USScience.com Science Articles & News

International award for peace among hijab and mini-skirt

International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) and United Nation Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) awarded two Egyptian and one Serbian journalists, Tarek Mounir, Asma Fathy and Sasa Milosevic for joint project �Hijabskirt Info� as an unique multimedia Web site analysing the difference in cultural perceptions, starting with the Muslim hijab and the Western miniskirt. The X-Cultural Reporting Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 29, 2010 at Third Forum of the Alliance of Civilisations.

GOOGLE vs. JITLA Philosophy and Quotations

JITLA

Imports of Roman coins to the USA are not banned.

Imports of Roman coins to the USA are not banned - not yet.

Young Sun and Venus.

So far, relative to the Earth and Venus means the following. Around the period Archean (3.8 billion years ago - 2.5 billion years ago), these planets have the same dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide (97%) and other gases. Since the Earth at a distance of 150 million km., and Venus 108 mln.km., it was clear that today's temperature readings of the planets were to be in the past; on Venus, +460[sup]o[/sup]C, on the Earth within the current standards. Accordingly, it rained on the Earth, which washed the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (CO[sub]2[/sub] has the ability to dissolve in water), and on Venus oceans turned into steam, which, given the weakness of the planet's magnetic field rose so high above the surface, which was carried by the solar wind in interplanetary space.

Once more fact for thought about advent of life on Earth.

Like many discoveries, this was not the result of purposeful research, but rather a sudden and very interesting branch in another, equally important, pilot experiment - a study of anaerobic methane oxidation associated with nitrites and nitrates.

YEAR 2012 COUNT DOWN TO 7 BILLION PEOPLE�. IS THERE A CONNECTION?

God named this book Revelation Book 7.

Mars - who's first?

In recent years, the habitual periodic table of elements has grown not only in the 3-d direction (axis Z), due to isotopes, but also in the 2-dimensional field on account of theoretically found dozens of new chemical elements. Some of them have already been received, some yet to be synthesized in the laboratory. Obvious need for new chemical elements for the various innovations in science and technology is already so relevance, that the first-ever who gets access to new opportunities, through these, you can redistribute political forces in today's arena of the world. It is understood by most. Also expected is that the possible source of new chemical elements is Mars. If you look at pictures of Mars we can clearly see the characteristic metallic gleam of certain entities, which may well represent the deposits of various chemical elements. Most of the theoretically derived elements fall within the following external description: "color is unknown, but probably metallic and silvery white or gray." The same chemical elements, which were obtained directly from the laboratories, had the following external features: "color unknown, but probably metallic"- or: "probably silvery liquid�. It is worth noting that the mass obtained new chemical elements is negligible, and represents a numerical value from 1 to multiple cores, so the value of the color characteristics assigned to tentatively.

Blood pressure is a mechanical process!

Since the opening of the first gene STK39 [fig 1, fig. 2](function: may act as a mediator of stress-activated signals. This gene encodes a serine/threonine kinase that is thought to function in the cellular stress response pathway. The kinase is activated in response to hypotonic stress, leading to phosphorylation of several cation-chloride-coupled cotransporters. The catalytically active kinase specifically activates the p38 MAP kinase pathway, and its interaction with p38 decreases upon cellular stress, suggesting that this kinase may serve as an intermediate in the response to cellular stress) in the field of genetics, which is responsible for activating the pressure rise was not much time, and the scientific community had almost come to an understanding of the essence of this complex process. From the very beginning of genetic research in this direction was assumed that the STK39 gene is just the tip of the iceberg and that there are still many studies before we can draw at least some concept of genetic regulation of blood pressure. One of the last three modern research in this field, shed light on this perspective was provided by article �Genome-wide association study identifies eight loci associated with blood pressure� Nature Genetics (June 2009, Volume 41) which contains the test results for 2,5 million genotyped for the relationship of systolic and diastolic blood pressure by genotype (European, Asian, Indian). This analysis revealed 8 new loci:

Polyoxometallate - crystals future optical, magnetic, medical and other applications.

In chemistry, a [bold]polyoxometalate[/bold] (abbreviated [bold]POM[/bold]) is a polyatomic ion, usually an anion, that consists of three or more transition metal oxyanions linked together by shared oxygen atoms to form a large, closed 3-dimensional framework. Examples include vanadium(V), niobium(V), tantalum (V), molybdenum(VI), and tungsten(VI).

Identified new genes responsible for obesity

For some time it was believed that the responsibility for body mass index (BMI) in humans take on only two loci (is the specific location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome), a FTO (fat mass and obesity associated (protein coding) fig. 1, fig. 2) and MC4R (function: receptor specific to the heptapeptide core common to adrenocorticotropic hormone and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-MSH; this receptor is mediated by G proteins that stimulate adenylate, cyclase). This fact has been generally accepted, till in the journal Nature Genetics (January 2009, Volume 41) has not been published studies in the article "Six new loci associated with body mass index highlight a neuronal influence on body weight regulation" which make a considerable adjustment in understanding the influence of central nervous system (CNS) on BMI. Scientists have identified the following loci:

Nano- transport

Scientists have made regular progress towards the creation of nano- transport. The emergence of transport at the nanoscale has long puzzled scientists, because like a new era in the field of technocratic development of mankind. And it promises a truly multi-faceted opportunities:

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

WatchMojo.com learns all about the mysteries of the sky beginning with the Equinox. An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time when the centre of the Sun can be observed to be directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 22 each year.

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

By describing a new double-clawed and highly-unusual relative of Velociraptor, paleontologists have answered a long-standing question: what did the Late Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs in Europe look like?

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Major U.S. science organizations aren’t the only ones to realize that the climate-science community has bungled � and badly � its portrayals of research on global change in recent months, if not years, and its responses to criticisms. Yesterday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a group established by the United Nations and World Meteorological Organization) said: “we recognize the criticism that has been leveled at us and the need to respond.” So will be convening an “independent review” panel to investigate what the organization’s procedures should be to vet not only the data it uses and how to synthesize conclusions based on those data, but also how it should convey those conclusions (and any necessary caveats) in reports to the public and policymakers.

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

The International Whaling Commission will formally address its future, next week, at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla. Once comprised of whaling nations, the IWC now includes member states just as likely to condemn any hunting of cetaceans. That internal tension is guiding the meeting’s agenda. On it’s plate: whether to overturn the organization’s long-standing moratorium on commercial whaling.

