Original Signal - Transmitting Science

National Geographic

Inca Skull Surgeons Were "Highly Skilled," Study Finds: Dangerous skull surgery was commonly and successfully performed among the Inca, likely as a treatment for head injuries suffered during combat, a new study finds.

PHOTOS: 7.8 Earthquake Rocks China, Kills Thousands: Hundreds of schoolchildren are trapped under the rubble and thousands are dead after a massive earthquake shook Chinas Sichuan province on Monday.

Antarctic Melt Releasing DDT, Tainting Penguins: Poisonous chemicals trapped for decades in ice are now seeping into the polar ecosystem via glacial meltwater, researchers report.

Massive Quake Rattles China, More than 7,600 Dead: The magnitude 7.8 temblor also trapped nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school in Sichuan Province, state media reported.

VIDEO: Chimp Memory Beats Humans': Watch young chimpanzees beat Japanese college students in a short-term-memory test by a wide margin—raising questions about primate intelligence and evolution.

VIDEO: Monks Join Cyclone Cleanup: Buddhist monks and Myanmar (Burma) government workers began cleaning the cyclone-struck city of Yangon (Rangoon). But the situation remains grim in the countrys delta region. Warning: graphic imagery.

PHOTOS: 1,000 Tombs Discovered in Colombia: The massive burial site contains a treasure trove of artifacts and information about two little-known South American civilizations, experts said.

Spain Files Suit for $500 Million Shipwreck Treasure: Spain says it has proof that the treasure—retrieved by a Florida salvage company from a secret location last year—is from a warship that sank in 1804.

1,000 Ancient Tombs, Unique Remains Found in Colombia: Among the unusual finds are a possible victim of human sacrifice and a skeleton with curiously curved bones, anthropologists report.

WEEK IN PHOTOS: Texas Sinkhole, Myanmar Cyclone, More: See a supercell light up the Texas sky, U.S. Marines braving a sandstorm in Afghanistan, the Olympic torch reach the top of Mount Everest, and more.

Livestock, Pets Left Behind As Chile Volcano Fears Loom: Tens of thousands of animals are trapped in an ash-covered region of southern Chile after their owners have been forced to flee the still-active volcano.

Chile Forces Volcano Evacuation After Hot-Rock Eruption: Troops forced out the last holdouts after glowing rocks spewed from Chaitén. An expert warns that a catastrophic flow of toxic gas and ash could follow.

VIEW FROM SPACE: Before and After the Cyclone: See how Cyclone Nargis changed the landscape of the Irrawaddy River delta, where massive floods killed tens of thousands.

VIDEO: Orangutans Extinct in 3 Years?: The worlds largest group of orangutans in Indonesia may face extinction by 2011 because of palm oil plantation expansion, which is destroying habitat, experts say.

VIDEO: Cyclone Survivors Speak: Lost families and lack of aid figure prominently in emotional eyewitness testimony from Myanmar (Burma), where Cyclone Nargis may have killed a hundred thousand people.

Why the Cyclone in Myanmar Was So Deadly: A perfect storm of factors—from location to wind speed to poor preparation—have resulted in perhaps a hundred thousand deaths from Cyclone Nargis.

Great Tit Birds Shift Mating Schedules Due to Warming: Great tits are timing their egg laying to coincide with an earlier emergence of caterpillars in England, a decades-long study has found.

Once Lush Sahara Dried Up Over Millennia, Study Says: The grassy prehistoric Sahara turned to desert more slowly than previously thought, says a new report—and global warming may turn it green once again.

Earliest Known American Settlers Harvested Seaweed: People living in the earliest known settlement in the Americas relied partly on seaweed, bolstering the theory that the New World was settled via a coastal route, a new study says.

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Rarest Big Cat Caught in Camera Trap: Eight Amur leopards—the worlds rarest big cat—were recently photographed in far southeastern Russia, giving renewed hope to conservationists.

