ads.scienceheadlinenews.com

newscientist.com

• Lunar uranium and Martian sand traps: the week in space
  This week, a new lunar orbiter sent back its first images and engineers prepared a mock Mars rover to help free Spirit, which is stuck in a sand trap on the Red Planet
• Brain scanner for astronauts passes 'vomit comet' test
  A device designed to study astronauts' brain activity has been tested in zero gravity for the first time – one day it could be used to monitor mission-compromising depression
• Incredible shrinking sheep blamed on climate change
  The mysterious size reduction of Scottish sheep over the last 20 years can be explained by shorter winters, researchers say
• Computer reveals stone tablet 'handwriting' in a flash
  Identifying individual carving styles on ancient tablets takes years of training – and even then can be up for debate – but now a computer can do it in seconds
• Money flows into green transport despite recession
  Investment in green transport rose in the second quarter of 2009 – bucking a six-month-long downward trend
• Most inspirational woman scientist revealed
  Find out who New Scientist readers voted the most inspirational woman scientist of all time
• Plant life saved Earth from an icy fate
  We owe our very existence to plants, which – thanks to their relationship with CO2 – have prevented the Earth from freezing over
• Robot rescue "rat" feels its way through rubble
  A new robot with artificial whiskers could one day be used to locate survivors of natural disasters, or people trapped in burning buildings
• Laser light switch could leave transistors in the shade
  An optical transistor that uses one laser beam to control another could form the heart of a future generation of ultrafast light-based computers
• Treat killing like a disease to slash shootings
  Shootings in deprived areas of Chicago and Baltimore have plummeted thanks to a programme that treats violence as if it is an infectious disease

• An insurance plan for climate change victims
  As governments dither over how to protect the world's poor from the effects of a warming planet, an unlikely group is stepping up
• Size doesn't matter to some women
  While western women generally prefer tall males – the women of Tanzania's Hazda tribe can take them or leave them
• X-rays are smoking gun for middleweight black holes
  Astronomers have found the best evidence yet of an elusive intermediate-mass black hole
• Return of the race myth?
  The Human Genome Project blew apart the idea that race was a biologically meaningful term – but new genetic technologies threaten to revive it, warns Osagie Obasogie
• Dinosaur mummy gives up organic material
  A mummified dinosaur seems to contain traces of 66-million-year old amino acids - the building blocks of proteins - which could provide vital information about its evolution
• 'Trojan' cells take on drug-resistant tumours
  Just one imitation horse was enough to conquer Troy, but two waves of Trojan cellular compartments are needed to destroy drug-resistant tumours in mice
• Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought
  As more and more ice slides into the ocean, sea levels are rising faster and faster – but just how high will they get?
• Satellite creates best topographic map of the Earth
  An instrument aboard the Terra satellite has generated the most complete digital topographic map of the Earth ever made, covering 99% of the planet
• Record-breaking solar cells are tailored to their location
  Solar cells tuned to particular wavelengths make the most of the light at different places on Earth, boosting efficiency to record levels
• Brain's response muted when we see other races in pain
  The response of the brain is less pronounced when we see strangers in pain who are a different race to our own
• Trendy science findings more likely to be wrong
  The behaviour of proteins that are popular with researchers is more likely to be reported inaccurately than that of their less fashionable counterparts
• Laser weapon dazzles but doesn't blind
  A new type of laser device being developed by the Pentagon will let military personnel force drivers to a halt without harming their eyesight
• Taxibot could save airlines billions
  Robotic tractors could one day be used to tow airliners from the airport gate to the edge of the runway, saving billions in fuel costs
• Triple-engined car could smash land-speed record
  A supersonic car dubbed Bloodhound SCC is being prepared to take the record to over 1600 km/h some time in 2011
• Are rich tourists losing touch with nature?
  Nature tourism is increasingly popular across the globe – but some rich nations buck the trend

[ more posts from newscientist.com ]

livescience.com

• The Strange Ingredients in Fireworks
  Inside, there are some odd ingredients, from aluminum to Vaseline.
• Foot-in-Mouth: Why We Do It
  The very act of trying to avoid a faux-pas can cause it to happen.
• Tiny New Battery Is Printable
  A new battery, small and thin, weighs almost nothing and can be printed in a process similar to silk-screening shirts.
• Polymer Scientist Says Creativity is Key
  Ryan Hayward studies nanomaterials and how they self-assemble.
• The Truth Behind Secret Recipes in Coke, KFC, Etc.
  The commercial appeal of a good mystery (real or manufactured) has not been lost on advertisers.
• Boat-'Bots for Brainiacs: LEGO Subs Launch Young Engineers
  Robots designed, built and run by Middle School and High School students compete underwater. Event hosted by the Stevens Institute of Technology, well known for its ocean-engineering programs.
• How to Keep Pets Safe During Fireworks
  4th of July fireworks can frighten pets. Here's what you can do.
• How Earth Got its Oxygen
  The rise of oxygen on early Earth may have been caused by a microbial changing of the guard between methane-producers and oxygen-producers.
• Tropical Rainfall Moving North
  Earth's most prominent rain band, near the equator, has been moving north at an average rate of almost a mile (1.4 km) a year for three centuries.
• Ants Form Global Mega-Colony
  The invasive creatures form a mega-colony that spans Europe, the United States and Japan.

sciencedaily.com

• CPAP Treatment Linked To Lower Mortality In Stroke Patients With OSA
  Stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnea who undergo treatment with continuous positive airway pressure following their stroke may substantially reduce their risk of death.
• Acid-reducing Medicines May Lead To Dependency
  Treatment with proton pump inhibitors for eight weeks induces acid-related symptoms like heartburn, acid regurgitation and dyspepsia once treatment is withdrawn in healthy individuals. Data suggests p…
• Giant Moa Rebuilt Using Ancient DNA From Prehistoric Feathers
  Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand.
• QuikScat Finds Tempests Brewing In 'Ordinary' Storms
  June is busting out all over, as the song says, and with it, U.S. residents along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts begin to gaze warily toward the ocean, aware that the hurricane season is revving up. In…
• Magmatic Plumbing Of A Large Permian Caldera Exposed To A Depth Of 25 Kilometers
  Large volcanic calderas, aka supervolcanoes, are enormous craters tens of kilometers in diameter produced by giant, explosive eruptions that rank among the most violent geologic events. Geophysical st…
• Brain Functions That Can Prevent Relapse Improve After A Year Of Methamphetamine Abstinence
  Researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substance abusers, their families and drug-treatment specialist…
• What Should A Teenage Girl Do If She Finds A Lump In Her Breast?
  If a lump is found in the breast of an adolescent girl, she often will undergo an excisional biopsy. However, breast cancer is rare in adolescents, and the vast majority of teenage breast lumps are be…
• Virus-gene Therapy Combination Against Melanoma Under Testing
  Researchers are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the disease.
• Astronomers Discover Pair Of Solar Systems In The Making
  Astronomers have found a binary star-disk system in which each star is surrounded by the kind of dust disk that is frequently the precursor of a planetary system.
• Keeping Fish in Home Aquariums: Two Is Not Company, As Far As Fish Are Concerned
  New research has shown that fish kept alone or in small groups are more aggressive and exhibit fewer natural behaviors such as shoaling.

