'Biohackers' Push DIY Science in the Basement

Females built to last for reproductive success: scientist

(NEWSER) - Women have their hardworking cells to thank for the fact that they tend to live longer than men, argues a scientist. Experts believe aging is caused by tiny problems in the body, and we die when our bodies stop repairing these issues, the Daily Mail reports. Women, suggests the UK scientist, are genetically hardwired to maintain their cells longer, while men are more biologically “disposable.” More»

He's rocking his inner geek, experimenting with Archimedes claim

(USER SUBMITTED) - President Obama says he'll be exercising his inner geek in an appearance on Discovery Channel show Mythbusters—but the myth he's busting has nothing to do with his birth certificate or whether he's secretly a Muslim. And unlike what usually happens on Mythbusters, he won't be blowing anything up. "I was a little frustrated with that," Obama said yesterday at the White House Science Fair. More»

Ben Franklin's famous kite-key experiment galvanizes the Web

(NEWSER) - Britain's Royal Society is posting some of the key scientific moments in human history on the Web. Handwritten accounts include reports by Sir Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin, who details his 1752 experiment with a key, a kite and lightning. One of the posted studies, to determine if 8-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was truly a musical prodigy, found that he was "more interested in his cat," but then played a score "in the most masterly manner." More»

(NEWSER) - Scientists have combined spider silk with metal atoms to boost web strands' already-phenomenal strength, reports Ars Technica. The breakthrough experiment advances the science of creating ever-stronger materials, as well discovering a successful method to bond metal to biological material. Experiments are already under way to make chicken eggs stronger. More»

Wave phenomenon that slows ships may affect humans, too

(NEWSER) - Swimmers sometimes complain that water can be “evil,” but water is water, right? Wrong. So-called dead water—a naval phenomenon that happens when waves form between layers of warmer and cooler water, reducing a ship’s speed—may affect swimmers too, the New Scientist reports. And it might be what’s behind the otherwise-mysterious drownings of seasoned swimmers. More»