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen

Dinos molted for a new look

In one species, feathers change with age

Tyrannosaurs lived in the Southern Hemisphere, too

Australian fossils suggest the kin of T. rex dispersed globally

Fossilized poop bears tooth marks

Shark-bitten fecal matter probably came from assault on ancient croc

Ancient DNA suggests polar bears evolved recently

Rare fossil shows creatures are most closely related to modern-day brown bears in Alaska

Sail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest crocodile-like habits

Oldest feathered dino shows its colors

Finding suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight

Deleted Scenes: Reverbs of bat echolocation studies

Ancient bat may well have used sound waves to sense the world, Sid Perkins reports in the latest Deleted Scenes blog

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen

Dinos molted for a new look

In one species, feathers change with age

Tyrannosaurs lived in the Southern Hemisphere, too

Australian fossils suggest the kin of T. rex dispersed globally

Fossilized poop bears tooth marks

Shark-bitten fecal matter probably came from assault on ancient croc

Ancient DNA suggests polar bears evolved recently

Rare fossil shows creatures are most closely related to modern-day brown bears in Alaska

Sail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest crocodile-like habits

Oldest feathered dino shows its colors

Finding suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight

Deleted Scenes: Reverbs of bat echolocation studies

Ancient bat may well have used sound waves to sense the world, Sid Perkins reports in the latest Deleted Scenes blog

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Evergreen source of Tamiflu

Pine and spruce needles brim with flu-drug precursor

Most energy drinks lag in added health benefits

Many canned pick-me-ups lack natural antioxidants and other beneficial compounds

Chlorophyll gets an ‘f’

New variety of photosynthetic pigment is the first discovered in 60 years

Deleted Scenes: Explosions, mushroom clouds � all good for short moss

Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground

Science & the Public: Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products

Its natural nanoparticles exhibit unusual functions and are more biodegradable than the metal oxides they could replace

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine

Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers

Losing life’s variety

2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity, but little has been accomplished

Impatiens plants are more patient with siblings

Jewelweeds crowd out the competition but make room for their kin

Ants in the pants drive away birds

Supercolonies of invasive insects spoil avian picnics on Christmas Island

Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome

Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability

Back off, extinct moa

Leaf color and shape may defend a New Zealand tree species from a long-gone giant bird

Bent innards give orchid its kick

A flower mechanism for smacking pollen onto bees opens up diverse possibilities for floral architecture

Science & the Public: How weed killers might protect our eyes: It’s corny

Herbicides can boost trace-nutrient concentrations in sweet corn.

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen

Dinos molted for a new look

In one species, feathers change with age

Tyrannosaurs lived in the Southern Hemisphere, too

Australian fossils suggest the kin of T. rex dispersed globally

Fossilized poop bears tooth marks

Shark-bitten fecal matter probably came from assault on ancient croc

Ancient DNA suggests polar bears evolved recently

Rare fossil shows creatures are most closely related to modern-day brown bears in Alaska

Sail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest crocodile-like habits

Oldest feathered dino shows its colors

Finding suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight

Deleted Scenes: Reverbs of bat echolocation studies

Ancient bat may well have used sound waves to sense the world, Sid Perkins reports in the latest Deleted Scenes blog

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Evergreen source of Tamiflu

Pine and spruce needles brim with flu-drug precursor

Most energy drinks lag in added health benefits

Many canned pick-me-ups lack natural antioxidants and other beneficial compounds

Chlorophyll gets an ‘f’

New variety of photosynthetic pigment is the first discovered in 60 years

Deleted Scenes: Explosions, mushroom clouds � all good for short moss

Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground

Science & the Public: Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products

Its natural nanoparticles exhibit unusual functions and are more biodegradable than the metal oxides they could replace

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine

Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers

Losing life’s variety

2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity, but little has been accomplished

Impatiens plants are more patient with siblings

Jewelweeds crowd out the competition but make room for their kin

Ants in the pants drive away birds

Supercolonies of invasive insects spoil avian picnics on Christmas Island

Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome

Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability

Back off, extinct moa

Leaf color and shape may defend a New Zealand tree species from a long-gone giant bird

Bent innards give orchid its kick

A flower mechanism for smacking pollen onto bees opens up diverse possibilities for floral architecture

Science & the Public: How weed killers might protect our eyes: It’s corny

Herbicides can boost trace-nutrient concentrations in sweet corn.

Deleted Scenes: Wheat genome announcement turns out to be small beer

DNA sequence released by U.K. team still requires assembly

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

Science & the Public: 'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet

They’ve been engineered to make the taste-transforming miraculin

Science & the Public: Chicken poses significant drug-resistant Salmonella threat

Pennsylvania prevalence numbers prove troubling

Science & the Public: Beneficial bacteria may protect babies from HIV

Researchers look to augment the bugs’ natural abundance to limit the likelihood at-risk babies will become infected

Science & the Public: Coffee perks up memory and balance in geriatric animals

Beneficial doses amount to a full pot’s worth.

Science & the Public: Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

It also yields a fresher tasting product, university scientists say.

Science & the Public: Nano-scale additives fight food pathogens

They can induce lethal structural damage to food poisoning microbes.

Science & the Public: Germs eyed to make foods safer

These germs target only other microbes, ones that make people sick

Science & the Public: Fructose sweeteners may hike blood pressure

Human study confirms trend seen earlier in animals

Science & the Public: How resveratrol (in grapes, peanuts and wine) fights fat and disease

Fat and blood-vessel cells respond in their own, distinct ways

Different berries, similar cancer-fighting effects

Animal tests suggest esophageal and breast cancer might be targets of several types of berries

Science & the Public: Understanding why hot peppers are slimming

Chilis' fiery compound triggers molecular changes that fight body fat.

Science & the Public: Vitamin D: Obese and ‘uniform’ risks

Many factors--even Army training--may contribute to high rates of deficiency in this important nutrient.

Science & the Public: Chili pepper holds hot prospects for painfree dieting

It works even though the body never absorbs it

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen

Dinos molted for a new look

In one species, feathers change with age

Tyrannosaurs lived in the Southern Hemisphere, too

Australian fossils suggest the kin of T. rex dispersed globally

Fossilized poop bears tooth marks

Shark-bitten fecal matter probably came from assault on ancient croc

Ancient DNA suggests polar bears evolved recently

Rare fossil shows creatures are most closely related to modern-day brown bears in Alaska

Sail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest crocodile-like habits

Oldest feathered dino shows its colors

Finding suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight

Deleted Scenes: Reverbs of bat echolocation studies

Ancient bat may well have used sound waves to sense the world, Sid Perkins reports in the latest Deleted Scenes blog

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Evergreen source of Tamiflu

Pine and spruce needles brim with flu-drug precursor

Most energy drinks lag in added health benefits

Many canned pick-me-ups lack natural antioxidants and other beneficial compounds

Chlorophyll gets an ‘f’

New variety of photosynthetic pigment is the first discovered in 60 years

Deleted Scenes: Explosions, mushroom clouds � all good for short moss

Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground

Science & the Public: Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products

Its natural nanoparticles exhibit unusual functions and are more biodegradable than the metal oxides they could replace

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine

Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers

Losing life’s variety

2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity, but little has been accomplished

Impatiens plants are more patient with siblings

Jewelweeds crowd out the competition but make room for their kin

Ants in the pants drive away birds

Supercolonies of invasive insects spoil avian picnics on Christmas Island

Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome

Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability

Back off, extinct moa

Leaf color and shape may defend a New Zealand tree species from a long-gone giant bird

Bent innards give orchid its kick

A flower mechanism for smacking pollen onto bees opens up diverse possibilities for floral architecture

Science & the Public: How weed killers might protect our eyes: It’s corny

Herbicides can boost trace-nutrient concentrations in sweet corn.