• Key To Evolutionary Fitness: Cut The Calories
  Charles Darwin postulated that animals eat as much as possible while food is plentiful, and produce as many offspring as this would allow. However, new research shows that, even when food is abundant,…
• People Sometimes Seek The Truth, But Most Prefer Like-minded Views
  We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see or hear. A new analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found…
• 'Stealth' Herpes Simplex Inflammation Impacts Corneal Transplants
  The herpes simplex virus (HSV) can infect the eye and sometimes causes so much damage that the person's cornea must be replaced with a transplant. (The cornea is the clear covering of the front of the…
• Possibility Of Vaccine For Ear Infections
  Otitis media, more commonly known as an ear infection, is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children less than 15 years of age in the United States and is the primary cause for emergency room v…
• Sea Ice At Lowest Level In 800 Years Near Greenland
  New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now.
• Successful Initial Safety Tests For Genetically-modified Rice That Fights Allergy
  In a first-of-its-kind advance toward the next generation of genetically modified foods — intended to improve consumers' health — researchers in Japan are reporting that a new transgenic rice desi…
• Stirred, Not Shaken: Bio-inspired Cilia Mix Medical Reagents At Small Scales
  Engineers used a novel underwater manufacturing technique to successfully build biomimetic cilia. The hairlike appendages mix tiny volumes of liquid to speed up biomedical reactions.
• Will IVF Work For A Particular Patient? The Answer May Be Found In Her Blood
  For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. New research helps explain why IVF works for some patients…
• Environmental Cues Control Reproductive Timing And Longevity
  When humans and animals delay reproduction because food or other resources are scarce, they may live longer to increase the impact of reproduction, according to a new study.
• Many Genetic Contributions To Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder Discovered
  Scientists have discovered that many common genetic variants contribute to a person's risk of schizophrenia, providing the first molecular evidence that this form of genetic variation is involved in s…
• New Class Of Black Holes Discovered
  A new class of black hole, more than 500 times the mass of the Sun, has been discovered by an international team of astronomers.
• Students Create Portable Device To Detect Suicide Bombers
  Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapons of suicide bombers, are a major cause of soldier casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. A group of engineering undergraduate students has developed a new…
• Microalgae As A Source Of Alternative Energy
  Scientists are researching the potential of mass production of microalgae as a crop.
• In Pursuit Of A Happiness Gene
  The pursuit of happiness characterizes the human condition. But for those suffering from stress, money trouble or chronic illness, a positive outlook on life can be difficult to find. Now, a researche…
• New Insight On Therapy For Devastating Parasitic Disease
  Researchers have discovered an important new insight into how a commonly prescribed drug may work to treat those infected by a parasitic flatworm.
• New Connection Between Cancer Cells, Stem Cells
  A molecule called telomerase, best known for enabling unlimited cell division of stem cells and cancer cells, has a surprising additional role in the expression of genes in an important stem cell regu…
• Salamanders, Regenerative Wonders, Heal Like Mammals, People
  The salamander is a superhero of regeneration, able to replace lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced spinal cord -- even bits of lopped-off brain. Based on experiments on genetically modified axolotl sala…
• Unexpectedly Long-range Effects In Advanced Magnetic Devices
  A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists to an unexpected finding -- the surprisingly strong and long-range effects of certain electromagnetic nanostructures used in data storage.
• Did Melting Snow Shape America's Southern Rocky Mountains?
  Is it possible that something as insubstantial and transitory as snow could be responsible for large scale vertical movements of Earth's surface and the excavation of deeply incised gorges?
• Follow Regular Commuter Routes Or Be Adventurous?
  It’s the same dilemma every morning: do you take your usual route with its frequent traffic jams, or try to get to work faster by going cross-country? And do you listen to the advice from the traffi…
• Atrial Fibrillation In Endurance Athletes Still Poses Problems For Sports Cardiologists
  Competitive sports and endurance training comes with a real -- even if rare -- twist. While most people will enjoy the benefits and pleasures of exercise, there are a few for whom regular athletic tra…
• Schizophrenia Linked For First Time To Specific Chromosome Region
  Scientists have shown, for the first time, that modern genetic technologies can solve the riddle of how gene variations lead to schizophrenia.
• Alzheimer's Symptoms Reversed: Blood Stem Cell Growth Factor Reverses Memory Decline In Mice
  A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.
• Emerging Techniques Put A New Twist On Ankle Repair
  People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures.
• New Kind Of Undersea Eruption Defined: 'Neptunian'
  Two Australian researchers have defined a newly recognized kind of explosive eruption, termed neptunian, that is restricted to seafloor volcanoes.
• Physics Education Improves When Students Make Their Own Computer Models
  A current trend in secondary science education is for students to learn by discovering for themselves how things work. Computer modeling is a teaching method that fits in nicely with this trend and al…
• What The Immune System Reveals About Breast Cancer
  Researchers have identified the prognostic significance of the immune system in breast tumors. The research results show that patients with certain breast tumors have a better prognosis when more immu…
• Re-Write The Textbooks: Key Genetic Phenomenon Shown To Be Different Than Believed
  Because females carry two copies of the X chromosome to males’ one X and one Y, they harbor a potentially toxic double dose of the over 1000 genes that reside on the X chromosome. To compensate for…
• Blackest Black Ever: Ultra-thin Material Absorbs Almost 100% Of Light
  It appears to be a paradox: ultra-thin material that absorbs all incident light. Nonetheless, it does exist. Researchers have demonstrated that at a thickness of 4.5 nanometer niobiumnitride (NbN) is…
• Antibiotics Take Toll On Beneficial Microbes In Gut
  In mice, scientists have shown two types of antibiotics can cause moderate to wide-ranging changes in normally diverse, beneficial gut microbes. The findings have implications for minimizing diarrhea…
• Biogenic Origin For Earth's Oldest Putative Microfossils
  Microbes and bacteria were the first living organisms on Earth, and they can be preserved in Archean silica-rich rocks. One such outcrop from western Australia, dated to 3.5 billion years ago, may hol…
• Barriers Hinder EMS Workers From Using Best Resuscitation Practices, Study Finds
  Local laws, insurance reimbursement and public misperceptions impede emergency medical services (EMS) workers from using best resuscitation practices, according to a new study.
• Plants Save The Earth From An Icy Doom
  When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists because leading models h…
• Mid-Pliocene Asian Monsoon Intensification And The Onset Of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation
  The late Pliocene onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation is one of the most important steps in the Cenozoic global cooling. Although most attempts have been focused on high-latitude climate fee…
• Celiac Disease Four Times More Common Than In 1950s
  Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to new findings. Undiagnosed celiac disease is associated with…
• Analysis Of Drug-eluting Stents Data Demonstrates Safety, Efficacy In On-and-off-label Use
  The Cardiovascular Research Foundation has announced the results of the largest meta-analysis to date comparing mortality rates for drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents. The study also compare…
• Protein In The Envelope Enclosing The Cell Nucleus: New Piece Of The Puzzle In Research On Cancer And Stem Cells?
  Scientists have discovered a new protein in the inner membrane of the cell nucleus. This protein may play an important role in cell division and now provides a new piece of the puzzle to study in canc…
• Experts Call For New U.S. Research Effort To Identify Which Health Care Services Work Best
  A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends 100 health topics that should get priority attention and funding from a new national research effort to identify which health-care services work…

