After a class on out-of-body experiences, a psychology graduate student at the University of Ottawa came forward to researchers to say that she could have these voluntarily, usually before sleep. "She appeared surprised that not everyone could experience this," wrote the scientists in a study describing the case, published in February in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.  

One would think that if you could leave your own body and float above it, you'd be a little more... vocal about it. But since it was a common experience for her--one she "began performing as a child when bored with 'sleep time' at preschool... moving above her body" instead of napping--it may have appeared unremarkable. This is way more interesting than what I did, which wa ...

At the very top of Venus’s mountains, below a thick layer of clouds, is snow. But not snow as we know it - with some surfaces reaching 480°C, Venus is way too hot for that. So what is this stuff? Researchers have figured out that Venus's heat is vaporising minerals called galena and bismuthinite, causing them to enter the atmosphere as a metallic mist before condensing into a shiny, metallic frost that rains down on the mountaintops.

In recognition of the manta ray and the crucial role it plays in the world's oceans, Indonesia has declared the world's biggest manta ray sanctuary. For the first time, manta ray hunting and export is banned within the entire 3 million square kilometre area of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.

The elusive Cuvier's beaked whale has set a new world record for the deepest and longest dive performed by any mammal. A new study has shown they can dive to nearly three kilometres below the surface, and can stay down there for more than two hours.

This periodic table shows the relative abundance of elements on Earth.

The last 32 generators of the controversial dam were switched on at the end of July last year, and the gushing water that resulted could generate about 22,500 megawatts of energy, and even slowed down the Earth's rotation. But there's no reason to panic, Earth's rotation changes frequently.

Surgeons performed a C-section on this turtle and saved her life!

A turtle named Dabao was a bit lethargic and zookeepers at China’s Chengu City Zoo thought she was sick and sent her for x-rays. The results were surprising: 14 eggs were stuck in the birth canal. To make sure Dabao survived, the surgeons opened the shell with a skull opener, carefully removed the 14 eggs (which were immediately buried in sand to await hatching) and resealed the shell with epoxy resin.

This is Reed Flute Cave, in the Guangxi region of China. This natural limestone formation is over 180 million years old and contains inscriptions written in ink, which have been dated to as far back as 792 AD in the Tang Dynasty. The cave was named after the type of reed growing outside, which can be made into musical flutes.