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Universe Today

Podcast: The Hubble Space Telescope: Our understanding of the cosmos has been revolutionized by the Hubble Space Telescope. The breathtaking familiar photos, like the Pillars of Creation, pale in comparison to the astounding amount of science data returned to Earth. Hubble's getting old, though, serviced

Scientific Data Recovered from a Hard Drive that Crashed With Columbia: It would be amazing to think that anything could have survived the fiery destruction of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke up above Texas on February 1st, 2003, killing all 7 astronauts. Amazingly, tiny worms survived the break up and

Revealing The Undiscovered - Van Den Bergh 149/50 and Lynds Dark Nebula 1235 by Tom Davis: Over the past few weeks we've taken a look at some pretty incredible regions of space through astrophotography - Wolf Rayet stars, Thackeray's Globules, tidal interactions and even giant dust clouds bursting with star birth. This time, let's take a

Help Find the Mars Polar Lander: NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander is just a few weeks away from landing on the surface of Mars. NASA really hopes that this spacecraft doesn't fallow in the doomed path of the previous Mars Polar Lander. What happened to the Mars

Celestron Sky Scout Scope 90 Review: When I first saw the Celestron Sky Scout Scope 90 appear, I knew that some day, some how I was going to have to get my hands on one of these refractor telescopes. I am fascinated with my Celestron Sky

Scientist Says Texting is More Expensive Than Downloading From Hubble: Does your cell phone bill ever reach astronomical proportions? Maybe you're doing too much texting. One space scientist has worked out that sending texts via mobile phones works out to be far more expensive than downloading data from the Hubble

ISS Astronaut on Colbert Report: The Colbert Report has gone galactic! ISS astronaut Garret Reisman joked with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central last night. It's a very fun interview. Laser cannons and alien puppet masters are mentioned.Source: Comedy Central© Nancy Atkinson for Universe Today, 2008.

"Tricorder" Checks for Unwanted ISS Microbes: Astronauts on board the space station now their very own tricorder. While this 21st century version isn't as versatile as its 24th century counterpart, made famous in the Star Trek television series, it will help keep the ISS crew healthy.

That's WMAP, Seen from Earth: Okay, now astronomers are just showing off. See the three little multicolored dots in the upper right of this image? That's NASA's WMAP satellite, seen from a distance of 1.5 million km. The photograph was taken from the 2.2 meter

Learning to Breathe Mars Air (Video): Talk about dedication! Volunteers in Russia are testing the ability of humans to breathe argon-enriched air, as part of a research program that simulates a manned trip to Mars. Researchers want to know if humans can survive breathing air similar

Solution to NASA's Glove Problem: Damage is occurring to NASA's spacesuit gloves during spacewalks at the International Space Station. In fact, in August of 2007, astronaut Rick Mastracchio was ordered back into the the space station's airlock when he noticed a hole in his spacesuit

Hubble Image of the Colliding Antennae Galaxies (with Video): It's time for another beautiful image from the Hubble Space Telescope. And this time, there's an added bonus… video. The latest images released by Hubble are based on research of the Antennae Galaxies, known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039.

Space Hotel Prototype Makes 10,000th Orbit: After 660 days in space and 10,000 orbits around Earth, the pioneering inflatable prototype is still going strong. Launched atop a converted intercontinental ballistic missile on July 12th, 2006, the Bigelow Aerospace vision for a space hotel is gradually being

Rumor Mill Churns With NASA's Upcoming Announcement: This past Wednesday, NASA announced they have scheduled a press conference for next Wednesday, May 14, at 1 p.m. EDT, to reveal the discovery of an object in our galaxy that astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years.

The Weekend SkyWatcher's Forecast: May 9-11, 2008: Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a very incredible weekend? The action begins on Friday as we take you on a guided tour of the lunar surface. On Saturday, celebrate Astronomy Day with a very special unaided eye sky

After the Shuttle, Should Astronauts be Launched on Satellite Rockets?: When the Shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, what other mode of transport could be used to take NASA astronauts into space? After all, we routinely launch satellites into orbit, why can't the same technology be adapted and used for

Stars Orbiting Close to Black Holes Flattened like Hot Pancakes: Playing with black holes is a risky business, especially for a star that is unlucky enough to be orbiting one. Assuming an unfortunate star hasn't already had all of its hydrogen fuel and other component elements stripped from its surface,

Unknowns in Mercury’s Gravity Field Provides Challenges for MESSENGER Mission: Scientists from the MESSENGER mission continue to analyze the data from the spacecraft's first flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008. Initial data about the planet's gravity field grabbed the science team's attention, as the actual gravity data differed from

NASA Flips for Petaflops: NASA is collaborating with Intell and SGI to create one of the world's fastest supercomputers whose power will be measured in petaflops. By 2009 the US space agency wants to develop a computational system that will be able to do

Long-term Observations Reveal Patterns in Saturn's Atmosphere: When I read something like this it makes me hopeful that we're no longer in the infant stage of our understanding of our solar system. Scientists have discovered a wave pattern, or oscillation, in Saturn's atmosphere only visible from Earth

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The New York Times

How I Was Struck by Lightning (and Lived to Crack Wise About It): I got struck by lightning the other day at the Maker Faire, but it didn’t hurt a bit.

