Catherine Griffin : Science World Report

Aug 14, 2013 01:06 PM EDT

Scientists Regenerate Mouse Heart with Human Precursor Cells

There may be hope for regenerating functional organs in humans. Scientists have stripped the cells out of a mouse heart and have replaced them with human heart precursor cells. Surprisingly, the heart was able to contract and beat again after the procedure.

Aug 14, 2013 11:59 AM EDT

Shortened Tails of Early Birds Caused Evolutionary Explosion in Leg Diversity

The early bird gets the worm--especially when that worm happens to be an evolutionary edge. Scientists have discovered that a radical shortening of their bony tails about 100 million years ago gave birds a leg-up in evolution--literally. It allowed them to develop versatile legs which gave them a hu...

Aug 14, 2013 11:10 AM EDT

Watch Apes Swim and Dive in a Pool: Chimps Use the Breaststroke (Video)

Apes aren't normally known for their swimming abilities. Now, though, scientists have taken a closer look at how these creatures move through the water. It turns out that unlike the dog-paddle stroke that most other animals use, apes instead employ a type of breaststroke.

Aug 14, 2013 10:44 AM EDT

Scientists Discover Two New Species of Bone-Munching Worms in Antarctica

Deep in the icy waters at the bottom of the ocean live some of the strangest creatures known to science. Now, scientists have made a new discovery; they've found two new species of "zombie" worms that feed on decaying whale skeletons

Aug 14, 2013 09:45 AM EDT

Archaeologists Uncover Oldest Rock Carvings in North America

Scientists may have tracked down the oldest carvings in North America. Researchers have discovered petroglyphs etched into several boulders in western Nevada that date back to at least 10,500 years ago and may be as old as 14,800 years.

Aug 14, 2013 09:05 AM EDT

Speedy Light Slowed to a Crawl in Liquid Crystal Matrix

Light speeds through space, bouncing off objects as it races at about 186,282 miles per second. Now, scientists may have found a way to halt this mad dash. They've discovered that they can slow light by using embedded dye molecules in a liquid crystal matrix.

Aug 14, 2013 08:11 AM EDT

Mass Extinctions Cause Evolutionary Bottlenecks: More or Less Diversity?

Scientists are examining mass extinctions more closely. They've discovered how after these events in the past, species and ecosystems managed to recover in the aftermath.

Aug 14, 2013 07:28 AM EDT

Large Animal Extinctions Sever Earth's 'Nutrient Arteries' in the Amazon

Large animals play a more important role in our ecosystems than we once thought. Scientists have discovered that these creatures have acted as carriers of key nutrients to plants and animals over thousands of years. Yet as these species become extinct, they could sever the Earth's "nutrient arteries...

Aug 13, 2013 02:54 PM EDT

Penn Scientists Design Leaping, Climbing Robot with Six Legs (Video)

The science of robot movement has continued to expand in recent years. Now, researchers have developed a new way for a robot to get around. They've created RHex, an all-terrain walking robot that could potentially be used to climb over rubble in rescue missions.

Aug 13, 2013 01:47 PM EDT

Scientists Use Atomic Clocks as Quantum Simulators

Atomic clocks can be used for a variety of applications. Now, scientists have used one of these devices as a quantum simulator, mimicking the behavior of a different, more complex quantum system.

Aug 13, 2013 01:04 PM EDT

Crowdsourcing the Weather: Smartphone Batteries Reveal Temperature Information

Smartphones can be used in many different ways. And now, scientists are looking at a way to use the batteries in these devices to predict the weather. Weather experts and smartphone app developers have teamed up to develop a way to crowdsource temperature information from smartphone batteries.

Aug 13, 2013 12:25 PM EDT

Bright Blue Tits Make Better Mothers Than Duller Birds

It turns out that the brighter you are, the better you are at being a mother--assuming that you're a blue tit, of course. Scientists have discovered that female blue tits with brightly colored crowns are better at being moms than duller birds.