Deleted Scenes: Wheat genome announcement turns out to be small beer

DNA sequence released by U.K. team still requires assembly

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

Science & the Public: 'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet

They’ve been engineered to make the taste-transforming miraculin

Science & the Public: Chicken poses significant drug-resistant Salmonella threat

Pennsylvania prevalence numbers prove troubling

Science & the Public: Beneficial bacteria may protect babies from HIV

Researchers look to augment the bugs’ natural abundance to limit the likelihood at-risk babies will become infected

Science & the Public: Coffee perks up memory and balance in geriatric animals

Beneficial doses amount to a full pot’s worth.

Science & the Public: Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

It also yields a fresher tasting product, university scientists say.

Science & the Public: Nano-scale additives fight food pathogens

They can induce lethal structural damage to food poisoning microbes.

Science & the Public: Germs eyed to make foods safer

These germs target only other microbes, ones that make people sick

Science & the Public: Fructose sweeteners may hike blood pressure

Human study confirms trend seen earlier in animals

Science & the Public: How resveratrol (in grapes, peanuts and wine) fights fat and disease

Fat and blood-vessel cells respond in their own, distinct ways

Different berries, similar cancer-fighting effects

Animal tests suggest esophageal and breast cancer might be targets of several types of berries

Science & the Public: Understanding why hot peppers are slimming

Chilis' fiery compound triggers molecular changes that fight body fat.

Science & the Public: Vitamin D: Obese and ‘uniform’ risks

Many factors--even Army training--may contribute to high rates of deficiency in this important nutrient.

Science & the Public: Chili pepper holds hot prospects for painfree dieting

It works even though the body never absorbs it

Science & the Public: Tar sands 'fingerprint' seen in rivers and snow

New data counter claims that the pollution was from natural oily seeps

New help for greasy works of art

NMR technique identifies oil stains, guiding art conservation efforts

Deep-sea oil plume goes missing

Controversy arises over whether bacteria have completely gobbled it up

Deleted Scenes: Protecting innocent � and not so innocent � bystanders

Technique removes pedestrians from Google Street View images

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Science & the Public: Research trials pose challenge to medical privacy

At issue is whether electronic medical records can keep sensitive data accessible to caregivers but out of the hands of everyone else.

Science & the Public: 'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet

They’ve been engineered to make the taste-transforming miraculin

World of proteincraft

Players of online computer game solve scientific puzzles

Receipts a large � and largely ignored � source of BPA

Small studies raise big alarm about exposure to a hormone-mimicking chemical

Science & the Public: Cashiers may face special risks from BPA

The concern: Pregnant ones may transmit the pollutant to their babies

Science & the Public: More evidence that BPA laces store receipts

Problem is, you can't tell which ones host the hormone mimic.

Science & the Public: Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

It also yields a fresher tasting product, university scientists say.

Science & the Public: Nano-scale additives fight food pathogens

They can induce lethal structural damage to food poisoning microbes.

Machine versus manhole

Computer scientists take on a classic New York hazard

What Jefferson was thinking

Analysis reveals a last-minute revision to the Declaration of Independence

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen

Dinos molted for a new look

In one species, feathers change with age

Tyrannosaurs lived in the Southern Hemisphere, too

Australian fossils suggest the kin of T. rex dispersed globally

Fossilized poop bears tooth marks

Shark-bitten fecal matter probably came from assault on ancient croc

Ancient DNA suggests polar bears evolved recently

Rare fossil shows creatures are most closely related to modern-day brown bears in Alaska

Sail-backed dinos had semiaquatic lifestyle

Isotopic analyses of fossils suggest crocodile-like habits

Oldest feathered dino shows its colors

Finding suggests plumage first evolved for display, not flight

Deleted Scenes: Reverbs of bat echolocation studies

Ancient bat may well have used sound waves to sense the world, Sid Perkins reports in the latest Deleted Scenes blog

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Evergreen source of Tamiflu

Pine and spruce needles brim with flu-drug precursor

Most energy drinks lag in added health benefits

Many canned pick-me-ups lack natural antioxidants and other beneficial compounds

Chlorophyll gets an ‘f’

New variety of photosynthetic pigment is the first discovered in 60 years

Deleted Scenes: Explosions, mushroom clouds � all good for short moss

Sphagnum reproduces with a bang that compensates for life so close to the ground

Science & the Public: Ivy nanoparticles promise sunblocks and other green products

Its natural nanoparticles exhibit unusual functions and are more biodegradable than the metal oxides they could replace

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine

Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers

Losing life’s variety

2010 is the deadline set for reversing declines in biodiversity, but little has been accomplished

Impatiens plants are more patient with siblings

Jewelweeds crowd out the competition but make room for their kin

Ants in the pants drive away birds

Supercolonies of invasive insects spoil avian picnics on Christmas Island

Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome

Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability

Back off, extinct moa

Leaf color and shape may defend a New Zealand tree species from a long-gone giant bird

Bent innards give orchid its kick

A flower mechanism for smacking pollen onto bees opens up diverse possibilities for floral architecture

Science & the Public: How weed killers might protect our eyes: It’s corny

Herbicides can boost trace-nutrient concentrations in sweet corn.

Deleted Scenes: Wheat genome announcement turns out to be small beer

DNA sequence released by U.K. team still requires assembly

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

Science & the Public: 'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet

They’ve been engineered to make the taste-transforming miraculin

Science & the Public: Chicken poses significant drug-resistant Salmonella threat

Pennsylvania prevalence numbers prove troubling

Science & the Public: Beneficial bacteria may protect babies from HIV

Researchers look to augment the bugs’ natural abundance to limit the likelihood at-risk babies will become infected

Science & the Public: Coffee perks up memory and balance in geriatric animals

Beneficial doses amount to a full pot’s worth.

Science & the Public: Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

It also yields a fresher tasting product, university scientists say.