McCain Differs With Bush on Climate Change: Senator John McCain called for a limit on greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Engineering by Scientists on Embryo Stirs Criticism: Researchers in New York have created what is believed to be the first genetically engineered human embryo, which critics immediately branded as a step toward “designer babies.”

Oral Cancer in Men Associated With HPV: Researchers are discovering that a large percentage of oral cancers in men as associated with HPV.

Letters: Twisting the Truth (1 Letter): To the Editor:.

Letters: Intelligent Species (1 Letter): To the Editor:.

Letters: A Fear of Tempting Fate (2 Letters): To the Editor:.

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Scientific American

Volcano Blankets Chile in Dust: No description.

Feces May Transmit Fatal Cheetah Disease: A fatal, Alzheimers-like disease that attacks cheetahs internal organs and has impeded breeding of the cats in captivity may be spread by their feces. Researchers from Japan and China report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

You Say "Ga," I say "Ba," but Everyone Hears "Da": No description.

Beijing, a city looking for the blues: BEIJING, China As I look out of my hotel room window on my first full day here, it is hard to tell where the clouds end and the haze of pollution begins.

Where Are They Now?: From chemistry to code-breaking, genetics to geology, these scientifically precocious young men and women have gone on to win Nobel Prizes--and live fascinating livesSince 1942 the science talent search first sponsored by Westinghouse, and later by the Intel Corporation, has

The Watcher: Roald Hoffmann: FINALIST YEAR: 1955HIS FINALIST PROJECT: Measuring the movement of cosmic ray particles

Thousands Feared Dead in China Earthquake: SHANGHAI, China--An earthquake that measured magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale has killed more than 7,600 people in western China, according to Xinhua news agency reports from the local government. The exact toll was still unclear, because the quake disrupted

The Chaotic Genesis of Planets: Although they are, in cosmic terms, mere scraps--insignificant to the grand narrative of heavenly expansion--planets are the most diverse and intricate class of object in the universe. No other celestial bodies support such a complex interplay of astronomical, geologic, and

The Chaotic Genesis of Planets: Editors Note: This slideshow is a supplement to the Feature "The Chaotic Genesis of Planets" from the May 2008 issue of Scientific American.Barely a decade ago scientists who study how planets form had to base their theory on a single

Genesis of Planets: Meteorites--Emissaries from the Past: Editors Note: This story is a supplement to the Feature "The Chaotic Genesis of Planets" from the May 2008 issue of Scientific American.Meteorites are not just space rocks but space fossils--planetary scientists’ only tangible record of the origin of the

Olive Oil Yields Soar with NMR: No description.

Plans for Large Hadron Collider visible in screen shot of first Web site: Remember the foreshadowing of the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode II? Check out this screen shot from the worlds first Web site, http://info.cern.ch/, which went live 15 years ago on April 30, 1993.Note the multicolored diagram in the background.

Scientists Know Better Than You--Even When They're Wrong: If you take scientists at their word, human-induced climate change is well underway, evolution accounts for the diversity of life on Earth and vaccines do not cause autism. But the collective expertise of thousands of researchers barely registers with global

News Bytes of the Week--Could Coastal Trees Have Saved Lives in Myanmar?: Felled mangrove trees may have doomed the coast of Myanmar

Are Backyard Ethanol Brewers an Answer to High-Priced Gas?: A company banking on drivers weariness of skyrocketing gasoline prices unveiled a home refinery device on Thursday offering another option: ethanol. E-Fuel Corporation says its EFuel100 MicroFueler can produce up to 35 gallons (132 liters) of ethanol a week that

From Bountiful to Barren: Rainfall Decrease Left the Sahara Out to Dry: In a finding that may help scientists better predict the pace of climate change, research published in Science shows how the Sahara Desert, a region as big as the U.S. that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea

Mailbag: Is Fluoride Dangerous? Is a Solar Grand Plan a Good Idea?: Fluoride FindingsA report by the National Research Council (NRC) is cited as suggesting negative effects of fluoride in “Second Thoughts about Fluoride,” by Dan Fagin. But the NRC notes that its report was not initiated because of concerns about the

The Evolving Web of Future Wealth: Editors Note: Stuart Kauffman has a well-earned reputation as a scientific provocateur, albeit one with the weight of data and wisdom on his side. Kauffman, a complexity researcher and biologist of the University of Calgary and the Santa Fe Institute,

Training Scientists to Run for Office: No description.

