Science news - Original Signal

National Geographic

There's a Gnome at the Bottom of Your Garden: Good news, Sneezy, Doc, and Grumpy! The Chelsea Flower Show has ended its 100-year ban on whimsical garden sculptures.

Your Pictures: The Oklahoma Tornado: Have a photo of the May 20 Oklahoma tornado? Submit it to National Geographics Your Shot with the hashtag #tornado and our editors will consider it for this gallery.

5 Tornado Myths Busted: Following the Oklahoma tornado, a severe-weather expert shares facts and tips on staying safe in storms.

Oklahoma Tornado Pictures: 2-Mile Twister Destroys Town: See the aftermath of a two-mile-wide tornado that ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, on Monday, killing dozens.

Oklahoma Tornado: Why So Destructive, Unpredictable?: Tornadoes like the one that devastated an Oklahoma City suburb this week are difficult to predict. Heres how they work.

Captain's Log: Found a Baby Bird, What Do I Do?: Spring brings baby birds, who sometimes fall out of a nest or turn up injured in a yard. We spoke to an Audubon expert about how to respond.

A Tornado Chaser Talks About His Science and Craft: Researcher Tim Samaras talks about why he chases tornadoes, what they smell like, and what we still dont know about these severe storms.

more

Universe Today

Engineering Students Develop a Super “Space Stethoscope”: Even though astronauts receive some general medical training in preparation for a stay aboard the ISS, most of them still aren’t medical professionals by any means — and with the inherent difficulties of microgravity and the relatively noisy environment inside

Giveaway: “Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier” by Neil deGrasse Tyson: Neil deGrasse Tyson’s new book, Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier, at times, reads like an updated version of some of Carl Sagan’s classic work about the history of astronomy and our place in the Universe. You can read our

Book Review: “Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier” by Neil de Grasse Tyson: For those fans of Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot, there’s finally a successor volume to that. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier, at times, reads like an updated version of Sagan’s classic book about the history of astronomy and

Astrophoto: Sun Pillar of Fire and Ice: Astrophotographer Rick Ellis from Toronto, Canada recently imaged a Sun pillar against a truly fiery sunset. Sun pillars are a vertical shaft of light extending upward or downward from the Sun, usually seen during sunrise or sunset. They form when

Carnival of Space #303: This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by that old cheapskate, Steve Nerlich from Cheap Astronomy. Click here to read Carnival of Space #303, where you can also listen to Steve’s podcast version of the Carnival. And if you’re interested

Oklahoma Tornado on May 20, 2013 As Seen from Space: The massive tornado that tore through parts of Oklahoma on My 20, 2013 left a 32 km (20-mile) swath of destruction and death, with winds approaching 320 km/hr (200 mph). The US National Weather Service said the 3 km (2-mile)-wide

The Birth of a Saros – This Weekend’s Hidden Eclipse: As the first eclipse season of 2013 comes to an end this weekend, an extremely subtle lunar eclipse occurs on the night of Friday, May 24th going into the morning of Saturday, May 25th. And we do mean subtle, as in invisible

Mystery of Escaping Planetary Atmospheres Comes Under Japanese Scrutiny: Venus and Mars may be all right tonight, but there’s still a lot we don’t understand about these planets. Why does one, Venus, have such a thick atmosphere? Why is that of Mars so thin? And why is Earth’s atmosphere

Curiosity Drills 2nd Hole into Ancient Mars Rocks Searching for the Ingredients of Life: NASA’s Curiosity rover has just successfully bored inside ancient rocks on Mars for only the 2nd time since her nail biting landing in August 2012 inside Gale Crater as she searches for the ingredients of life. On Sunday, May 20,

Lovely Astrophoto: Cottonwoods and the Milky Way: Admittedly, I’m partial to Randy Halverson’s night sky photography from South Dakota. Having grown up in neighboring North Dakota myself, Halverson’s images bring back memories of the dark skies that grace the northern plains. But this one is just stunning,

Gerbils, mice perish as Russian spacecraft returns to Earth: A menagarie of animals launched to space last month has arrived back on Earth — with a few casualties for the voyage. (...)Read the rest of Gerbils, mice perish as Russian spacecraft returns to Earth (415 words) © Elizabeth Howell

Astronomers Detect Dust Feature in Comet ISON’s Inner Coma: In April, when the Hubble Space Telescope looked out towards Jupiter’s orbit and observed what has been billed as the “Comet of the Century” – Comet C/2012 S1 ISON – the space telescope photographed a unique feature in the comet’s