[ more posts from sciencedaily.com ]

eurekalert.org

• Scientists 'rebuild' giant moa using ancient DNA
  Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand.
• Perfect pitch study offers window into influences of nature and nurture
  Practice, practice, practice might get you to Carnegie Hall, but for aspiring musicians, there's new evidence that genes may influence one's ability to get there, as well.
• 'Jumping gene' diminishes the effect of a new type 2 diabetes risk gene
  Research has identified a new gene associated with diabetes, together with a mechanism that makes obese mice less susceptible to diabetes. A genomic fragment that occurs naturally in some mouse strain…
• Learning from locusts
  A similarity in brain disturbance between insects and people suffering from migraines, stroke and epilepsy points the way toward new drug therapies to address these conditions.
• JNCI news brief: Hepatitis B virus mutations may predict risk of liver cancer
  Certain mutations in the DNA of the hepatitis B virus are associated with the development of liver cancer and may help predict which patients with HBV infections are at increased risk of the disease,…
• New focus on the moon
  NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera has taken and received its first images of the Moon, kicking off the year-long mapping mission of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor. The LROC imaging system…
• New targeted therapy finds and eliminates deadly leukemia stem cells
  New research describes a molecular tool that shows great promise as a therapeutic for human acute myeloid leukemia, a notoriously treatment-resistant blood cancer. The study, published by Cell Press i…
• Plants' internal clock can improve climate-change models
  The ability of plants to tell the time, a mechanism common to all living beings, enables them to survive, grow and reproduce. In a study published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Ecolog…
• Gene's novel role may provide key to treating liver and neurodegenerative diseases
  Singapore scientists have made a novel discovery about how gene, Fas-apoptosis inhibitory molecule, protects both immune and liver cells from programmed cell death. Their research is published in Cell…
• Second Life data offers window into how trends spread
  Do friends wear the same style of shoe or see the same movies because they have similar tastes, which is why they became friends in the first place? Or once a friendship is established, do individuals…