Legislation Introduced to Spur Treatments for Brain Ailments: Lawmakers yesterday introduced legislation designed to speed the development of new, safer therapies for brain and nervous system disorders and injuries, which affect an estimated 100 million Americans and costs an estimated $1.3 trillion annually to treat.

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Space.com

Piece of Missing Cosmic Matter Found: A hot, thin filament of dense gas was found connecting two galactic clusters.

Astrium Seeks 24.5 Million Euros from Conax: Satellite contractor Astrium seeks 24 million euros in damages from Conax.

Shuttle Astronauts Rehearse Launch Day: Discovery astronauts completed a dress rehearsal for their upcoming launch.

Space Fleets Stay In Formation Magnetically: Spacecraft flying in formation could use magnets to align themselves.

Private Space Station Prototype Hits Orbital Milestone: Space station prototype passes orbital milestone.

Scientists Revisit Mars Sample Return Plans: Planning is under way to reinvigorate a Mars sample return mission.

Doorstep Astronomy: See the Big Dipper: The Big Dipper and the Southern Cross are useful constellations to know.

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ScienceDaily

Women Who Breastfeed For More Than A Year Halve Their Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Women who breast feed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a new study. The study also found that taking oral contraceptives, which are suspected to protect against the disease because they contain hormones that are

Physical Activity More Likely To Prevent Breast Cancer In Certain Groups: Physically active women are 25 percent less likely to get breast cancer, but certain groups are more likely to see these benefits than others, finds a review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The type of activity undertaken, at

'Shaquille O'Neal' Of Bacteria Big Enough To See With Naked Eye: Cornell researchers are studying bacterium big enough to see -- the Shaquille ONeal of bacteria. The secret to an unusual bacteriums massive size -- its the size of a grain of salt, or a million times bigger than E. coli

Children Better Prepared For School If Their Parents Read Aloud To Them: Young children whose parents read aloud to them have better language and literacy skills when they go to school, according to a new review.

Mitral Valve Leak Repaired Through Tiny Puncture Hole Using Live 3D Images: Physicians can now close certain types of leaky heart valves through a tiny puncture in the groin, using live 3D imaging for precise guidance. This combination treatment is an alternative to open heart surgery.

Gene Function In Regulating Body Size Helps Inform Novel Cancer Treatments: In a leading study that has implications for the development of novel therapies for a number of breast, lung and ovarian cancers that have lost the expression of a gene called glypican-3, researchers have discovered how the loss of the

Beyond Fashion: Why You Gotta Wear Shades: Cheap sunglasses may cost you less, but are they just as likely to protect against the effects of harmful UV rays as expensive sunglasses? According to the chair of ophthalmology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital there is no certain way for consumers

High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol May Be Associated With Retinal Vascular Disease: High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels appear to be risk factors for retinal vein occlusion, a condition that causes vision loss, according to a new article. Retinal vein occlusion occurs when one or more veins carrying blood from the

Texting Costs In UK Are 'Out Of This World' -- More Expensive Than Downloading Data From Hubble(...): Space scientist says texting in the United Kingdom is at least four times more expensive than receiving scientific data from space.

Invasion Of The Spiny Water Fleas: Drying Anchor Lines Can Help Contain Spread: Reducing the spread of some invasive species into our lakes could be as simple as asking boaters and fishers to dry out their equipment, says one biology professor studying invasive species in Lake Ontario. When anchor rope, fishing line and

New Approach To Protect The Hearts Of Patients With Muscular Dystrophy: Researchers have recently shown that the administration of sildenafil protects the heart in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The researchers explain that the choice of sildenafil was based on their previous studies indicating that the hearts of dystrophic mice do

New Technique Measures Ultrashort Laser Pulses At Focus: Lasers that emit ultrashort pulses of light are used for numerous applications, but the quality of the results is limited by distortions caused by lenses and other optical components that are part of the experimental instrumentation. Researchers have developed a

Asthma Linked To Higher Suicidal Thoughts With Attempts: Asthma is associated with higher suicidal thoughts with attempted suicide, but does not seem to be linked with suicidal thoughts without attempts, according to a new report in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Cigarette smoking and concurrent mental

A Molecular Thermometer For The Distant Universe: For the first time, astronomers have detected in the ultraviolet the carbon monoxide molecule in a galaxy located almost 11 billion light-years away, a feat that had remained elusive for 25 years. This detection allows them to obtain the most