Weird Gravity Waves Pulse From a Tropical Cyclone: Last Monday, May 13, the Suomi NPP satellite captured a fascinating image of Tropical Cyclone Mahasen as it moved northeast over the Bay of Bengal. The clouds of the storm itself weren’t optically visible in the darkness of a nearly

‘Major Tim’ Peake to Make first British Long-duration Spaceflight: The name is Peake. Timothy Peake. And he’s set to follow in the (fictional) footsteps of fellow British citizen James Bond with a stay on a space station. In 2015, Peake will be the first British citizen to live for

Put The Aurora Borealis In Your Ear: Do the aurorae makes sounds? That’s been a subject of discussion — and contention — among people who watch the sky. While most of us will never hear the aurora borealis directly, there’s help out there in the form of

Drill, Baby, Drill! – How Does Curiosity ‘Do It’: It’s time at last for “Drill, Baby, Drill!” – Martian Style. Ever wonder how Curiosity “Does It” Check out this enlightening and cool new NASA video for an exquisitely detailed demonstration of just how Curiosity shakes, rattles and rolls on

Opportunity Mars Rover Blazes Past 40 Year Old Space Driving Record: Now more than 9 years and counting into her planned mere 90 day mission to Mars, NASA’s legendary Opportunity rover has smashed past another space milestone and established a new distance driving record for an American vehicle on another world

Comets PANSTARRS and Lemmon Still Linger for Early Morning Views: The comet show is still not over! Early this morning, astrophotographer Chris Schur from central Arizona was able to see two comets at once, Comet PANSTARRS AND Comet Lemmon. “We set up on our 14 foot tall balcony observing pad

This is the new ‘We Are the Explorers’ Video You’ll See at ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness”: Have you seen Star Trek: Into Darkness yet? If so, did you see the NASA-themed trailer, too? A crowd-funded 30-second video called “We Are the Explorers” is debuting at theaters this week, shown before the new Trek film begins. It

Super-Bright Explosion Seen on the Moon: If you were looking up at the Moon on March 17, 2013 at 03:50:55 UTC, you might have seen one of the brightest “lunar flashes” ever witnessed. And it would have been visible with just the naked eye. (...)Read the

more

The New York Times

Dot Earth Blog: Kids (and Teachers) in Peril, From Oklahoma to Oregon: Why do communities fail to secure the buildings that house their children against momentous hazards?

Crews Search for Survivors in Oklahoma After Tornado: The risk of more tornadoes in the region remained high early Tuesday as rescuers worked frantically to find survivors in an area along the edge of Oklahoma City.

Dot Earth Blog: A Survival Plan for America's Tornado Danger Zone: There are affordable ways to live more safely in tornado zones.

U.S. Says 3 N.Y.U. Scientists Took Bribes to Reveal Work to China: The N.Y.U. researchers, who specialized in magnetic resonance imaging, colluded with Chinese institutions to reveal confidential information, prosecutors said.

M.I.T. Scholar’s 1949 Essay on Machine Age Is Found: “The Machine Age,” an essay written for The New York Times by Norbert Wiener, a visionary mathematician, languished for six decades in the M.I.T. archives, and now excerpts are being published.

New Research Tools Kick Up Dust in Archives: Advances in technology have transformed the methods of historians and other archival researchers, a change that carries both benefits and consequences.

Well: No Quick or Easy Choices: While a recent article by Angelina Jolie about her mastectomy and reconstruction raised awareness, it may have left the impression that the surgeries are quick and easy procedures, some doctors fear.

more

Scientific American

Genomics Reveals Great Famine Culprit: The Potato Famine in Ireland killed a million people and led to mass emigration. The potatoes were destroyed by late blight, caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans . And we now know exactly which strain of the water mold

Dissecting the controversy about early psychological response to disasters and trauma: Right now in Oklahoma, first responders and volunteers are pulling out the stops to mobilize all the help they can, including psychological support. Theyll be able to rely on peoples great reserves of generosity and resilience.Devastating tornadoes have a lot

Shooting the Wheeze: Whooping Cough Vaccine Falls Short of Previous Shot s Protection: Protection against the disease pertussis, or whooping cough , doesn’t appear to be as strong with the currently administered vaccine when compared with the older version administered up until the 1990s, according to a new study in Pediatrics . During

Survivors Pulled from Oklahoma Tornado Debris: By Carey Gillam and Ian SimpsonMOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials lowered the death toll

The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes in U.S. History: (Reuters) - A powerful tornado devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, killing 24 people, including nine children, according to the Oklahoma medical examiners office.

