Mosquitoes make sweet music together

We normally think of a mosquito’s buzz as being an overture for biting, but in fact it’s more like a lover’s aria.  At least, if you’re another mosquito. Writing in the journal Science, Lauren Cator, from Cornell University in the US, has found that male and female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes har...

Sowing the Seeds of Cancer

Nine out of ten cancer deaths are due to tumours spreading from the original site, the primary tumour, to form secondary tumours in places like the lungs, liver or brain.  Scientists call this metastasis.  Now new research from scientists in the US, UK and Canada has revealed an important ...

Strange forces on Martian rocks

The Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, which have recently celebrated their 5th anniversary on the red planet, seem to have discovered a strange force that is pushing rocks around the Martian surface. If you look at the photos of the Martian surface, it is strewn with small rocks ranging in size f...

Stem cells for three blind mice

We’re often talking on the Naked Scientists about research into stem cells, which could have the potential to treat many different ailments.  This is because they can be persuaded to change into a wide range of cell types.  Now researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have us...

Making your own Aspirin

Next time you have a headache, don't take an aspirin - make your own! It seems that humans can manufacture their own Salicylic Acid, which is a component of the popular painkiller...