• Climate change and the mystery of the shrinking sheep
  Milder winters are causing Scotland's wild breed of Soay sheep to get smaller, despite the evolutionary benefits of possessing a large body, according to new research due to be published in this week'…
• A question of height
  Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. The creation of small heat-shielded habitats and better links between ha…
• Researchers unite to distribute quantum keys
  Researchers from across Europe have united to build the largest quantum key distribution network ever built. The efforts of 41 research and industrial organizations were realized as secure, quantum en…
• AGU journal highlights - July 2, 2009
  Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: Ancient supervolcano's eruption caused decade of severe winters; Understanding fault movement during Wenchuan earthquake; First di…
• Printable batteries
  For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectivel…
• Integrated optical trap holds particles for on-chip analysis
  A new type of optical particle trap can be used to manipulate bacteria, viruses and other particles on a chip as part of an integrated optofluidic platform.
• UCLA scientists find molecular differences between embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed skin cells
  UCLA researchers have found that embryonic stem cells and skin cells reprogrammed into embryonic-like cells have inherent molecular differences, demonstrating for the first time that the two cell type…
• LRO's first moon images
  NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has transmitted its first images since reaching the moon on June 23. The spacecraft's two cameras, collectively known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or…
• JNCI news brief: Improving the biomarker pipeline for early cancer detection
  Several statistical and biological issues need to be addressed in order to improve biomarker identification for early detection of cancer, according to a commentary published online July 2 in the Jour…
• Many characteristics of Mars, including ice, are similar to Earth, paper says
  Mars gets as far as 250 million miles away, but many parts of it closely resemble places on Earth, including its landscape, history of water, soil and even its weather, says a Texas A&M University res…
• Stanford bioethicist and colleagues call for federal regulation of genetic ancestry testing
  The lack of federal regulation in instances of DNA use will be addressed in the Policy Forum section in the July 3 issue of Science by Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Ph.D., of the Stanford Center for Biomedical…
• Prostate cancer patients disease free after 5 years likely to be disease free after 10 years
  Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the I…
• Mexican wives' mental health dives when husbands work in US
  A new study finds that Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group.
• Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows
  New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm bi…
• Study identifies how tamoxifen stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer
  University of California - San Francisco researchers have identified a new feed-forward pathway linking estrogen receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen leve…
• Overweight kids experience more loneliness, anxiety, MU study finds
  As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new Universi…
• Climate change and the mystery of the shrinking sheep
  Changing winter conditions are causing Scotland's wild Soay sheep to get smaller despite the evolutionary benefits of having a large body, researchers report in a study that shows how climate change c…
• Pacific Northwest forests could store more carbon, help address greenhouse issues
  The forests of the Pacific Northwest hold significant potential to increase carbon storage and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, a recent study concludes, if they are managed pri…
• Evolution: Crabs go deep to avoid hot water
  Researchers from the National Oceanography Center, Southampton, have drawn together 200 years' worth of oceanographic knowledge to investigate the distribution of a notorious deep-sea giant -- the kin…
• Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution
  Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were rec…
• Research output in developing countries reveals 194 percent increase in five years
  The partners of Research4Life announced today at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2009 that a new research impact analysis has demonstrated a dramatic rise in research output by scientists…
• UT multimedia program increases middle school interest in science
  Middle school students who were part of a unique science learning program developed by the University of Texas School of Public Health showed significant increases in interest and achievement scores c…
• Bioethicists lead call for public debates on future uses of stem cells
  More than 40 scientists, bioethicists, lawyers and science journal editors are calling on their colleagues, policy makers and the public to begin developing guidelines for the research and reproductiv…
• Natural compound stops retinopathy
  Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States.
• NASA's Fermi Telescope reveals a population of radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars
  A new class of pulsars detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is solving the mystery of previously unidentified gamma-ray sources and helping scientists understand the mechanisms behind pu…
• Sexist jokes favor the mental mechanisms that justify violence against women
  These are the conclusions of research work carried out at the University of Granada in a sample of 109 18-26 year old university male students. The results of this work will be released July 2 in the…
• MIT and CDC discover why H1N1 flu spreads inefficiently
  A team from MIT and the Centers for Disease Control has found a genetic explanation for why the new H1N1 swine flu virus has spread from person to person less effectively than other flu viruses.
• Report calls for new initiative to improve math education for preschoolers
  To ensure that all children enter elementary school with the foundation they need for success, a major national initiative is needed to improve early childhood mathematics education, says a new report…
• Study shows PET can measure effectiveness of novel breast cancer treatment
  A new study published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography scans in mice can be used to determine whether a novel type of breast cancer treatmen…
• Poor health among indigenous peoples a question of cultural loss as well as poverty
  Health problems of Indigenous peoples around the world are intimately tied to a number of unique factors, such as colonization, globalization, migration, and loss of land, language and culture. These…
• A rush of blood to the head -- anger increases blood flow
  Mental stress causes carotid artery dilation and increases brain blood flow. A series of ultrasound experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Cardiovascular Ultrasound, also found…
• The problem with self-help books: Study shows the negative side to positive self-statements
  In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as I am…
• Doubts cast on credibility of some published clinical trials
  Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard research method for assessing new medical treatments. But research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Trials shows that the…
• In the eye of the storm: Why some people stayed behind
  Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in US history, claiming the lives of more than 1,800 victims and causing well over $100 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast. The 2005 storm breach…
• Pinpointing origin of gamma rays from a supermassive black hole
  An international collaboration of 390 scientists reports the discovery of an outburst of very-high-energy gamma radiation from the giant radio galaxy Messier 87, accompanied by a strong rise of the ra…
• Ferns took to the trees and thrived
  As flowering plants like giant trees quickly rose to dominate plant communities during the Cretaceous period, the ferns that had preceded them hardly saw it as a disappointment.
• Mars data published in Science this week
  Four papers in the journal Science this week offer new details about the history of water on Mars, gleaned from the 2008 NASA Phoenix Mars Mission that was operated from the University of Arizona.
• Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms
  Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Today, at…
• VLBA locates superenergetic bursts near giant black hole
  Combining gamma-ray telescopes with the supersharp radio 'vision' of the Very Long Baseline Array showed astronomers the location from which very-high-energy gamma rays are emerging from the core ot t…
• Visit to the doctor: The supply of additional private services is increasing
  Panel physicians are increasingly offering individual health services to patients with statutory health insurance. This is documented by Susanne Richter et al. of the Department of Social Medicine, Lu…
• New type of El Nino could mean more hurricanes make landfall
  A new study, in the journal Science, suggests that the form of El Nino may be changing potentially causing not only a greater number of hurricanes than in average years, but also a greater chance of h…
• Virus-resistant grapevines
  Viruses can cost winegrowers an entire harvest. If they infest the grapevines, even pesticides are often no use. What's more, these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Researchers are growing pl…
• Existing Parkinson's disease drug may fight drug-resistant TB
  Existing drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease could be repositioned for use in the treatment of extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis, which kills about 2 million people each year, accordi…
• Rampant helper syndrome
  The Archaea are very primitive single-celled organisms, sometimes living under extreme conditions. Some species produce methane with the help of deazaflavin cofactor. Researchers of Ludwig-Maximilians…
• Research reveals what drives lung cancer's spread
  A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reveals the genetic underpinnings of what causes lung cancer to quickly metastasize, or spread, to the brain and the bone -- the tw…
• MIT researchers find new actions of neurochemicals
  Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain functio…
• Colorectal cancer
