Scientists Discover 15th Convex Pentagon Able To Tile A Plane
NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Julie Rehmeyer, a contributing editor at Discover magazine, about a newly discovered pentagon.
Research News
Katrina's Emotional Legacy Includes Pain, Grief And Resilience
Ten years after the storm some residents have found healing — in the arts, family and new opportunities. Others suffer lingering grief and other difficulties they trace to Katrina.
With Discovery, 3 Scientists Chip Away At An Unsolvable Math Problem
For decades, we have known of only 14 convex pentagons that can do something called "tiling the plane." Now there is a 15th shape, but mathematicians are still far from knowing exactly how many exist.
You Don't Need To Go Low-Carb To Burn Body Fat, Study Says
Popular advice suggests a low-carb diet is necessary to trigger the body to shed fat. But a small, rigorous study finds low-fat diets also spark body-fat loss. The key: Choose a diet you'll stick to.
Sutures With A Soundtrack: Music Can Ease Pain, Anxiety Of Surgery
Most studies of music's ability to ease pain have been small. But an analysis pooling the best research builds a strong case, doctors say, that a dose of music reduces the need for painkilling pills.
Astronomers Present New Research On The Aging Universe
An international team of astronomers has measured the energy produced within a large portion of space more precisely than ever before, and their work shows how the universe is slowly dying.
Not Everybody Likes Kissing
A passionate kiss may make you swoon, but many cultures don't do it, anthropologists say. And some cultures find such lip locks downright disgusting.
Octopus Genome Offers Insights Into One Of Ocean's Cleverest Oddballs
Octopuses are cool. They can regrow lost arms, change the color of their skin, and are surprisingly smart. Scientists who sequenced the first octopus genome say it's nearly as big as a person's.
Archeologist Believes He's Found Egyptian Queen Nefertiti's Tomb
Nicholas Reeves, a residential scholar at the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, tells Renee Montagne his hypothesis is based on studying laser scans of King Tutankhamun's tomb.
Don't Fear The Wild Animals, Researchers Tell Salad-Makers
According to new research, vegetable farmers who clear away trees and wild vegetation from their fields aren't making their produce any safer to eat. But they are destroying animal habitats.