Digital Fishers: Looking for a few hundred thousand citizen scientists to help analyze 15-second deep-sea videos

What Role Does Climate Change Play in Tornadoes?: A powerful tornado as much as two-miles wide devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on May 20. The twister reportedly boasted winds above 200 miles-per-hour as it tore through homes and schools, leaving a path of large-scale destruction and

An Unheralded Breakthrough: The Rosetta Stone of Mathematics: There is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, but in 2001 the Norwegian government established a million-dollar Abel Prize, which is widely considered as an equivalent of the Nobel for mathematicians. This years prize was awarded to Pierre Deligne, professor emeritus

Why Stress Is Good for You: Stress. It makes us sweat, gives us headaches and is blamed for all sorts of medical maladies. But did you know that stress, in small measure, can actually help us succeed? Scientific American MIND editor Ingrid Wickelgren explains.

Penitent Hacker Aims to Protect World's ATMs: A Romanian hacker serving a prison term for manipulating ATMs says he has invented a device that can make the worlds cash dispensers impregnable even to tech-savvy criminals.

How Bad Is the Rebound from Energy Efficiency Efforts?: A car that gets better mileage or a more tightly sealed home may tempt you to drive farther or crank the air conditioning up higher, but fears of these efficiency rebounds are largely overblown, at least in the United States,

Tornado Alley: Twister Devastates Oklahoma Suburb: What measures can be taken to better protect against dangerous weather?

The Rise of the Suburban Poor: By Ariel Schwartz In 2004, a documentary called The End of Suburbia predicted that the suburbs were potentially "destined to become the slums of tomorrow" thanks to the impending threat of peak oil.

These Students Created a High-Tech Baby Monitor That Knows When Something Is Wrong: By Ariel Schwartz Like so many consumer technology products, the baby monitor has changed dramatically over the years.

Xbox Next: What to Expect at Tuesday's Xbox Reveal Event: By

Wild wallabies in the UK: I havent had time to provide answers on the previous article , sorry about that. Busy with preparation for the International Symposium on Pterosaurs , this year being held in Rio. Purely for the sake of adding something new (

Winning the War against Cervical Cancer: Ive yet to meet anyone who loves cancer. When President Nixon began the war on cancer in 1971 with the signing of the National Cancer Act, it was intended to ...strengthen the National Cancer Institute in order to more effectively

Your Lady Parts Don t Like It When You Get Sick: Relationships Between Immune Health and Reprod(...): Life history trade-offs are the bread and butter of biological anthropology. The way we understand the importance of certain traits and life events is in how they vary in response to selection pressures like energy availability or climate, but also

Good Gut Bacteria May Keep Bad At Bay: Most E. coli bacteria are harmless. It’s the rare, pathogenic strains that can cause bloody diarrhea, kidney disease, or death. But many of us may already be carrying the antidote--a healthy colony of gut bacteria. Because a study finds that

Search for Survivors Races On as 91 Feared Dead in Tornado-Hit Oklahoma: Pre-dawn emergency workers searched feverishly for survivors in the rubble of homes, primary schools and an hospital in an Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by a massive Monday afternoon tornado feared to have killed up to 91 people and injured well

more

Space.com

China Space Program Ramping Up Capabilities, Pentagon Says: China is intent on becoming a major space power.

Oklahoma Tornado Storms Seen from Space: Satellite Photos: See photos of the Oklahoma tornadoes that struck on May 20, 2013, as viewed from space.

NASA Funds 3D Pizza Printer: The 3D food printer could one day be used to feed astronauts on long-duration space missions.

Rare Chance to See Bright Saturn Near Moon on Wednesday: Glowing Saturn will be close to the gibbous moon.

Big Meteor Explosion on Moon Shows Lunar Exploration Risks: The lunar surface is incredibly exposed.

First Trailer for Sci-Fi Thriller 'Europa Report' Unveiled (Video): A crew of astronauts venture to Jupiters moon Europa in the new sci-fi thriller Europa Report.

Sci-Fi Film 'Europa Report' Sends Astronauts to Icy Jupiter Moon (Photos): An intrepid crew of astronauts explores Jupiters most famed icy moon in Europa Report. See photos from the 2013 science fiction film.

more

ScienceDaily

Drugs found to both prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in mice: Researchers have found that a class of pharmaceuticals can both prevent and treat Alzheimers disease in mice.

New method for producing clean hydrogen: Engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications.

Genetic risk for obesity found in many Mexican young adults: As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosw.

Allosaurus fed more like a falcon than a crocodile: Engineering, anatomy work reveals differenc(...): The mighty T. rex may have thrashed its massive head from side to side to dismember prey, but a new study shows that its smaller cousin Allosaurus was a more dexterous hunter and tugged at prey more like a modern-day

Glaucoma drug can cause droopy eyelids: Prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) are often the first line of treatment for people with glaucoma. PGAs have long been associated with blurred vision, dryness, changes in eye color and other side effects. Now a new study has found that these drugs

Small but speedy: Short plants live in the evolutionary fast lane: Biologists have known for a long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than others. Exactly why isnt well understood, particularly for plants. But it may be that height plays a role. Shorter plants have faster-changing genomes.