Science & the Public: Nano-scale additives fight food pathogens

They can induce lethal structural damage to food poisoning microbes.

Science & the Public: Germs eyed to make foods safer

These germs target only other microbes, ones that make people sick

Science & the Public: Fructose sweeteners may hike blood pressure

Human study confirms trend seen earlier in animals

Science & the Public: How resveratrol (in grapes, peanuts and wine) fights fat and disease

Fat and blood-vessel cells respond in their own, distinct ways

Different berries, similar cancer-fighting effects

Animal tests suggest esophageal and breast cancer might be targets of several types of berries

Science & the Public: Understanding why hot peppers are slimming

Chilis' fiery compound triggers molecular changes that fight body fat.

Science & the Public: Vitamin D: Obese and ‘uniform’ risks

Many factors--even Army training--may contribute to high rates of deficiency in this important nutrient.

Science & the Public: Chili pepper holds hot prospects for painfree dieting

It works even though the body never absorbs it

Science & the Public: Tar sands 'fingerprint' seen in rivers and snow

New data counter claims that the pollution was from natural oily seeps

New help for greasy works of art

NMR technique identifies oil stains, guiding art conservation efforts

Deep-sea oil plume goes missing

Controversy arises over whether bacteria have completely gobbled it up

Deleted Scenes: Protecting innocent � and not so innocent � bystanders

Technique removes pedestrians from Google Street View images

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Science & the Public: Research trials pose challenge to medical privacy

At issue is whether electronic medical records can keep sensitive data accessible to caregivers but out of the hands of everyone else.

Science & the Public: 'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet

They’ve been engineered to make the taste-transforming miraculin

World of proteincraft

Players of online computer game solve scientific puzzles

Receipts a large � and largely ignored � source of BPA

Small studies raise big alarm about exposure to a hormone-mimicking chemical

Science & the Public: Cashiers may face special risks from BPA

The concern: Pregnant ones may transmit the pollutant to their babies

Science & the Public: More evidence that BPA laces store receipts

Problem is, you can't tell which ones host the hormone mimic.

Science & the Public: Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

It also yields a fresher tasting product, university scientists say.

Science & the Public: Nano-scale additives fight food pathogens

They can induce lethal structural damage to food poisoning microbes.

Machine versus manhole

Computer scientists take on a classic New York hazard

What Jefferson was thinking

Analysis reveals a last-minute revision to the Declaration of Independence

Call for Media: press conference with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli

ESA PR 2010-20 ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli will travel to the International Space Station in December on a six-month mission, serving as flight engineer for Expeditions 26 and 27. This will be the third long-duration mission by a European astronaut on the Station.

Water mission reveals insight into Amazon plume

ESA's SMOS water mission has taken another step forward by demonstrating that it will lead to a better understanding of ocean circulation. Using preliminary data, scientists can clearly see how surface currents affect the 'Amazon plume' in the open sea.

Earth observation aids disaster relief in Pakistan

Devastating around a third of the country, it is estimated that the floods in Pakistan have affected up to 20 million people. As part of the effort to support humanitarian relief, satellite data are being used to generate essential maps of the flooded areas.

Recipe for water: just add starlight

ESA’s Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapour.

Cluster turns the invisible into the visible

Cluster has spent a decade revealing previously hidden interactions between the Sun and Earth. Its studies have uncovered secrets of the aurora, solar storms, and given us insight into fundamental processes that occur across the Universe. And there is more work to do.

Fly your experiment to the edge of space!

ESA is inviting students to propose experiments to fly on sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons. The winning teams will have the opportunity to design and build an experiment for the BEXUS balloons or the REXUS rockets.

Satellite navigation steers unmanned micro-planes

An unmanned aircraft system guided by satnav has been developed within ESA’s Business Incubation Centre to provide rapid monitoring of land areas and disaster zones. The planes have already helped Spanish farmers in Andalusia to fight land erosion.

Mars’s mysterious elongated crater

Orcus Patera is an enigmatic elliptical depression near Mars’s equator, in the eastern hemisphere of the planet. Located between the volcanoes of Elysium Mons and Olympus Mons, its formation remains a mystery.

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer arrives at launch site

One of the most complex space scientific instruments ever built, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, escorted by astronauts who will fly with it on the Space Shuttle in February 2011.

ISS ship-tracker operating alongside Norwegian satellite

Nearing the end of its third month of continuous operation, the International Space Station’s ship-tracking experiment has experienced a marked increase in data quality. Now it operates along with a dedicated satellite carrying the same receiver.

ESA’s pioneering Cluster mission is celebrating its 10th anniversary – Invitation to a media briefing on 1 September 2010

ESA PR 2010-19 Media representatives are cordially invited to a briefing on the occasion of ten years of scientific discoveries by ESA’s Cluster mission.

Venture capital fund backs business opportunities from space

Two start-up companies offering a communication handset for outdoor enthusiasts and a computer game to compete live with real racing drivers, both made possible thanks to space technology, are the first to receive funds from ESA’s new Open Sky Technologies Fund.

Oil and gas exploration benefit from space tech

A special kind of titanium and a manufacturing technique used to build the Ariane 5 rocket could become the next successful spin-offs from Europe’s space programme, benefiting the oil and gas industry.

Greenland glacier gives birth to giant iceberg

Envisat has been observing a rare event in the Arctic since early August - a giant iceberg breaking off the Petermann glacier in North-West Greenland.

MetOp-B module passes crucial vacuum test

The Payload Module of ESA’s latest meteorological satellite, MetOp-B, has been hauled out of the largest vacuum chamber in Europe: its ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space has been proved.

Instruments selected for Mars

ESA PR-17 2010 ESA and NASA have selected the scientific instruments for their first joint Mars mission. Scheduled for 2016, it will study the chemical makeup of the martian atmosphere, including methane. Discovered in 2003, methane could point to life on the Red Planet.

EC Vice-President Tajani visits ESA's Centre for Earth Observation

As a strong supporter of the benefits that space industry can bring to Europe, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, visited ESA's ESRIN establishment in Italy today.

Space Day at Farnborough air show

Space helping to rebuild the economy and drive economic growth were the central themes of Space Day at the Farnborough air show on Wednesday.

Scientists receive first CryoSat-2 data

A better understanding of how Earth's ice fields are changing has come another step closer as the first data from ESA's ice mission are released to selected scientists around the world for fine-tuning.

First day of Farnborough air show

The Farnborough International Air Show opened to blue skies and trade visitors today. Highlights included innovative passenger aircraft, a supersonic car and a dedicated Space Zone showcasing space technology and its importance to the world.

Call for Media: ESA at Farnborough air show, 19–25 July

ESA PR-16 2010: ESA, together with the UK Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and industry, will be exhibiting in a dedicated Space Zone at the Farnborough International Air Show, 19–25 July.