  Previously, only a few genes had been associated with the formation of metastases in colorectal cancer. Now, researchers of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Charite -- Un…
• Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer
  Researchers from NIST, Oregon Health and Science University and the New York University School of Medicine have demonstrated that deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damag…
• Hormone treatment eases post-surgery distress in children
  In the July issue of Anesthesiology, UC Irvine physicians focused on reducing anxiety in children and their families report that oral treatment with melatonin before surgery can significantly reduce t…
• Emerging techniques put a new twist on ankle repair
  People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures.
• Alzheimer's research yields potential drug target
  Scientists at UC Santa Barbara and several other institutions have found laboratory evidence that a cluster of peptides may be the toxic agent in Alzheimer's disease. Scientists say the discovery may…
• Desert rhubarb -- a self-irrigating plant
  Researchers from the department of science education-biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to make out the self-irrigating mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest…
• New science review examines multiple health benefits of dairy foods
  In a supplement to the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, several prominent nutrition researchers weigh in on an updated review of the health benefits of consuming dair…
• UT researcher: Interferon alpha can delay full onset of type I diabetes
  A low dose of oral interferon alpha shows promise in preserving beta cell function for patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, according to researchers at the University o…
• Researchers testing virus-gene therapy combination against melanoma
  Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the di…
• Chromosomal problems affect nearly all human embryos
  For the first time, scientists have shown that chromosomal abnormalities are present in more than 90 percent of IVF embryos, even those produced by young, fertile couples
• Blood stem cell growth factor reverses memory decline in mice
  A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease, a new study finds.
• New clue into how brain stem cells develop into cells which repair damaged tissue
  Scientists have discovered a new mechanism in brain stem cells that controls how and when they develop into cells which repair damage in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis. They have fou…
• Lap-band weight-loss surgery can reverse metabolic syndrome in obese teens
  A new study of obese adolescents has shown that laparoscopic gastric banding surgery -- the Lap-Band procedure -- not only helps them achieve significant weight loss but can also improve and even reve…
• Double success for Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia scientists working on chromosome segregation
  Lars Jansen's work on the formation of the centromere, a key cellular structure in powering and controlling chromosome segregation and accurate cell division, has just earned him a paper in Nature Cel…
• Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings
  Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. A Medical College of Georgia researcher hopes a new nanot…
• MS study offers theory for why repair of brain's wiring fails
  Scientists have uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with multiple sclerosis accumulates because the body's natural mechanism for repair of the nerve coating called m…
• Earth's most prominent rainfall feature creeping northward
  The rain band near the equator that determines the supply of freshwater to nearly a billion people throughout the tropics and subtropics has been creeping north for more than 300 years. If the band co…
• Infants should be screened for hip trouble
  Developmental hip dysplasia is the most common congenital defect in newborns. The condition occurs when a hip joint is shallow, unstable or when the joint is dislocated. Infants with the condition are…
• UCLA collaboration identifies immune system link to schizophrenia
  Researchers at UCLA and colleagues from around the world have, for the first time, identified additional genes that confirm what scientists have long suspected -- that the immune system may play a rol…
• UNC study rewrites textbook on key genetic phenomenon
  A new UNC study appearing online July 1 in the journal Nature disputes current scientific belief by showing that X-inactivation can occur even in the absence of a gene previously thought to be the tri…
• Study examines liver transplantation after drug induced acute liver failure
  Liver transplantation offers a good chance for survival for patients with drug induced acute liver failure, however, certain pre-transplant factors are associated with worse outcomes.
• Predicting the return of prostate cancer: New Johns Hopkins study betters the odds of success
  Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicti…
• Study examines dietary influences of liver disease
  Diets high in protein and cholesterol are associated with a higher risk of hospitalization or death due to cirrhosis or liver cancer, while diets high in carbohydrates are associated with a lower risk…
• New treatment for receding gums: No pain, lots of gain
  Tufts dental researchers demonstrate three-year success with a tissue regeneration application that reduces the pain and recovery time of gum grafting surgery. This specific treatment, developed at Tu…
• Exercise helps patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  Counseling patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on how to increase physical activity leads to health benefits that are independent of changes in weight. These findings are in a new study in…
• Increasing age of mothers in Spain leads to rise in mortality rates
  A new study examining the evolution of maternal mortality rates in Spain since 1996 shows a 17 percent increase in deaths. This trend is linked to the widespread increase in maternal age. The highest…
• U of Minnesota finds treatment that significantly slows progression of eye damage in persons with type 1 diabetes
  University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Michael Mauer, M.D., has found a treatment that significantly slows the progression of eye injury in people with type 1 diabetes, a common complicatio…
• Lack of sleep could be more dangerous for women than men
  Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.
• Cell transplantation and cardiac repair
  Two separate studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation into cardiac repair by cell transplantation have found, respectively, that the best way to deliver autologous bone-marrow mo…
• The least sea ice in 800 years
  New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now.…
• Astronomer's new guide to the galaxy: Largest map of cold dust revealed
  Astronomers have unveiled an unprecedented new atlas of the inner regions of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, peppered with thousands of previously undiscovered dense knots of cold cosmic dust -- the p…
• Wagner's 'difficult' reputation unwarranted says research
  The composer Richard Wagner is well-known, even notorious, for writing operas that can challenge both performers and listeners. A new study published in the Journal of the Acoustic Society of America…
• Newly appreciated membrane estrogen receptor important therapeutic target for breast cancer
  New research at Rhode Island Hospital has uncovered the biological effects of a novel membrane estrogen receptor, a finding that has potential implications for hormonal therapy for breast cancer.
• Researchers find clear difference in quality, type of lung cancer info available in US and Japan
  A study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology revealed that internet-based lung cancer information was of a higher quality in the United States than in Japan. Dr. Yasush…
• Both good/bad movie characters who smoke influence teens to do the same
  Dartmouth researchers have determined that movie characters who smoke, regardless of whether they are good guys or bad guys, influence teens to try smoking.
• Joint replacement patients with diabetes greatly benefit from controlled glucose
  Diabetics undergoing total joint replacement often are at a higher risk of experiencing complications after surgery due to various pre-existing health conditions. According to a new study published in…
• Unexpectedly long-range effects in advanced magnetic devices
  A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists at NIST and the Institute of Solid State Physics in Russia to an unexpected finding -- the surprisingly strong and long-range effects of certain electr…
• The 'other' cruciate ligament: Newer treatments for PCL tears
  While major advances have been made in the understanding of posterior cruciate ligament anatomy and reconstruction, a literature review published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American…
• NIST develops novel ion trap for sensing force and light
  A novel ion trap demonstrated at NIST could usher in a new generation of applications, because the device holds promise as a stylus for sensing very small forces or for an interface for efficient tran…
• Study shows that a combination of common genetic variations can lead to schizophrenia
  The finding suggests that schizophrenia is much more complex than previously thought, and can arise not only from both rare genetic variants but also from a significant number of common ones.
• ADA releases updated position paper on vegetarian diets
  The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on vegetarian diets that concludes such diets, if well-planned, are healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and…
• Scientists: Salamanders, regenerative wonders, heal like mammals, people
  The salamander is a superhero of regeneration, able to replace lost limbs, damaged lungs, sliced spinal cord -- even bits of lopped-off brain.
• VYVANSE CII provided significant efficacy at 14 hours in adults with ADHD
  Shire announced results from a Phase 3b study that found VYVANSE (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII demonstrated significant efficacy at 14 hours after administration during a simulated workplace envir…
• Cancer survivors at greater risk of birth complications; special monitoring needed
  Survivors of childhood cancer run particular risks when pregnant and should be closely monitored, say Dutch researchers. Although such women may have conceived spontaneously and considered themselves…

