuncture is effective. Moran is a retired surgeon who objects to insulting language and thinks more can be accomplished by trying to …

By Jonathan Amos   Europe has initiated the process that should lead to the biggest X-ray space telescope ever built. Dubbed Athena, the satellite will be some 12m in length and weigh about five tonnes when launched in 2028. The European Space Agency’s (Esa) Science Programme Committeeselected the project at a meeting in Toulouse. Design work now …

By Tia Ghose   An ancient reef that once teemed with primitive sea life has been unearthed in Africa. The reef, which dates to 548 million years ago, is the oldest animal-built reef ever found. The coral-like creatures, dubbed Cloudina, may have built the superstructures to protect themselves from predators or to soak up the nutrients from ocean currents, …

By Nicholas St. Fleur Neanderthals clubbed their way to the top of an ancient food chain, slaying caribou and mammoths. But a peek inside their prehistoric poop reveals that the meat-loving early humans may have also enjoyed some salad on the side. Researchers excavating a site in southern Spain where Neanderthals lived 50,000 years ago …

By Alissa De Carbonnel and Maria Tsvetkova   Russia was forced to abandon Friday’s debut launch of its first new space rocket since the Soviet era when the Angara booster cut out during a final countdown watched by President Vladimir Putin via video link from the Kremlin. Angara is seen as a test of Russia’s ability to …

By Laura Zuckerman   A new mammal discovered in the remote desert of western Africa resembles a long-nosed mouse in appearance but is more closely related genetically to elephants, a California scientist who helped identify the tiny creature said on Thursday. The new species of elephant shrew, given the scientific name Macroscelides micus, inhabits an …

 By Science Daily If you think Neanderthals were stupid and primitive, it’s time to think again. The widely held notion that Neanderthals were dimwitted and that their inferior intelligence allowed them to be driven to extinction by the much brighter ancestors of modern humans is not supported by scientific evidence, according to a researcher at …

By Maressa Brown Thirteen years ago, Sarah Morehead was a practicing evangelical Southern Baptist, following in the footsteps of her family by attempting to meet the requirements of being a good Christian wife and mother. But when a series of events caused her to question her beliefs and upbringing, Sarah ended up letting go of religion altogether. …

For the first time ever, a paralyzed man can move his fingers and hand with his own thoughts thanks to an innovative partnership between The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Battelle. Ian Burkhart, a 23-year-old quadriplegic from Dublin, Ohio, is the first patient to use Neurobridge, an electronic neural bypass for spinal cord injuries that reconnects the …