Though giant pandas may appear perfectly happy chewing bamboo, scientists recently discovered that just like the rest of us, they would rather have something a tad sweeter. This 'surprising' fact was disclosed to the world on March 26th, in the online scientific journal PLOS One by Danielle R. Reed, a behavioral geneticist at Philadelphia's Monell Chemical Senses Center....

First, it was the Rubik's Cube solving Lego robot and now, one that not only plays ping pong, but also, has the audacity to challenge one of the world's best players - Germany's Timo Boll. Meet the incredibly fast Kuka robot, which is built for manufacturing, but certainly seems to have a knack for ping pong....

The fact that trees are vital to our well-being is no secret. They provide us with food, wood and most importantly, oxygen. Now there is one more thing you can add to this already lengthy list - filtering out harmful bacteria from water....

The five-second rule has been around for many years. According to age-old adage it is okay to pick up food that has touched the ground, as long as it is done within that time frame. But is it really? Depends on which scientific study you want to believe....

Even in this day of digital gaming, solving the Rubik's cube as rapidly as possible, remains a challenge most people can't seem to resist. While humans have been doing it ever since the 3x3x3 cube came to market in 1974, even robots are now getting into the fray....

When one thinks of ladybugs or ladybirds as the British like to call them, the images that come to mind are those of a super cute insect that can barely hop, leave alone zoom at high speeds and soaring heights. Turns out that the aphid lovers that are considered by many as a sign of good luck, have been hiding this unexpected talent from us, all this time....

Though elephant poaching is banned throughout Africa, unscrupulous hunters continue to slaughter the mighty beasts in large numbers. While that is sad enough, what is even worse is what happens to orphaned baby elephants. Unable to feed themselves, they become weak and are often abandoned by their herds for fear that they will attract lions. Now thanks to one British girl, there is hope, at least for the orphaned calves in Zambia....

With humans increasingly invading and polluting spaces that were once teeming with wildlife, the list of endangered animals grows longer every day. Now South Korea, a country that boasts a population density 10 times the global average, is planning to take a bold step to try reverse at least some of the damage, with a new National Research Center for Endangered Animals....

At first sight, the Foldscope looks like a hastily assembled children's toy. However look closer and even into it, and you will realize that it is a powerful working microscope - one that can be used to detect dangerous blood-borne diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness, allowing for early treatment and potentially, saving thousands of lives....

With less than 400 specimens known to exist today, the North Atlantic right whales rank high on the list of the world's most endangered animals. While most of the population decline can be attributed to relentless hunting that continued well into the 20th century, the few mammals left, are now fighting a new enemy - Lobster fishing nets!...

For those detest that math, tomorrow is the one day the subject becomes slightly tolerable. That's because it's Pi day, which means that the celebration will most likely entail chowing down a few pieces of its yummier food namesake - pie!...

For thousands of years, the Northern Lights have been putting up an incredible show in the skies above Europe, Alaska, Canada, Russia and if the solar flares are strong enough, even Northeast USA. This year was no different. On Thursday, February 28th, the annual phenomenon lit up the skies of the U.K. and Northern Ireland with beautiful hues of greens and reds, mesmerizing the residents fortunate enough to see them....

With over 40,000 known species of spiders, scientists had believed they knew everything there was to know, about these web building arachnids. However, that was before they discovered two new species that dupe their predators by building incredibly accurate decoys of themselves....

What could be better than licking an ice cream cone? How about composing music while enjoying the sweet treat? And we don't mean sweet melodies emanating from a smart player nearby, but ones that can be custom composed by the way the treat is licked....

Climate change is causing havoc on weather patterns throughout the world. While some areas are getting more than their fair share of snow and rain, others are parched. Though the lack of precipitation is certainly an issue, evaporation of the water collected in the reservoirs is even more so. The US State of Texas estimates that the amount of moisture it loses to this phenomenon annually, could easily sustain the entire city of Austin, for that time period....

About four months ago, guests lunching on the pristine white sand beaches outside Greystoke Mahale, a luxury wildlife camp located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Africa, were treated to an unusual sight - A Great White Pelican emerging from the waters and waddling towards them....

CuteCircuit, a company known for its exquisite light-up designs dubbed 'wearable technology', has slowly but surely, been making its way into the mainstream market. Fashion icons like Nicole Scherzinger and Katy Perry have proudly donned their innovative creations on several occasions. So it was not surprising to see the company make its runway debut on the grandest stage of all - The New York Fashion Week!...

Anyone that has been tossed around by ocean waves can attest to their power. Unfortunately, scientists have had a hard time coming up with a way to harness this powerful source of free energy for commercial use. Now, some researchers from University of California, Berkeley, may have a solution - seafloor carpets!...

While astronauts in space get to do many exciting things, they miss out on ordinary stuff that we all take for granted - being able to walk on firm ground, hanging out with family and . . . digging into a slice of hot steaming pizza. Though not much can be done about the first two, there may soon be a solution for the third one, thanks to this ultra-cool 3-D pizza printer!...

A team of researchers from Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas, looking for a new solution to 'print' live human cells, found their inspiration in the most unlikely of all sources - Ancient Chinese woodblocks! Called Bloc-Printing, the invention which was led by the organization's nanomedicine faculty member Lidong Qin, comprises of a silicone mold that resembles the ancient printing blocks....

As you probably know, being 'busy as a bee', is not just an empty metaphor. From searching for nectar and pollen to tending to honeycombs, bees are amongst the hardest workers out there. So it should come as no surprise that two species of urban leafcutter bees in Canada, have learnt to adapt to our increasingly polluted world, by using small pieces of plastic found in the litter, to build their nests....

When one thinks of fighting robots, it is usually in context of them combating large terrifying alien creatures, not microorganisms that are invisible to the human eye. But the emergence of resilient bacteria that scientists call superbugs, has left medical experts with no choice, but to call in the best combat force available!...

The most exciting storms are ones accompanied by flashes of lightning. Unfortunately those are rare, unless you are in the vicinity of the Catatumbo River in Northwestern Venezuela, home to the spectacular everlasting 'rib a-ba’, or ‘river of fire' lighting storms....

When one thinks of nature's most fierce predators, the images that come to mind are those of lions and sharks. While they are certainly dangerous there are other unlikely ones, that are even more so. Among them are the Tasmanian devil, the honey badger and . . . the mantis shrimp?...