Science & Technology

When Hida Viloria was born in New York in 1968, her South American parents had to decide if she should have surgery.

It’s easy to turn heads when you use terms like “penile cancer.”

Recent research done by University of Buffalo scientists on caffeine’s effects on teenagers revealed unexpected results. Teenage boys showed little tolerance to caffeine, while teenage girls were less affected by caffeine’s chemical stimulants.

A recent breakthrough in plant cloning techniques at UC Davis could help farmers grow tastier food. Scientists are developing a way to make plants produce perfect clones of themselves.

What is it? The Google Maps 5.1.0 app for Android has a number of new features that make it perfect for college students who like to travel.

Every kindergartener knows that humans have two kinds of stomachs.

Nine men and nine women file into a room for a scientific study. A tubing system set up with a small pump continuously draws blood from all of the volunteers to test the chemicals that course through their veins. Simultaneous cardiovascular tests measure their blood pressures and heart rates through small finger cuffs.

Light Emitting Diodes, more commonly known as LEDs, are touted as the energy efficient alternative to conventional incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. LEDs are used in nearly every electronic device from computer monitors to remote-control cars. However, a new study co-published by researchers from UC Davis and UC Irvine shows that the LED lights used in many electronic devices can contain harmful substances that affect human health.

Back in 2009, UC Davis scientists made an unexpected discovery in the rocky hills of Iceland. The team, which included geology professor Robert Zierenberg, spent months drilling for volcano-heated water when the drill hit magma just two kilometers beneath the surface. Though the find was an accident, studying the molten rock could lead to progress in the field of geothermal energy.

Organizing financials can be a tough task for anyone, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s a great website called Mint.com that can help you organize all of your financials in one place. This site might not be perfect for everyone, but I tried it out and was impressed.

I’ve got a riddle for you: Who’s got bulgy eyes, leathery skin and a libido on over-drive?

Three point five millimeters, or .138 inches, is approximately one-third the size of a pencil eraser. Now image packing 31,000 genes – 200 million base pairs – into that size. The water flea, Daphnia pulex, has managed just that, with a genome larger than any animal ever sequenced, including humans, which have only 23,000 genes.