New painkillers from tarantula venom?

A protein from the venom of the Peruvian green velvet tarantula blunts activity in pain-transmitting neurons, says a new Yale University study.

Chinese moon rover Yutu is awake

After hibernating in the cold lunar night, the Chinese moon rover Yutu seemed dead. Then it showed signs of life. Now it's awake! Will it be able to finish its mission?

New system lets fleets of robots collaborate in new ways

MIT researchers have developed a new system that stitches together existing control programs to let multiple robots collaborate in more complex ways.

Olympic success: Is it genes or training?

Here's a video from asapSCIENCE on which is more important to your athletic success, your genes or hard work.

Genetic mix lets Tibetans thrive at high altitudes

A new study looks at the genetic adaptations that allow Tibetans to live at high elevations despite low oxygen levels.

View from space: Sochi Winter Olympic sites

A satellite view of the skiing and snowboarding sites for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

Video: Will this go faster than light?

Light speed is the ultimate speed in our universe. Why we haven't been able to build - or even conceive of - a contraption that goes faster than light.

Catch-and-release fishing creates too much trauma for some sharks

When a shark swims away after being caught by a catch-and-release sport fisherman, that doesn't mean the shark will survive the encounter.

Curiosity rover sees Earth and moon from Mars

Earth is now an evening "star" as seen in the sky of Mars. A closer look reveals a double world.

Places to go: Maldives is the world’s lowest country

Not one of its 1,200 mostly uninhabited coral islands measure more than six feet (1.8 meters) above sea level.