In U.S., June 2013 ranked 15th warmest June on record

U.S. temps in June 2013 were 2 degrees above 20th Century average. U.S. West was fighting wildfires while the U.S. East saw below average temps and rain, rain, rain.

Toothpick floats on sound waves

Researchers are able to make particles, liquid droplets, and even toothpicks fly in mid-air by letting them ride on acoustic waves. For the first time, they can also control their movement.

Crazy weather? You can’t blame HAARP anymore

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) — target of conspiracy theorists — has closed down.

Eye-tracking could outshine passwords

A collaborative team has developed a new biometric authentication technique that identifies people based on their eye movements. This new technique could one day replace online passwords if made user-friendly.

Researchers estimate over two million deaths annually from air pollution

Over two million deaths occur each year as a direct result of human-caused outdoor air pollution, a new study has found.

Now 7.2 billion humans, and counting

The United Nations says global human population reached 7.2 billion in mid-2013. The "medium-fertility" projection for the year 2050 has been revised upward to 9.6 billion.

Team cracks RNA code, finds possible new cause of autism

Many human diseases are due to defects in the RNA code. Cracking the code is crucial to creating new treatments for many conditions.

How the brain creates the buzz that helps ideas spread

Psychologists have identifyed for the first time the brain regions associated with the successful spread of ideas, often called "buzz."

This date in science: Happy birthday, Harrison Schmitt

Born July 3, 1935, Harrison "Jack" Schmitt is the only trained scientist to have walked on the moon, so far.

Russian rocket explodes on liftoff from Kazakhstan desert

There were no immediate reports of casualties when a Russian Proton-M heavy lift rocket exploded on liftoff earlier today.