Watch REPLAY of Lutetia flyby webcast

REPLAY of live webcast of media event from ESA/ESOC covering Rosetta's flyby of asteroid 21 Lutetia.

18:00-18:45 CEST - Media event plus live updates from Rosetta control room
23:00-23:45 CEST - Presentation of first images

Moderated programme includes interviews with mission scientists, Rosetta operations engineers and senior ESA managers.

Rosetta triumphs at asteroid Lutetia

Asteroid Lutetia has been revealed as a battered world of many craters. ESA’s Rosetta mission has returned the first close-up images of the asteroid showing it is most probably a primitive survivor from the violent birth of the Solar System.

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Survival training for astronauts

At the end of June, ESA’s six astronaut candidates were thrown out of a helicopter, left to drift at sea and abandoned under the hot Mediterranean sun. Fortunately, their survival training allowed them to cope with the tough situations.

Rosetta lines up for spectacular asteroid flyby

On 10 July, ESA's Rosetta will fly past 21 Lutetia, the largest asteroid ever visited by a satellite. After weeks of manoeuvres and a challenging optical navigation campaign, Rosetta is perfectly lined up to skim by at 3162 km at 18:10 CEST.

Space expertise helps Expo visitors

A start-up company supported by ESA’s Business Incubation Centre has developed a new mobile phone indoor navigation system, which will soon help the six million annual visitors find their way around at the largest exhibition centre in Paris.

Planck unveils the Universe – now and then

ESA PR-15 2010 ESA’s Planck mission has delivered its first all-sky image. It not only provides new insight into the way stars and galaxies form but also tells us how the Universe itself came to life after the Big Bang.

Latest Update

CryoSat-2 exceeding expectations

Today, participants at the Living Planet Symposium have been hearing about ESA's most recently launched mission, CryoSat-2. In orbit for almost three months, the satellite is in excellent health with scientists very encouraged by the first ice-thickness data presented at the symposium.

Call for Media: Rosetta flyby of asteroid Lutetia on 10 July

ESA PR-14 2010: The media are invited to ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, to follow Rosetta's encounter with asteroid Lutetia on 10 July, 18:00–23:00 CEST. The first images of the asteroid will be released before midnight, with experts available for interview.

SMOS shines at symposium

Today, a focus at ESA's Living Planet Symposium is on the innovative SMOS mission, which recently became operational. Early results are proving very encouraging with its first observations due to be released in early July.

GOCE giving new insights into Earth’s gravity

The first global gravity model based on GOCE satellite data has been presented at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium. ESA launched GOCE in March 2009 to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and resolution.

Rocky mounds and a plateau on Mars

When Mars Express set sail for the crater named after Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, it found a windblown plateau and mysterious rocky mounds nearby.

ESA's biggest scientific symposium gets underway

More than 1200 scientists from around the world have gathered in Bergen, Norway, for ESA’s week-long Living Planet Symposium to present their latest findings on Earth's environment and climate using data from observation satellites.

Wet era on early Mars was global

Conditions favourable to life may once have existed all over Mars. Detailed studies of minerals found inside craters show that liquid water was widespread, not only in the southern highlands, but also beneath the northern plains.

Was Venus once a habitable planet?

ESA’s Venus Express is helping planetary scientists investigate whether Venus once had oceans. If it did, it may even have begun its existence as a habitable planet similar to Earth.

Hubble captures bubbles and baby stars

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures a complex network of gas clouds and star clusters within our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region of energetic star birth is one of the most active in the nearby Universe.

Mars500 video diary no. 1 - tour the facilities with Diego Urbina

In this first video diary from the Mars500 crew, Diego Urbina takes us on tour inside the Mars500 facilities - see how the crew are living and working for the next 17 months in isolation.

Call for Media: ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, Bergen, 28 June–2 July

ESA PR 11-2010. The media are invited to ESA's largest scientific event of the year: the Living Planet Symposium, in Bergen, Norway. The symposium covers all areas of Earth observation, highlighting the results and ESA’s planned missions, as well as bringing together the key scientists and decision-makers worldwide.

Rosetta’s blind date with asteroid Lutetia

ESA’s comet-chaser Rosetta is heading for a blind date with asteroid Lutetia. Rosetta does not yet know what Lutetia looks like up-close but beautiful or otherwise the two will meet on 10 July.

Space Station keeps watch on world’s sea traffic

As the ISS circles Earth, it has begun tracking individual ships crossing the seas beneath. An experiment hosted by ESA’s Columbus module is testing the viability of monitoring global traffic from the Station’s orbit hundreds of kilometres up.

ESA astronauts at ILA in Berlin

Ten past and present ESA astronauts will be at the ILA international aerospace show at Berlin’s Schoenefeld on Friday 11 June. At the same time, ESA will continue its presence on its shared stand.

Doctor needed in Antarctica

It’s harsh, demanding, isolated and even hostile, but a unique place: Concordia research station in Antarctica. ESA is now looking for someone with medical training to join the next crew to overwinter in Concordia.

Hatch closed: 18-month Mars500 mission has begun

Mars500, the first full-length simulated mission to Mars, started today in Moscow at 13:49 local time (11:49 CET), when the six-man crew entered their ‘spacecraft’ and the hatch was closed. The experiment will run until November next year.

Astronaut's eye view: Mars Express orbiting the Red Planet

This video shows what future astronauts would see from their cockpit: Mars turning below as they sweep around the Red Planet. Last month, ESA's Mars Express snapped images every minute to create a unique video that loops through a complete orbit of Earth's gorgeous neighbour.

A chance to name Europe’s next astronaut mission

ESA’s Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli will soon visit the International Space Station, and he needs your help to name his mission.

Experts gather as volcanic dust settles

Following the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano that spewed huge amounts of ash and grounded numerous flights, more than 50 experts from around the world gathered at a workshop organised by ESA and EUMETSAT to discuss what has been learned and identify future opportunities for volcanic ash monitoring.

ESA's space hazard programme profiled online

A new section in the ESA web site highlights the Agency's growing activity related to the Space Situational Awareness programme. The full SSA system will protect Europe's citizens and satellite-based services by detecting space hazards.

Volcanic ash in Meridiani Planum

Deposits of volcanic ash colour this view of the Meridiani Planum, as seen by the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera. They also give clues to the prevailing wind direction in this region of Mars.

Soyuz Consultation Committee sets inaugural launch for fourth quarter of 2010

The Soyuz Consultation Committee, comprising representatives of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES and Arianespace, met on Tuesday, 11 May in French Guiana. It confirmed that the inaugural launch of Soyuz from the Guiana Space Centre would take place during the fourth quarter of 2010.

