Topics : Science World Report

May 15, 2012 07:36 AM EDT

Letters Shed New Light on Rule Britannia

New accounts of the first performance of Rule Britannia uncovered by an Oxford University historian suggest that it was not initially received as an anthem of triumphant British national identity but as a reinforcement of opposition to King George II.

May 14, 2012 04:03 PM EDT

Anthropologists Discover Earliest Form of Wall Art

Anthropologists working in southern France have determined that a 1.5 metric ton block of engraved limestone constitutes the earliest evidence of wall art. Their research, reported in the most recent edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows the piece to be approximately ...

May 14, 2012 03:26 PM EDT

Most Popular Baby Names List

Jacob and Sophia are America's most popular baby names for 2011. This is the thirteenth year in a row Jacob tops our list for boys and the first year for Sophia, who knocks Isabella to number two after a two-year stint at the top of our list for girls. There is only one new name in the top 10 on eit...

May 14, 2012 02:38 PM EDT

Got a Pirate Problem? There's Even an App for That

The Department of Defense will begin funding an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored project aimed at developing Web applications to help multinational navies police the world's oceans, officials announced May 14.

May 14, 2012 01:23 PM EDT

Brain Oscillations Reveal Our Senses Do not Experience the World Continuously

Now, researchers at the University of Glasgow have demonstrated this is indeed the case. Just as the body goes through a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle controlled by a circadian clock, brain function undergoes such cyclic activity - albeit at a much faster rate.

May 11, 2012 04:29 PM EDT

Military Marriages Stay Strong Despite Challenges

Despite the fact that military service means working long hours with unpredictable schedules, frequent relocations, and separations from loved ones due to deployment, a new study published in the Journal of Family Issues (a SAGE journal) finds that marriages of military members are not more vulnerab...

May 11, 2012 07:46 AM EDT

Maya Lunar Calendar Notes Discovered in Guatemala

On the wall of a tiny structure buried under forest debris in Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a scribe's notes about the Maya lunar calendar, which they say could be the first known records by an official chronicler of this ancient civilization.

May 10, 2012 05:18 PM EDT

Science Academies Issue 'G-Science' Statements to Call World Leaders Solve Global Challenges

National science academies from 15 countries issued joint statements today calling on world leaders who are about to meet at the upcoming G8 Summit and other international gatherings this year to give greater consideration to the vital role science and technology could play in addressing some of the...

May 10, 2012 12:21 PM EDT

Archaeologists Discover Lost Language

Researchers working at Ziyaret Tepe, the probable site of the ancient Assyrian city of TuÅ¡han, believe that the language may have been spoken by deportees originally from the Zagros Mountains, on the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq.

May 09, 2012 10:40 AM EDT

New Light on Enigmatic Burial Rituals in Cambodian Mountains

Researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand working in remote Cambodian mountains are shedding new light on the lost history of an unidentified people by studying their enigmatic burial rituals.

May 09, 2012 08:19 AM EDT

Scientists Explore an Ancient Network of Rivers and Lakes in the Arabian Desert

Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once coursed their way through the sand of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past. The images are the starting point for a major potentially ground-breaking research proj...

May 08, 2012 03:57 PM EDT

Women's Scientific Achievements Often Overlooked and Undervalued

A new study from Social Studies of Science (published by SAGE) reveals that when men chair committees that select scientific awards recipients, males win the awards more than 95% of the time. This new study also reports that while in the past two decades women have begun to win more awards for their...