Timing Improves Cleft Palate Surgery: New research is changing the way cleft palate surgeries are performed throughout North America and around the world. Surgical timing has been a controversial topic with various cleft centers around the world opting for early closure at about 3-6 months

Seeing Alzheimer's Amyloids With Electron Microscopy For First Time: In an important step toward demystifying the role protein clumps play in the development of neurodegenerative disease, researchers have created a stunning three-dimensional picture of an Alzheimers peptide aggregate using electron microscopy. Researchers have shown -- for the first time

What's The Difference Between A Human And A Fruit Fly?: Fruit flies are dramatically different from humans not in their number of genes, but in the number of protein interactions in their bodies, according to scientists who have developed a new way of estimating the total number of interactions between

When Following The Leader Can Lead Into The Jaws Of Death: An international study of animal behavior has important implications for human decision-making. For animals that live in social groups, and that includes humans, blindly following a leader could place them in danger. To avoid this, animals have developed simple but

Molecule With 'Self-control' Synthesized: Plants have an ambivalent relationship with light. They need it to live, but too much light leads to the increased production of high-energy chemical intermediates that can injure or kill the plant. The intermediates do this because the efficient conversion

Treatment For Severe Blood Loss: Less Is More: Intravenous administration of isotonic fluids is the standard emergency treatment in the U.S. for patients with severe blood loss, but now bioengineering researchers have reported improved resuscitation with a radically different approach. Building on earlier studies in humans that have

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New Scientist

Air pollution linked to dangerous blood clots: Particles of soot released from traffic and factories may trigger the formation of the blood clots that cause deep vein thrombosis

Viagra keeps ailing hearts pumping: The drug commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction appears to prevent heart damage caused by muscular dystrophy in mice

Volunteers asked to help find dead spacecraft on Mars: New online images could hold clues to the fate of NASAs Mars Polar Lander, which was lost on the Red Planet in 1999

Comment: Here come the designer babies: Doom-mongers claim the first steps have been taken towards enhanced designer babies but are we really marching towards eugenics?

Vending machine can spot a youthful face: A tobacco vending machine can compare a buyers face against a large database of facial features to spot when they are too young to smoke

When burning gas is good for the planet: Rural families are slashing their energy costs, improving indoor air quality and helping preserve local forests by using biogas plants

Invention: Anti-scar bandage: This weeks new patent applications include bandages that keep a wound tightly closed to avoid scarring, a high-pressure spray to blast teeth clean, and a way of pulsing light into the brain to reveal neuron activity

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BBC

Frigid robot eyes top tech prize: A robot which cares for millions of frozen biological samples is among four finalists for a top engineering award.

Antidote to lethal germ 'closer': Scientists work on an antidote for botulinum toxin - one of the worlds most feared biological weapons.

Microwaves 'cook ballast aliens': A microwave system that kills invasive species lurking in ships ballast water is developed by a team of US researchers.

MPs to debate embryology changes: MPs are to debate controversial proposals to change the law on the use of human embryos.

Giant panda hope for Scottish zoo: Edinburgh Zoo enters into negotiations to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland.

Cash cuts see green grants halved: The number of grants to people fitting green energy systems in their homes has halved, the BBC has learned.

New batch of walruses get tagged: Ten of Greenlands walruses are fitted with sat-tags to confirm whether the blubbery beasts migrate to Canada.

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CNN

Hubble mission delayed to fix shuttle tanks: Read full story for latest details.

Astronaut calls landing 'one big hit and a roll': NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, along with two cosmonauts, rode in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that made a gut-wrenching, off-target landing last month.

Russia probes Soyuz capsule's re-entry: Read full story for latest details.

Soyuz crew endured severe G-forces: Russian space officials say the crew of the Soyuz space ship is resting after a rough ride back to Earth. Officials said the craft followed a very steep trajectory that subjects the crew to gravitational forces of up to 10

NASA extends Saturn mission: Read full story for latest details.

Soyuz capsule docks at space station: Read full story for latest details.

Space-tourism race starts to heat up: Read full story for latest details.

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Discovery

Moon Probe Gets Finishing Touches: NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter comes to life at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Terri Irwin Fighting to Block Mining in Wildlife Zone: Steve Irwins widow fights to prevent mining in an Australian wildlife reserve.

Astronauts: There Must Be Life in Space: Life is out there, argue astronauts back from the latest U.S. space mission.

Whales Evolved Separate Ways to Avoid the Bends: Evolutionary studies show whales werent always able to dive to great depths.