ESA rewards glass industry space tech spin-off

ESA’s Space Spin-off Award for 2010 has been presented to Italian company Kentec for using space technology from the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory and the Hubble telescope in a machine vision system for the glass industry.

New navsat sensor improves water monitoring

The start-up company Star2Earth, reared in the ESA Business Incubation Centre in the Netherlands, will improve electricity production from a hydroelectric plant on Lake Laja in Chile by using navigation satellite signals to measure water levels and wave heights.

Phobos flyby images

Images from the recent flyby of Phobos, on 7 March 2010, are released today. The images show Mars’ rocky moon in exquisite detail, with a resolution of just 4.4 metres per pixel. They show the proposed landing sites for the forthcoming Phobos-Grunt mission.

Phobos flyby success

Mars Express encountered Phobos last night, smoothly skimming past at just 67 km, the closest any manmade object has ever approached Mars’ enigmatic moon. The data collected could help unlock the origin of not just Phobos but other ‘second generation’ moons.

ESA chooses three scientific missions for further study

Dark energy, habitable planets around other stars, and the mysterious nature of our own Sun, have been chosen by ESA as candidates for two medium-class missions to be launched no earlier than 2017.

Phobos flyby season starts again

Today Mars Express began a series of flybys of Phobos, the largest moon of Mars. The campaign will reach its crescendo on 3 March, when the spacecraft will set a new record for the closest pass to Phobos, skimming the surface at just 50 km. The data collected could help untangle the origin of this mysterious moon.

Herschel readies itself for the Orion Nebula

ESA’s Herschel observatory is back to full operation following the reactivation of its HIFI instrument. HIFI, having been offline for 160 days while engineers investigated an unexpected problem in the electronic system, is now perfectly placed to resume its study of forming stars and planets.

Celebrating the fifth anniversary of Huygens’ Titan touchdown

Five years ago today, ESA’s Huygens probe descended to the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Today planetary scientists from around the world have gathered in Barcelona to discuss the legacy of Huygens and to consider future Titan exploration missions.

Fifth anniversary of the landing on Titan

Five years ago today ESA’s Huygens probe reached the upper layer of Titan’s atmosphere and landed on the surface after a parachute descent of 2 hours and 28 minutes. As part of the joint NASA/ESA/ASI mission to Saturn and its moons, the Huygens probe was sent from the Cassini spacecraft to explore Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

Swirling clouds over the South Pacific

Rosetta's OSIRIS imaging system spotted an anticyclone over the South Pacific on the morning of 13 November. The images show the scene roughly as a human eye would see it.

Rosetta sees a living planet

Images and data taken just before closest approach were downloaded this morning, and they show the lights of North America in the night and a glowing Southern Hemisphere.

Rosetta bound for outer Solar System after final Earth swingby

This morning, mission controllers confirmed that ESA’s comet chaser Rosetta had swung by Earth at 8:45 CET as planned, skimming past our planet to pick up a gravitational boost for an epic journey to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.

Rosetta darting across the night

During the night of 12/13 November, scientists working at ESA's Optical Ground Station in Tenerife, Spain, conducted observations to view Rosetta as the satellite approached Earth.

First view of Earth as Rosetta approaches home

This spectacular image of our home planet was captured by the OSIRIS instrument on ESA's Rosetta comet chaser earlier today as the spacecraft approached Earth for the third and final swingby. Closest approach is due at 08:45 CET, 13 November 2009. Follow Rosetta's progress at ESA's dedicated Rosetta site and via the Rosetta Blog.

ESA spacecraft may help unravel cosmic mystery

When Europe's comet chaser Rosetta swings by Earth tomorrow for a critical gravity assist, tracking data will be collected to precisely measure the satellite's change in orbital energy. The results could help unravel a cosmic mystery that has stumped scientists for two decades.

Saturn's moon shows evidence of ammonia

Data collected during two close flybys of Saturn's moon Enceladus by Cassini add more fuel to the fire about the icy world containing sub-surface liquid water.

Cassini finding hints at ocean within Saturn’s moon Enceladus

European scientists on the joint NASA/ESA Cassini mission have detected, for the first time, sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn’s E-ring, which is primarily replenished by material from the plumes of water vapour and ice grains emitted by Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The detection of salty ice indicates that the little moon harbours a reservoir of liquid water, perhaps even an ocean, beneath its surface.

Start of Cassini's new mission

The Cassini spacecraft has a new two-year mission that will address new questions and bring it closer to two of its most intriguing targets: Titan and Enceladus. On 30 June, Cassini completed its four-year prime mission and began its extended mission, which was approved in April this year.

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Cassini’s grand tour of Saturn extended

The operations of the Cassini spacecraft, part of the international NASA/ ESA/ ASI Cassini-Huygens mission, have been extended by NASA by two years. The historic mission’s stunning discoveries and images have revolutionised our knowledge of Saturn and its moons.

Cassini 'tastes' organic brew at Saturn’s geyser moon

The Cassini spacecraft tasted and sampled a surprising organic brew erupting in geyser-like fashion from Saturn's moon Enceladus during a close flyby on 12 March. Scientists are amazed that this tiny moon is so active, ‘hot’ and brimming with water vapour and organic chemicals.

Ocean may exist beneath Titan's crust

Cassini has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan. The findings were made using radar measurements of Titan's rotation.

Saturn’s moon Rhea may also have rings

The Cassini spacecraft has found evidence of material orbiting Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon. This is the first time rings may have been found around a moon.

Discovery's return marks completion of Esperia Mission

Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida this evening at 19:01 CET (18:01 UT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, bringing back seven crew members, including ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

See the ISS and Discovery in the morning sky over Europe

Early tomorrow morning there is a rare opportunity to see the Space Station flying in formation with Space Shuttle Discovery, homeward bound and due to land in Florida tomorrow evening.

Shuttle prepares to undock

After saying their farewells to the ISS crew yesterday evening, the STS-120 crew is preparing to undock from the International Space Station at 11:32 CET (10:32 UT) this morning. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to touchdown in Florida at 19:02 CET (18:02 UT) on Wednesday.

Fourth spacewalk to repair solar array

Astronauts on board the International Space Station are preparing for a spacewalk to repair one of the Station's solar arrays. The fourth spacewalk of the STS-120 mission is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Second radio link-up between Nespoli and Italian students

The second amateur radio link-up between ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Italian students took place yesterday morning at around 8:33 CET (07:33 UT). This link-up continues the Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) educational activity, which is part of the joint ESA-ASI programme of education activities for the Esperia mission.

Paolo Nespoli talks with the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano

“Good morning Mr Nespoli and nice to see you too Commander Melroy [in English in the original],” that was how Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, started the call with the ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy, on board the International Space Station.

