Cafe Science

Scientists tracked elephants with devices like Fitbits, and discovered African elephants in the wild sleep far less than anyone expected. It proves there's a huge gap in what we know about how and why animals sleep.

Large chemical rockets are needed to launch payloads into space from the ground, but could rockoons, rocket balloons, be a more efficient alternative?

After uncovering three giant neurons, scientists could be one step closer to pinpointing where consciousness lives in the brain.

Nature's code for life is stored in DNA, but what if we could code anything we wanted into DNA? Scientists are figuring out how.

Scientists think studying 'extremophiles' in toxic hydrothermal vents could teach us about potential extraterrestrial life.

Slow motion and timelapse can reveal the wonders of the natural world.

The technology that helps wildlife filmmakers see in the dark.

So maybe we can't outrun cheetahs or antelope, but humans are uniquely adapted for long distance running. What does science have to say about marathon running? To find out, (and because I was feeling a little crazy) I decided to run one!

Scientists are using clues from ancient artifacts to help them predict the future of the magnetic field.

Trace and Amy get their DNA test results, and we talk to an expert about how scientists actually get genetic information out of DNA.

Stanford University researchers have found a new way to extract particles of Uranium from seawater. Could this bring us closer to sustainable nuclear power?

The meter is the world's ultimate measure, but how did it become "the" meter? What is this measurement based on? The story of this revolution in measurement traces its roots to the French Revolution. Scientists decided that an equal and united people should have equal and united measures. So they sent a pair of young astronomers out to measure the world, and invent the meter. Little did they know they'd find nothing but war, deception, and strife along the way. As a result of this ill-fated mission, the meter carries an error that still persists today. Still think the metric system is so perfect?

Chimpanzees are very smart animals, so why can't they speak? Tara is here to explain how a gene mutation allows humans to speak, but not chimps.

Watch the world's largest cloud harvester in action.

Scientists have found trash in the deepest parts of the ocean, the Mariana Trench. What does this mean for us and the organisms living there?

A new study has found cockroaches can sense the Earth's magnetic field, an ability called magnetoreception. Could humans have this sense, too?

*BREAKING NEWS* NASA has just discovered 7 Earth-like planets!

It's one of the most important technologies of our time.

One man cracked his knuckles in one hand for 60 years and not the other. Watch the video to see what he found out.

As the mean global temperature continues to rise, the arctic ice caps continue to melt. What are scientist planning to do about it? Here's a hint: it involves 10 million sea water pumps.

You have your mom's smile, your dad's eyes, and the ear muscles of a Triassic mammal.