The Discovery Files

For the past decade, researchers in a MIT lab have been working to develop fibers with ever more sophisticated properties, creating fabrics that can interact with the environment. Their latest advancement are fabrics that can detect and create sound.

A new study from the University of Chicago reports that a mass extinction of fish 360 million years ago hit the reset button on life on Earth, setting the stage for modern vertebrate biodiversity.

A Caltech biologist and his research team have identified how the antennae of fruit flies process the feeling of wind and then how the flies respond by standing completely still.

Despite the distraction potential of laptops in college classrooms, research from the University of Michigan shows that they can actually increase students' engagement and learning.

In findings that could lead to new therapies, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have described some striking differences between the biochemistry of stem cells versus mature cells.

When loaded with an anticancer drug, a delivery system based on a novel material called nanosponge is three to five times more effective at reducing tumor growth than direct injection.

Those neighbourhood squirrels you often see fighting over food may not seem altruistic, but new University of Guelph research has found that the critters will actually take in orphaned relatives.

According to a Cornell University professor of psychology, consumers found that satisfaction with "experiential purchases" -- from massages to family vacations -- starts high and increases over time. In contrast, spending money on material things feels good at first, but actually makes people less happy in the end.

A team of scientists at MIT have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon that can cause powerful waves of energy to shoot through minuscule wires known as carbon nanotubes. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say.

Researchers have developed a way to enhance how brain tumors appear in MRI scans and during surgery, making the tumors easier for surgeons to identify and remove.

A University of Illinois agricultural engineer believes it may be possible to "teach" corn to provide its own nitrogen, thus eliminating the need for farmers to add expensive nitrogen fertilizers to the soil.

Geologists at Harvard University found evidence that sea ice extended to the equator up to 716.5 million years ago, bringing new precision to a "snowball Earth" event long suspected to have taken place around that time.

Mayo Clinic neuroscientists have demonstrated how brain waves can be used to type alphanumerical characters on a computer screen. By merely focusing on the 'q' in a matrix of letters, for example, that 'q' appears on the monitor.

Purdue University researchers have developed a miniature device capable of converting ultrafast laser pulses into bursts of radio-frequency signals, a step toward making wires obsolete for communications in homes and offices of the future.

Using high-speed cameras and computer models, Cornell researchers have shown exactly how fruit flies maneuver through the air, and how they keep stable even when a whoosh of wind knocks them off course.