Esperia Mission is extended by one day

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and his fellow STS-120 crew members will stay in space for one extra day. Space Shuttle Discovery is now scheduled to land on 7 November.

Nespoli talks with Italian students via amateur radio

The first amateur radio link-up between ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Italian students was established yesterday morning at around 9:30 CET (08:30 UT). On this occasion two classes participated: the IIS Deambrosis-Natta School, from Sestri Levante, near Genoa, and the Engineering Faculty of the University of L'Aquila.

Winners selected in ESA space art contest

Pupils from all over Germany joined ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's ground-breaking Astrolab mission by taking part in an art contest. Over 500 excellent submissions made judging a challenge and showed that European students are interested in space and potential careers as scientists, engineers and explorers.

Personal digital assistants in space

Can tiny and ubiquitous devices like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) be of use for space applications? The answer is a definite yes. Recent tests have demonstrated current and future uses for PDAs on board the International Space Station.

'You see all of Europe in one glance' - Thomas Reiter reports on his ISS mission

The ISS, symbol of international cooperation, became a bit more international with ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's long-duration mission. Today, Reiter met the press for the first time since returning from the International Space Station, at ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC), in Cologne, Germany.

Press conference with ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter after his mission to the ISS

ESA PR 03-2007. On Thursday 18 January, a press conference will take place at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany to give media a chance to meet the ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, of Germany, after completion of his mission following the landing of Space Shuttle Discovery on 22 December.

ESA’s pair of astronauts back on Earth

ESA PR 49-2006. Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida tonight at 23:32 CET (22:32 UTC/GMT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, and bringing back ESA's two astronauts, Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter.

Reiter starts journey home

ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter started his journey back to Earth yesterday evening when Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station. Reiter spent a total of 166 days living on the orbiting outpost.

Thomas Reiter joins Shuttle descent crew

Early this morning, the installation of a new seat liner in the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft marked the end of ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter's period as a member of the Space Station's Expedition crew.

Out-of-this-world cuisine

A French master chef has taken his meals to a new location this week. London? Tokyo? New York? Not far enough for Alain Ducasse Formation (ADF). Last Sunday their meals were served to the astronauts living on board the International Space Station.

Home PCs help find fast-rotating star

A new pulsar has been discovered with the help of a volunteer network of 250,000 home and office computers around the world, including Canada

How To Name a Star

Naming a star is a nice way to show someone just how much you care.

How To Use Binoculars

Before you use binoculars, you need to adjust them for your particular eye strength.

Thom's To Do

The Popular Astronomy Club's Astronomy Day, Vander Veer Botanical Park's Arbor Day Tree and Shrub Giveaway and Quad City Botanical Center's Lawn Care Fair

Space balloon crashes during launch

Multimillion-dollar scientific balloon snafu in Alice Springs, Australia, loses cargo and wrecks a nearby car

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks

Astronomy Sessions Begin in Wis. Parks Sun, 24 May 2009 20:16:00 EST

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken

National Astronomy Day celebration in Aiken Fri, 01 May 2009 12:58:00 EST

Travel To Belize's Mayan Ruins

Explore Mayan Archaeological Sites in Belize

100 hours astronomy

Binghampton, NY -- 100 hours astronomy

Adler Planetarium: International Year of Astronomy 2009

The Adler Planetarium is prepping some of the oldest telescopes in the world for visitors to look at and look through.

Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world

A camera being set up in Yellowknife this year will allow people around the world to see the northern lights without having to leave home

Learn About The Equinox

Science vs. God in BLASPHEMY

Douglas Preston talks about BLASPHEMY, a heart-pounding new thriller about a device that has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe, or suck the world into a black hole.

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Diabetes drug might fight cancer

In use for years, metformin has few side effects

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Ovary removal proves beneficial for cancer-prone women

BRCA mutation carriers who opt for surgery survive longer than those forgoing the operation

Why starved flies need less sleep

Low lipid levels keep insects buzzing, a new study finds

Science & the Public: Dairy foods may cut heart attack risk

Women derived the most benefit, but they also preferentially consumed different types than men did

New drug fights metastatic melanoma

Compound offers hope for about half of patients with advanced form of the skin cancer

New gel seals wounds fast

Synthetic material revs up blood clotting at low cost

Amphetamine abusers face blood vessel risk

Study finds more than triple the odds of aortic tear

Gene profiles may predict TB prognosis

Information could be used to guide treatment

Science & the Public: Traffic may drive some people to diabetes

People with chronic inflammation may be especially vulnerable

Teen hearing loss rate worsens

Percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s, study shows

Science & the Public: The high cost of diabetes

Almost one-in-four hospital dollars go to treat people with the metabolic disorder.

Muscles remember past glory

Extra nuclei produced by training survive disuse

Changing one of nature's constants

If correct, new finding could upend physicists’ view of universe

Still no Earths, but getting closer

Two newly discovered planetary systems shed light on odds of forming terrestrial planets

Solar system older than estimated

Meteorite age suggests planets began to form earlier than thought

Moon shrinks

Newly discovered cliffs suggest slight waning over past billion years

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Mining for missing matter

In underground lairs, physicists look for the dark stuff

Celestial wish list

Astronomers prioritize projects for the coming decade

Twinkle, twinkle, little dot

Are you a planet or are you not?

The people’s pulsar

Volunteer computing project discovers neutron star

Superconductors go fractal

Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern

Warning for solar flares

Microwave bursts may serve as warning shots

Deleted Scenes: Blog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain

Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.

All wet, or high and dry?

The lunar interior may contain far less water than Earth’s

Dark matter eldorado

Nearby galaxy holds record for densest concentration of mysterious mass

Behold, the antilaser

Physicists conceive a ‘perfect absorber’

Ancient Brew Masters Tapped Antibiotic Secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer

Evidence of Organized Feasting by Early Humans

Scientists have found the earliest clear evidence of organized feasting, from a burial site dated about 12,000 years ago

'Stocky Dragon' Dinosaur Terrorized Europe

Extinction of Cave Bear Revealed

The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown

Ancient Mayan Water Reservoir Discovered in Mexican Rainforest

Archaeologists from the University of Bonn have found a water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards

How Alligators Thrived in High Arctic

A new study helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year

Fires and Floods Key to Dinosaur Island Secrets

Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick 'n' mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world

Secrets of a Vanished English Landscape

A team of scientists led by the University of Leicester has published new research on a fossilised landscape, providing insights into how an ancient environment functioned

Ancient 'Terror Bird' Jabbed Like Boxer

The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull -- coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak -- for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali

48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants Revealed

A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies

Geomagnetic field flip-flops in a flash

Scientists unearth more evidence of superfast changes in Earth’s magnetic polarity