[ more posts from eurekalert.org ]

seedmagazine.com

• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist Animal research facilities must disclose more (source: New York Times) Animal research facilities will be required to disclose more information online about their experiments un…
• The Lesser Evil: Nuclear or Coal?
  Should we depend on coal or nuclear? Five experts discuss how clean coal works, how dangerous nuclear waste really is, and whether the root of the problem is money.
• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist Most complete Earth map published (source: BBC) The data, comprising of 1.3 million images and covering 99% of the Earth’s surface, will be available as a free download. G8: C…
• How to Build a Better Tree of Life
  An unconventional approach to analyzing molecular sequences allows researchers to construct larger evolutionary trees.
• Books to Read Now
  July releases on how to join the commercial space race, a brief history of futurism, the inner world of mathematicians, and more.
• The Extinction Oscillator
  Sometimes, something kills nearly all life on the entire planet. But is there a regular cycle to this creation and destruction of Earth’s biodiversity?
• Week in Review: June 26
  Advocates for ACES Act, Simon Singh takes on British chiropractic, and what’s ailing American universities might be America.
• Invoking the Magic of the Mind
  Are secrets of the evolution of the mind to be found by imagining the ancestors of tool-wielding crows, or is such an approach strictly for the birds?
• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist Hearses to be made from Priuses (source: Boing Boing) A limousine company in Japan plans to sell hybrid hearses for $80,000. Microsoft debuts power conservation website (source:…
• David Malin’s Ancient Light
  Looking at science books as a child, all the galaxies and star forming regions were in black and white. It's a kind of journey back.

• Photographer to the Stars
  Famed space photographer David Malin talks about why his new compilation, Ancient Light, is in black and white and on the role of aesthetics in astronomy.
• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist The Devil is in the digits (source: Washington Post) Looking at Iranian poll result numbers in terms of probability has uncovered evidence of falsification. Russia’s do-nothin…
• Serious Fun
  Kodu doesn’t have realistic graphics, huge explosions, or even a way to win. But it just might change the way we think about the world.
• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist Large Hadron Collider restart delayed until October (source: MSNBC) CERN has announced that the $10 billion LHC will reopen in October, after being closed for almost a year sinc…
• Analysis: UK, US Climate Reports
  New reports from the US and UK back scientists that climate change is happening now and project fallout down to the regional and citywide level.
• Critical Mass
  For particle physicists who study phase transitions, a traffic jam is simply a solid made up of idling cars.
• How Do You Know It’s Sex?
  Sex, one of the great mysteries of evolutionary biology, becomes even more complicated when scientists study it in yeast.
• Week in Review: June 19
  Building a power plant worthy of tomorrowland, a climate nudge disguised as a clarion call to arms, and school’s out—brains, turn off!
• Seed's Daily Zeitgeist
  Seed's Daily Zeitgeist Mobiles boost Africa climate data (source: BBC) Hoping to fill gaps in climate data across Africa, a partnership between humanitarian groups and mobile phone companies will crea…
• Scientific Flip-Flop
  Five experts debate the roots of GM opposition, the role of big agribusiness, and whether we’ve achieved real scientific consensus.

[ more posts from seedmagazine.com ]

sciencenow.sciencemag.org

• Scientists Find Heart Stem Cells
  Cells could eventually be used to regrow heart parts
• Secret of Scotland's Shrinking Sheep Solved
  Climate change cited as credible culprit
• New Fossil Primate Challenges "Missing Link" Ida
  Researchers propose that it was Asian, not European or African, primates that gave rise to monkeys, apes, and humans
• Finally, an Average Black Hole
  Astronomers may have discovered a black hole that's neither small nor gigantic
• CIRM Takes a Hit, NASA Gets a Boost
  Plus more from Science's policy blog, ScienceInsider
• Study Refutes Protein's Role in Heart Attacks
  Companies chasing c-reactive protein may be on wrong path, say experts
• How the Piranha Got Its Teeth
  Lost fossil sheds light on evolution of frightening fish
• End of a Space Odyssey
  NASA, ESA to shut down Ulysses solar spacecraft after nearly 2 decades
• Brain Recordings Take Flight
  A new lightweight device measures brain activity in homing pigeons in midflight
• Evolution Heats Up in the Tropics
  Warmer climates accelerate evolution rate in mammals, new study says

• Cosmic Protons Gone Wild
  Supernova remnants create cosmic rays with unearthly energies

[ more posts from sciencenow.sciencemag.org ]

sciencenews.org

• Science & the Public: Become a guinea pig
  Three NIH researchers argue it should be considered a duty with a social mandate akin to voting.
• Schizophrenia risk gets more complex
  Three studies find that thousands of genetic variants probably contribute
• 2-year-olds possess grammatical insights
  Brain responses suggest that toddlers already know fundamental rules for using nouns and verbs
• Science & the Public: Plastics ingredients may shrink babies
  A new study links phthalates, one of the more ubiquitous families of pollutants, with a baby being dangerously small at birth.
• Salamanders don’t regrow limbs from scratch
  Tissues in axolotl amputees regenerate themselves by “memory”
• Mass mismatch makes mystery for proton’s strange cousin
  Omega-b-minus is caught in action for a second time, but its mass doesn’t match previous results
• Salt stretches in nanoworld
  Finding could lead to new technique for making tiny wires
• Flexible molars made chewing champions out of duck-billed dinosaurs
  Tiny scratches in the fossilized teeth of Edmontosaurus suggest these large herbivores may have had an unusual way of chewing
• Science & the Public: How killer whales are like people
  Killer whales may be sentinels for toxic chemicals accumulating in even landlubbers.
• H1N1 racks up frequent flier miles
  Analyzing global flights may help researchers track pandemics

• Dirty snow may bring green burst to mountain peaks
  Dust building up on mountain peaks may mean more early spring plants bloom together
• Protein protects sperm in mice
  Older mice without GPX5 are more likely to have offspring with developmental defects
• Rheumatoid arthritis drug clears hurdle
  Anti-inflammatory injections work in people who failed to improve on other meds
• Losing Louisiana
  Sea-level rise, subsiding lands in the delta will claim 10 percent of state by 2100
• Ozone hole trims polar water’s CO2-absorbing power
  Simulations also suggest that the dearth of ozone over Antarctica leads to ocean acidification