Melted Drive From Columbia Shuttle Yields Data: A drive mangled during shuttle Columbias fiery fall to Earth yields its data.

China Quake Traps Nearly 900 Students: A 7.8-magnitude earthquake batters central China.

Mars Entourage Poised to Welcome Phoenix: Three orbiting spacecraft set sights on the approaching Phoenix Lander.

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Science/AAAS

Taking the Young Universe's Temperature: Gas molecules from across the cosmos help to underpin the big bang

Beware the Air: Smog may cause life-threatening blood clots in the legs

A High-Frequency Siren Song: Female frogs woo males with a high-pitched peep, and males are experts at homing in on the sound

Chinese Quake Likely a Mega-Catastrophe: Seismologists foresee biggest killer since 1976

The Mystery of the Dying Cheetahs: Researchers are closing in on how a version of mad cow disease is decimating captive cheetah populations

Blame It on the Beetles: Voracious insects ruined a whole lot of dinosaur fossils

Pavlov's Bacteria?: With the right environmental cues, microbes can predict the future

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USATODAY

The Einstein of parrots was a feather in researcher's cap: Where do we go from here? scientist Irene Pepperberg asks, referring to the loss of Alex, an African gray parrot who was the rock star of the parrot world and dominated her lab and her life for 30 years. Alex

U.S.: Wind could meet 20% of electricity needs: An Energy Department report concludes that wind turbines can produce a fifth of the nations annual electricity needs within about two decades. That is about the same share of electricity produced today by nuclear power.

Piece of missing cosmic matter found: Astronomers have found a piece of the universes puzzle thats been missing for awhile: a type of extremely hot, dense matter that is all but invisible to us.

Data from Columbia shuttle survives accident: Jon Edwards often manages what appears impossible. He has recovered precious data from computers wrecked in floods and fires and dumped in lakes.

Is global warming to blame for Burma cyclone?: It was Asias answer to Hurricane Katrina. Packing winds upwards of 120 mph, Cyclone Nargis became one of Asias deadliest storms by hitting land at one of the lowest points in Burma. Some scientists suggest that global warming may have

Meal remains may point to earliest American settlement: Remains of meals that included seaweed are helping confirm the date of a settlement in southern Chile that may offer the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas. Researchers date the seaweed found at Monte Verde to more than 14,000

New in mortuary science: Dissolving bodies with lye: Since they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain.

Gene map proves platypus is part bird, mammal and reptile: Scientists said they have mapped the genetic makeup of the platypus one of natures strangest animals with a bill like a ducks, a mammals fur and snake-like venom.

John Glenn wants shuttles' lives extended: For legendary astronaut and former senator John Glenn, the video clips brought back memories of old friends. For the rest of the nation, they provided a glimpse of NASAs glory days.

DNA tech traces meat to original animal: An Ireland-based company that uses DNA technology to test and track meat to the original animal and prove that its what the label promises is now targeting U.S. retailers.

HP wants more help from scientists: HP will solicit applications from university researchers, then fund dozens of projects for up to three years. Each grant would cover the cost of a graduate student researcher.

Farmer is green energy pioneer in Ohio: A 79-year-old farmer has become an Ohio pioneer in green farming and renewable energy, jumping into it in hopes of increasing energy efficiency, cutting costs and protecting the environment.

Scientists: Warming is a threat to tropical species: While global warming is expected to be strongest at the poles, it may be an even greater threat to species living in the tropics, scientists say.

US to return stolen dinosaur eggs to Argentina: A senior U.S. Homeland Security official is in Argentina to discuss money laundering, human trafficking and dinosaur eggs.

'Iron Man' is the new face of military contractors: The Marvel comic book characters suit embodies a futuristic technology that may enhance human capabilities in war, but the current battlefield belongs to a growing swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and robots that could someday give even Iron Man

Report: DNA tests add to Schiller mystery: Who is buried in Friedrich Schillers tomb? Several people, apparently, but none of them the famous poet and playwright, according to new research.

Wounded bald eagle will get 'bionic' beak: She has been named Beauty, though this eagle is anything but. Part of Beautys beak was shot off several years ago, leaving her with a stump that is useless for hunting food. A team of volunteers is working to attach

Smarter electric grid could be key to saving power: Done right, the smarter grid should save consumers money in the long run by reducing the need for new power plants, which we pay off in our monthly electric bills.

For chemists, it's a tale of beauty and the beaker: A growing army of scientists is focusing on years-long projects to study the beauty business. Their results can mean the next big thing to meet growing demand for products that can help people look better and younger.