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Tsunami triggered by one-two punch

First recorded observation of unusual earthquake sequence

Perforated blobs may be early sponges

Australian find could be oldest fossil evidence of multicellular animals

Scour power

Big storms shift coastal erosion into overdrive

Forest loss slows in Brazilian Amazon

Between 2004 and 2009, rate of clearing dropped almost 75 percent

Rodent poop gauges ancient rains

Size of chinchilla pellets reveals past desert environment

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

Trailing dust devils

Whirlwinds create dark paths by sucking sand grains clean

Researchers create global map of tree height

Mapping changes over time could help track forest carbon content

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Hole from on high

Egyptian impact crater first spotted on Google Earth

Science & the Public: Academies recommend that IPCC make changes

Implementing some would make the group more nimble, others could render it less vulnerable to sloppy judgments

Worldwide slowdown in plant carbon uptake

Recent droughts stifled growth of terrestrial vegetation

Science & the Public: EPA rejects climate-change deniers’ petitions

It said they got the science wrong.

On the Scene: New carbon data should produce better climate forecasts

Measurements for carbon dioxide input by plants and carbon dioxide released during respiration will help models

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Climate change may favor couch-potato elk

Heading for the hills every spring appears worse than staying put

With warming, some commercial fish may boom and bust

Higher temps in Arctic waters might be good for some species but not for others

Oceans warmed in recent decades

But measurements show slowdown in upper-ocean heat gain since 2003

Science & the Public: EPA issues greenhouse-gas rules for new factories and more

Existing facilities get a reprieve

Alaskan peatlands expanded rapidly as ice age waned

Growth fueled by warm summers, cold winters

Methane-making microbes thrive under the ice

Antarctica's ice sheets could hide vast quantities of the greenhouse gas

Science & the Public: National academies to review IPCC procedures

Global science organizations asked to help evaluate processes that produced 2007 climate report

Ancient Norse colonies hit bad climate times

Temperatures in Iceland plummeted soon after settlers arrived

Arctic seafloor a big source of methane

Sediments had been thought to be capped by subsea permafrost

Science & the Public: IPCC looks to vet, report climate-science better

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Gut first

Crawling caterpillars move their insides forward before their outsides, X-rays reveal

Mangroves do a coast good

Intact swaths of trees reduce tsunami damage, a new study suggests

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Bats, wolves feel the heat

News from the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Laramie, Wyo., June 11-15

Science & the Public: Citation inflation

The gold standard for assessing journal quality -- the impact factor -- is proving vulnerable to subtle biases

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Sharks use math to hunt

Marine predators cruise the seas using fractal principles

Honeybee death mystery deepens

Colony collapse disorder linked to mix of fungal and viral infections

Cads of the savanna

Male topi antelopes lie to get the ladies

Science & the Public: Spill update: From booms to dispersants

Ecosystem effects remain muted as control technologies are released in force

Deleted Scenes: Forests on the wane

Early last decade, the world’s tree coverage dropped by more than 3 percent

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

On the Scene: Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Hibernating bats treated in several New York mines.

Iron fertilization in ocean nourishes toxic algae

Carbon sequestration efforts could trigger harmful algal blooms

DVDs don’t turn toddlers into vocabulary Einsteins

But some parents mistakenly think kids do learn words from watching these popular programs

Alzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors

Stimulation delays cognitive decline, but disease advances quickly once it starts

Sadness response strengthens with age

In study, older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did

DNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport

Carriers imbibed more around hard-drinking partners

Ancient hominids grabbed early northern exposure

British site yields stone tools from oldest known northern Europeans

Botox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations

Freezing the frown muscle slows appraisals of angry, sad sentences

Social judgments take touching turns

Tactile sensations can sway people’s negotiating tactics and first impressions

For sight-reading music, practice doesn't make perfect

A basic type of recall may limit the benefits of experience

Travelers have southern bias

Many people may perceive northern paths as uphill and avoid them

Secondhand smoke linked to mental distress

Risk of psychological troubles rises for exposed nonsmokers

Making scents of a partner’s feelings

Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors

Traumatic events trigger diverse responses

New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events

Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms

Striving for flawlessness bolsters health for some, not others

Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late

Understanding of this yucky emotion may not emerge until age 5

Chaos makes a scream seem real

Researchers dissect movies to learn what fear sounds like

Science & the Public: Gloves may head off ‘garden’ variety pneumonia

Doctors have begun linking garden compost to an unusual source of Legionnaire’s disease

Science & the Public: ‘Bug traps’ in Gulf to use BP oil as bait

They'll assess biodegradation and identify the bugs responsible.

Science & the Public: Want a baby? Relax . . .

Stressing out about it can be counterproductive

Frogs leapt before they landed

Amphibians learned to jump first, then mastered the touchdown

Methane releases in arctic seas could wreak devastation

Potential impacts include dead zones, acidification, shifts at the base of the ocean's food chain

Parasite brood gets help from nearby microbes

Study suggests new way to battle common intestinal infection

Science & the Public: Teeth as a forensic clock

With the right analyses, they can point to date of birth -- and of death

Science & the Public: A new source of dioxins: Clean hands

The contaminants that form are novel and their risks unknown

Science & the Public: Rural ozone can be fed by feed (as in silage)

The alcohol in silage can drive significant ozone formation, exceeding the contribution from tailpipe emissions.

Pigeons usually let best navigator take the lead

But other birds sometimes get a turn at the helm

Science & the Public: Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield

Sometimes dozens of pesticides turn up in a single sample of wax or pollen

Evolutionary genetic relationships coming into focus

With the evolutionary tree of life nearly half done for birds and mammals, other vertebrates lag behind

Chameleon tongues snappy even when cold

Elastic collagen tissue provides an edge over other cold-blooded hunters

Science & the Public: Whale hunts: Discussions on lifting the ‘ban’

Florida’s big chill may have hammered corals near shore

Early reports from rare cold bleaching offer hope offshore

Primordial bestiary gets an annex

Burgess shale site expands to include thinner deposits

Oldest dog debated

Fossil jaw may, or may not, come from oldest known example of man’s best friend

Apes and Old World monkeys may have split later than thought

Fossil find resets timing of major event in primate evolution

Moby Dick meets Jaws

Extinct whale had teeth bigger than T. rex's

Ancient marine reptiles losing their cool

Study suggests creatures might have been warm-blooded

Octopus origins

Tiny, ancestral cephalopod had just two tentacles

Earliest birds didn't make a flap

Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis plumage probably not strong enough to support sustained flight

Archaeopteryx fossil seen in new light

X-ray fluorescence reveals startling details, remains of some soft tissues in 150-million-year-old specimen