[ more posts from sciencenews.org ]

news.bbc.co.uk

• Space ambitions
  US moonwalker Buzz Aldrin looks to new frontiers
• Final moments
  How Air France debris gives clues to jet's break-up
• Moon probe returns first images
  The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft sends back its first images since reaching the Moon.
• Climate change is shrinking sheep
  Climate change is causing a breed of wild sheep in Scotland to shrink, according to research in the journal Science.
• Air France jet 'broke on impact'
  French investigators believe the Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic broke up on contact with water, not in mid-air.
• World 'still losing biodiversity'
  Species around the world are still being lost despite governments pledging action to reverse the trend, a report warns.
• The time is now
  Building for a wet but secure future in Bangladesh
• Amur tigers on 'genetic brink'
  The world's largest cat is down to an effective wild population of fewer than 35 individuals, new research has found.
• Gene clues to schizophrenia risk
  A team of scientists identifies thousands of tiny genetic variations which raise the risk of schizophrenia.
• Ariane lofts biggest 'space bird'
  TerreStar-1, the world's biggest commercial telecommunications satellite, is put in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket.

• Video gaga
  Surveillance camera footage sheds light on baby babble
• Here's one I made earlier: chimps learn tool-making from video demo
  Copycat chimps build their own tools after watching a video demonstration, says a team of British scientists.
• First byte
  The Californian origins of home computing
• Is this ant mega-colony set for world domination?
  Argentine ants living on three continents belong to the same colony, the largest of its kind ever known.
• Herschel captures galaxy image
  The European Space Agency releases a stunning image of the spiral Whirlpool Galaxy.
• Audio slideshow
  What makes a good park?
• UK 'yet to embrace space tourism'
  Virgin Galactic boss Will Whitehorn says the UK needs a proper regulatory framework to expand private spaceflight activity in the country.
• Tags to help solve puffin decline
  Scientists hope hi-tech tags will help reveal why puffin numbers at one of the UK's key colonies have fallen by a third.
• Wind 'can revolutionise UK power'
  Britain can massively expand wind power by 2030 without suffering power cuts, a report says.
• Dinosaur mummy yields secrets
  A beautifully preserved dinosaur found in the US retains remarkable detail of skin cells.
• North America faces beetle plague
  An epidemic of mountain pine beetles, which has devastated forests in British Columbia, is threatening to spread.
• Mobile pollution sensors deployed
  Cyclists, buses, cars and even pedestrians become mobile pollution detectors in a UK-based scientific project.
• Most complete Earth map devised
  The most complete terrain map, covering 99% of the Earth's surface, has been published and will be free to use.
• Huge declines in woodland birds
  Numbers of 18 woodland bird species have crashed.
• Daily sex 'best for good sperm'
  Having sex every day improves sperm quality and could boost the chances of getting pregnant, research finds.
• Ladybird 'risk to 1,000 species'
  The invasive Harlequin ladybird is putting native ladybirds and over 1,000 species in the UK in peril, according to scientists.
• Lion prides form to win turf wars
  Prides are all about defending territory, not hunting.
• Piccard debuts solar plane
  Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard unveils a prototype of the solar-powered plane he hopes to fly around the world.
• Watching whalers and whales in Madeira
  A compromise on whaling that just may work
• China 'unfairly seen as eco-villain'
  China's insatiable appetite for resources has led to the nation being unfairly portrayed as the world's biggest environmental villain.

[ more posts from news.bbc.co.uk ]

nasa.gov

• NASA Selects Proposals to Enhance Science Education and Outreach
  NASA has selected four organizations to share approximately $18 million over five years for education and public outreach activities to help inspire the next generation of science leaders and explorer…
• Salt Finding from NASA's Cassini Hints at Ocean within Saturn Moon
  For the first time, scientists working on NASA's Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn's outermost ring.
• NASA Selects Student's Entry as New Mars Rover Name
  NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2011, has a new name thanks to a sixth-grade student from Kansas.
• NASA Selects Future Projects To Study Mars And Mercury
  NASA has selected two science investigations that will aid in the interior examination of Mars and probe the tenuous atmosphere of Mercury.
• MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals A Very Dynamic Planet Mercury
  A NASA spacecraft gliding over the surface of Mercury has revealed that the planet's atmosphere, the interaction of its surrounding magnetic field with the solar wind, and its geological past display…
• NASA To Hold Briefing To Discuss New Findings About Planet Mercury
  NASA will host a media teleconference on Thursday, April 30, at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss new data and findings revealed by MESSENGER.
• NASA Spacecraft Show Three Dimensional Anatomy of a Solar Storm
  Twin NASA spacecraft have provided scientists with their first view of the speed, trajectory, and three-dimensional shape of powerful explosions from the sun known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.
• NASA Science Update to Discuss Anatomy of Solar Storms
  NASA will hold a Science Update at 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, April 14, to present new findings and three-dimensional views revealing the inner workings of solar storms known as coronal mass ejections.
• NASA Joins "Around the World in 80 Telescopes"
  A collection of NASA missions will be involved in a live event April 3 that will allow the public to get an inside look at how these missions are run.
• NASA Sets Teleconference To Discuss Recovered Meteorites
  NASA will hold a media teleconference on Wednesday, March 25, at 2 p.m. EDT to reveal science findings from recently discovered meteorites