Scientists call in the mechanical squirrels for research: Robotic critters worldwide are helping researchers observe animals in their natural environments rather than in labs. The research could let scientists better understand how animals work in groups, court, intimidate rivals and warn allies of danger.

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Digg Science

DIY: How to Turn Your Vacuum Cleaner into a Bazooka: Imagine my delight at discovering an absolutely epic experiment to turn your household vacuum cleaner into a bazooka. Word. Yay kids, this is where science helps you to shoot your friends in the gonads.

Bush Administration Sued for Allowing Use of 4 Pesticides: Environmental & Farm Worker groups have now sued the Bush administration for allowing the continued use of four pesticides. They claim that the government brushed aside its own evidence that the chemicals are toxic to workers, children, and animals. The

Ten Ways to Change the World Through Social Media: Many entrepreneurs, activists, and marketers are leveraging the social web for positive change. In the process and by its very nature, they are giving each of us the tools to change the world and make it a better place. There

South Korean Village Runs On 100% Solar Power: The village’s forty houses and the school all have large solar panels covering their roofs. A typical roof will have a two kilowatt solar installation. In 2004, the government subsidized the solar systems in Donggwang, paying 70% of the installation

Solar Lily Pads Could Soon Power Largest City in Scotland: In a stunning example of biomimicry, Scottish architecture firm ZM Architecture have come up with a brilliant scheme to provide solar power to the city of Glasgow - and do so in a way that is provocative, creative, and aesthetically

Mad King George wants to block wider testing for mad cow: The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority.

APOD: Nearby Galaxies: Large galaxies and faint nebula highlight this deep image of the M81 Group of galaxies. First and foremost in the above wide-angle 12-hour exposure is the grand design spiral galaxy M81, the largest galaxy visible in the image. M81 is

The gates of hell have been opened (PIC): Holy hell! That cant be real.

A New Approach to Treating Alzheimer's: Earlier this year, neurosurgeon Andres Lozano published a startling finding. He was testing deep-brain stimulation, in which electrical current is delivered directly to the brain, as a treatment for obesity.

Landing Sites on the Moon: Since the first lunar mission in 1959, more than 65 spacecraft have been launched to the Moon — some landed, some orbited and others brought back samples. Heres a closer look at the missions that have landed successfully on the

Dissolving Dead Bodies: Gross, But Green: Since they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest -- dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain.

Scientist team creates first GM human embryo: Scientists have created what is believed to be the first genetically modified (GM) human embryo.A team from Cornell University in New York produced the GM embryo to study how early cells and diseases develop. It was destroyed after five days.

Rats Feel Peer Pressure Too: Its not just humans who succumb to peer pressure - rats do too. Brown rats have a tendency to disregard personal experiences and copy the behavior of their peers.

Emotional memories of traumatic life events ....: .... are stored in a particularly robust way by the brain. This renders effective treatment very difficult.

Pavlov's Bacteria?: Weve all heard of Pavlovs dogs, the famous canines trained by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov to associate food with the sound of a bell. Now, scientists have found that bacteria may be capable of similar behavior--an ability never seen in

How the world's oceans are running out of fish: The future of our seas has never been more precarious. Ninety years of industrial-scale overfishing has brought us to the brink of an ecological catastrophe and deprived millions of their livelihoods.

Scientists dig deeper into the genetics of schizophrenia: Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated a window into how abnormalities in microRNAs, a family of molecules that regulate expression of numerous genes, may contribute to the behavioral and neuronal deficits associated with schizophrenia and possibly other brain

Spacetime and Spin: Many of natures deepest mysteries come in threes. Why does space have three spatial dimensions (ones that we can see, anyway)? Why are there three fundamental dimensions in physics (mass M, length L and time T)? Why three fundamental constants

Is Abu Dhabi the World’s First Zero-Emissions City?: Construction of the new zero-emission city started last week. It will eventually house 50,000 people & 1,500 businesses. The energy efficient buildings and infrastructure will require less energy to start with, and what little energy they do require will be

First Test To Israel's Electric Car: A Better Place, run by Israelis Shai Agassi and Idan Ofer have funded and are testing an electric car for the first time. take a look in the revolutionary car that may change in 2 years the fuel industry.

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Science News Online

Peruvian site yields a golden discovery: The discovery of a 4,000-year-old gold necklace in Peru suggests that social elites and economic growth appeared in a surprisingly simple society.

