Knowing more about what makes men fertile can also help fight infertility.

Organic molecules in Mars meteorites did not originate in alien microbes.

Also in the works: A computer than can tell when you are pissed at it.

The strange Medusae Fossae Formation may be 2 billion years older than previously thought.

Dramatic changes in pressure did not appear to harm hitchhiking mollusks.

A new petition asks to make taxpayer-funded research free to everyone to read. Startups and small businesses would benefit, they say.

NASA's Cassini probe is preparing to tilt its orbit around Saturn dramatically.

According to a study done by MIT, most people smile when frustrated. They have gone on to create a computer program to differentiate between happy smiles and frustrated smiles. This research is done in part to better understand autistic behavior.

Researchers are edging toward the creation of new optical technologies using "nanostructured metamaterials" capable of ultra-efficient transmission of light, with potential applications including advanced solar cells and quantum computing.

There's nothing like a new pair of eyeglasses to bring fine details into sharp relief. For scientists who study the large molecules of life from proteins to DNA, the equivalent of new lenses have come in the form of an advanced method for analyzing data from X-ray crystallography experiments.

Observing the formation of nanorods in real-time, researchers found that nanoparticles become attached to form winding chains that eventually align, attach end-to-end, straighten and stretch into elongated nanowires. This supports the theory of nanoparticles acting like artificial atoms during crystal growth and points the way to future energy devices.

Researchers have reported the first direct observation of nanoparticles undergoing oriented attachment, the critical step in biomineralization and the growth of nanocrystals. A better understanding of oriented attachment in nanoparticles is a key to synthesizing new materials with remarkable structural properties.