sciam.com

• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter snaps its first images of the moon
  NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which reached its destination just last week, is already showing its stuff.The space agency switched on the LRO's cameras two days ago and today released the first…
• Space shuttle Endeavour's hydrogen leak appears fixed
  Will the third time be a charm for space shuttle Endeavour? NASA successfully tested a troublesome gas-venting system this morning, green-lighting the twice-delayed launch of the shuttle to the Intern…
• Astronomers Size Up a Candidate for Midsize Black Hole
  Black holes vary greatly in size, from relatively small ones several times the mass of the sun, which are born of collapsed stars, to supermassive lurkers like the one at the center of our Milky Way G…
• NASA set to test repairs of space shuttle leak
  NASA will refill space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank tomorrow morning to test whether the leak that twice scrubbed the orbiter's launch earlier this month has been properly repaired. [More]
• Stuck Mars rover passing its time as an observatory
  The hobbled Spirit rover, stuck in a tricky patch of Martian soil, is whiling away the hours with a little stargazing. From its stationary post in an area known as Troy, the rover has been turning its…
• Heads up! Tap Twitter for alerts when space station is overhead
  The International Space Station (ISS) is a big bird, boasting nearly an acre of solar panels along its backbone. Those panels make the ISS reflective enough so that the station can sometimes be seen f…
• NASA gains Senate support over budget cuts proposed by House
  The budgetary committee of the U.S. Senate yesterday approved a bill that would give NASA all the money President Obama requested for the agency for fiscal year 2010, undoing a proposed House cut of r…
• Hello Moon, Good-Bye Rennie
  [More] Presented By: Review your Credits Reports Once a Year Under FCRA laws, you are allowed to request your credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion once every 12 months. It is good prac…
• Search for dark matter goes deep, with Earth as a blocker
  Dark matter, written into theory to explain the behavior of massive celestial objects far above us, could be detected by heading down below--nearly a mile into the Earth. That’s the hope, anyway, of…
• Saturn's moon Enceladus spews clues on habitability
  A pair of papers in this week's Nature look at evidence that Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, may have an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy surface. Such an ocean would bode well for Enceladus harbori…

• NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter enters orbit around moon
  The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched last week to survey the moon with an eye toward future human exploration, has reached lunar orbit. The spacecraft entered orbit today at 6:27 A.M. (Eas…
• Up and away: NASA's lunar spacecraft are on their way
  After failing to get the shuttle Endeavour off the launch pad this week, NASA had better luck with its mission to map the moon. [More]
• Second hydrogen leak shuts down NASA's Endeavour launch until July
  Another hydrogen leak will keep the space shuttle Endeavour's crew on the ground for another month while NASA investigates the problem. The space agency scrubbed today's scheduled launch early this mo…
• Earth's Fried Far-Future Postponed
  [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]About a billion years from now, some scientists say, the sun will be too bright for comfort, and our formerly hospitable planet will no longer be…
• Updates: Whatever Happened to Hubble's Last Fix?
  How Mercury Gets into SeafoodScientists have known how mercury from industrial pollution affects local freshwater ecosystems and poses a human health threat [see “Mapping Mercury”; SciAm, Septembe…
• Under pressure: NASA aims to fix Endeavor's leaky fuel system and launch June 17
  As NASA engineers ponder how the shuttle Endeavor's gaseous hydrogen venting system started leaking and delayed the spacecraft's launch, the agency said it will try to put the shuttle in orbit on Wedn…
• NASA Return to Lunar Orbit Will Scout for Future Human Exploration
  Atop an Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida sits the first step in what will surely be a long and arduous task for NASA--returning humans to the moon. The Lunar Reconnaissanc…
• John Rennie Recollects the Moon Landing
  Forty years ago this month I walked on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The odds are good that you did, too, if you were within the reach of a television or radio on that July 20. My fami…
• Space Geology: From the Moon to Mars
  Forty years ago this month the lunar surface reverberated with life for the first time. Forty years from now will Mars, too, come alive? President Barack Obama has affirmed the broad goals for human s…
• Space shuttle launch postponed
  The launch of space shuttle Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which had been scheduled for 7:17 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) today, has been postponed due to a leak of hydrogen at the la…

[ more posts from sciam.com ]

blogs.discovermagazine.com

• Voices from the Moon
  A lot of books are coming out right now to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. One of the best, called Voices from the Moon, is by my friends Andy Chaikin and Victoria Kohl. Andy is familiar…
• Astrology is Taurus feces
  Tonight on Showtime, Penn & Teller take on astrology! You can take a peek at the show online here (with the bad words edited out), or you can watch the show at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. I happen to kno…
• LRO First Light images of the Moon!
  [Update: Ken Bowley on Facebook clued me in that the LRO camera has a page where you can see the raw images, and zoom in — WAY in — on the image strips. They have 73 cm resolution, folks. Yikes.]…
• Online TAM registration closes tonight
  If you’re still sitting on the fence about going to The Amaz!ng Meeting — and it starts one week from right now — it’s time to jump off: online registration closes tonight at 17:00 Eastern tim…
• Binary planetary systems caught in the act of forming!
  Astronomers have discovered a young binary system where both stars are surrounded by thick disks of material that are in the process of forming planets! And it’s a near thing, too — this system al…
• OK, one more volcano awesomeness
  Via Ian O’Neill and Richard Drumm I have one more set of shots of the explosive plume from the Russian volcano Saraychev Peak… but oh, is this so worth it. It’s an animation made up of single im…
• See the ISS over the next week
  Orbits can be a bit complicated. As the International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes or so, the Earth is spinning underneath it… and not only that, the orbit of the ISS is tilted by…

jpl.nasa.gov

• NASA Phoenix Results Point to Martian Climate Cycles
  
• Free Spirit: Rock Under the Belly
  Engineers placed a rock underneath the test rover at JPL on July 1, 2009, to more closely simulate Spirit's predicament on Mars.
• Earthquakes, From Above and Below: Live Chat
  Earthquakes: they're among the most frightening and deadly of all natural disasters.
• Free Spirit: Test Rover Rolls In
  
• Ulysses Spacecraft Ends Historic Mission of Discovery
  Ulysses, a joint NASA and European Space Agency mission, officially ceased operations today, after receiving commands from ground controllers to do so.
• NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map of Earth
  NASA and Japan released a new digital topographic map of Earth Monday that covers more of our planet than ever before. The map was produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
• QuikScat's 'Greatest' Hits
  NASA's wind-watching QuikScat satellite is 10 years old this month. Take a spin down memory lane and see some of the mission's greatest achievements to date.
• Ulysses Hears the Siren's Song
  
• Herschel Opens Its Infrared Eyes
  The Herschel Space Observatory has snapped its first picture since blasting into space on May 14, 2009.
• Mars Rover Yielding New Clues While Lodged in Martian Soil
  

• QuikScat Finds Tempests Brewing In 'Ordinary' Storms
  Among QuikScat's greatest achievements in its first decade of operations is its ability to spot hurricane-force winds within commonly occurring extratropical storms.
• Salt Finding From NASA's Cassini Hints at Ocean Within Saturn Moon
  
• New JPL Building Goes Green for the Gold
  
• Lunar Orbit is Divine for NASA Instrument
  
• NASA's Mars Odyssey Alters Orbit to Study Warmer Ground