Refuge for the resilient: Some conservationists recommend creating marine parks in areas most likely to survive climate change.

Solving a cosmic ray conundrum: Astronomers say they have solved a puzzle about the most energetic particles that smash into Earth.

Britain's biggest meteorite strike: An unusual layer of rock found along Britains northwestern coast formed from the debris thrown out of a crater when a meteorite struck nearby more than 1 billion years ago.

Letter from the Publisher: is about to pause briefly before presenting itself to you in a new form, both in print and online.

Antibiotic Alligator: Promising proteins lurk in reptile blood: Scientists are zeroing in on alligator blood proteins that show promise for fighting disease-causing microbes.

Einstein's Invisible Hand: Is relativity making metal act like a noble gas?: Element 114 should be chemically similar to lead, but controversial experimental data shows it behaves more like a noble gas, potentially subverting the periodic tables structure.

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NASA

Space Station Tricorder: Astronauts are using a Star Trek tricorder-like device to keep track of microscopic life forms onboard the International Space Station.

Planets by the Dozen: A NASA-funded survey set to begin in 2008 could dramatically increase the number of known planets outside our solar system.

A Super Solar Flare: In September 1859, a solar flare erupted so intense that the explosion itself was visible to the human eye. A ferocious geomagnetic storm ensued in which Northern Lights descended as far south as Cuba, the Bahamas and Hawaii. Meanwhile, telegraph

Explore the Ionosphere (from the safety of your own home): Today, NASA-funded researchers released to the general public a new "4D" live model of Earths ionosphere. Without leaving home, anyone can now fly through the layer of ionized gas that encircles Earth at the edge of space itself.

The Physics of Whipped Cream: An experiment in space has shed new light on the puzzling physics of some everyday substances such as blood, ketchup, motor oil and whipped cream.

Moondust and Duct Tape: Going to the Moon? Dont forget your duct tape. Thirty-six years ago when Apollo 17 astronauts found themselves a quarter million miles from home with a damaged moonbuggy, a roll of "good old fashioned American gray tape" saved the day.

Earth's Magnetic Field Does Strange Things to the Moon: NASA-supported researchers have realized that strange things may be happening on the full Moon when it gets hit by Earths magnetic tail.

Moondust in the Wind: Unlike Earth, the firmament of the moon is directly exposed to charged particles from the sun. What happens to moondust under the onslaught of solar wind? Researchers in a NASA-supported lab are finding some surprising answers.

The 2008 Great Moonbuggy Race: Contestants in NASAs 15th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race have crossed the finish line. And the winner is.... Read todays story to find out who crashed and who triumphed in the adventurous competition.

Crescent Moon Alert: A crescent moon of perilous beauty is about to appear in the evening sky. The best night to look is Tuesday, April 8th, when the moon joins the Pleiades star cluster for a must-see conjunction.

Old Solar Cycle Returns: Three months ago, a new solar cycle began. This week, however, the sun surprised onlookers with three big sunspots from the previous solar cycle. Strangely enough, this is perfectly normal.

Crafty Tricks for Finding Moon Water: NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will play some crafty tricks to find water on the moon, such as using starlight to see into deep, dark craters and checking the temperature with a scientific device known as "Diviner."

Naked-eye Gamma Ray Burst: Two nights ago, astronomers observed a cosmic explosion so intense it was visible to the naked eye from a distance of 7.5 billion light years.

Spring is Aurora Season: For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights.

Gravity Waves Make Tornadoes: New research by NASA-supported scientists shows how atmospheric gravity waves, the kind we often see rippling in clouds overhead, can hit a thunderstorm and turn it into a deadly tornado.

The Vanishing Rings of Saturn: Amateur astronomers around the world have noticed, something is happening to Saturn. The planets rings are rapidly narrowing and, if this continues, before long theyll be just a wafer-thin line almost invisible to backyard telescopes.

Women Drivers on Mars: To celebrate Womens History Month, an all-female team of scientists and engineers has taken control of Mars rover Spirit.

Dark Halos Discovered on Mercury: The surprises continue. Scientists studying the harvest of photos from MESSENGERs Jan. 14th flyby of Mercury have found several craters with strange dark halos and one crater with a spectacularly shiny bottom.

Auroras in Broad Daylight: Imagine living on a planet where Northern Lights fill the heavens at all hours of the day. Around the clock, even in broad daylight, luminous curtains shimmer and ripple across the sky. News flash: Astronomers have discovered such a planet.

Avalanches on Mars: A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planets north pole.

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