Going green: U.S. equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel: A new analysis shows that the nations land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the countrys yearly

Scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery: Researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how to use them as drug delivery vehicles.

New method for tailoring optical processors: Physicists and engineers have unveiled a robust new method for arranging metal nanoparticles in geometric patterns that can act as optical processors that transform incoming light signals into output of a different color.

Evaluating a new way to open clogged arteries: A new study analyzes the potential usefulness of a new treatment that combines the benefits of angioplasty balloons and drug-releasing stents, but may pose fewer risks.

Common food supplement fights degenerative brain disorders, study suggests: Widely available in pharmacies and health stores, phosphatidylserine is a natural food supplement produced from beef, oysters, and soy. Now scientists have discovered that the supplement improves the functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders, including Parkinsons disease and

Finding a family for a pair of orphan receptors in the brain: Researchers have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of orphan receptors found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases.

NASA’s BARREL mission launches 20 balloons: In Antarctica in January, 2013 -- the summer at the South Pole -- scientists released 20 balloons, each eight stories tall, into the air to help answer an enduring space weather question: when the giant radiation belts surrounding Earth lose

NASA's IRIS mission readies for a new challenge: NASA is getting ready to launch a new mission, a mission to observe a largely unexplored region of the solar atmosphere that powers its dynamic million-degree outer atmosphere and drives the solar wind. In late June 2013, the Interface Region

Single-cell transfection tool enables added control for biological studies: Researchers have developed a novel tool for single-cell transfection, in which they deliver molecules into targeted cells through temporary nanopores in the cell membrane created by a localized electric field.

Aggressive behavior linked specifically to secondhand smoke exposure in childhood: Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke in early childhood are more likely to grow up to physically aggressive and antisocial, regardless of whether they were exposed during pregnancy or their parents have a history of being antisocial.

NASA builds unusual testbed for analyzing X-ray navigation technologies: Pulsars have a number of unusual qualities. Like zombies, they shine even though theyre technically dead, and they rotate rapidly, emitting powerful and regular beams of radiation that are seen as flashes of light, blinking on and off at intervals

NASA launching experiment to examine the beginnings of the universe: When did the first stars and galaxies form in the universe? How brightly did they burn their nuclear fuel? Scientists will seek to gain answers to these questions with the launch of the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRIment (CIBER) on a

Radioactive nanoparticles target cancer cells: Researchers have found a way to create radioactive nanoparticles that target lymphoma tumor cells wherever they may be in the body.

Poliovirus vaccine trial shows early promise for recurrent glioblastoma: An attack on glioblastoma brain tumor cells that uses a modified poliovirus is showing encouraging results in an early study to establish the proper dose level.

more

New Scientist

Shell overcomes legal obstacles to Arctic drilling: The US approves the firms oil spill response plan, effectively granting permission for exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea

Ancient sound waves sculpted galaxy formation: Precise measurements of the effect of sound waves on the early universes structure boost the most popular theory of the universes accelerated expansion

See where the US wind blows: Googles digital artists Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg have created a live wind map of the US that traces the the winds in close to real time

Smart windows keep heat out - but let light in: Smart windows that change how much heat they let in will soon be able to keep you nice and cool

The matter of your brain: A new exhibition demonstrates how wide the gap remains between our understanding of brain and mind

Biobank promises to pinpoint the cause of disease: The launch of the UK Biobank, the worlds largest medical database, will reveal the effects of genes and environment on health

Friday Illusion: Ghostly spiral appears from nowhere: Watch a new unexplained illusion that produces a dramatic moving after-image

more

BBC

2013 cold start may mean fruit boom: UK fruit growers could enjoy a much improved harvest of apples and pears this season, after last years growing season was a washout, data suggests.

Rover drills second rock sample: Nasas Curiosity rover drills a second sample of Martian rock to deliver to its onboard laboratories for analysis in the coming days.

Tornado Alley: Patterns without predictability: What we know - and cannot know - about the forces driving through Tornado Alley

EU bathing water 2012 data released: The latest data on EU bathing water quality is released, showing that 94% of more than 22,000 sampled locations meet the minimum standards.

VIDEO: 'First crane egg in 400 years': The first crane egg in southern Britain in more than 400 years has been laid by a nesting bird.

VIDEO: Ant engineering seen in slow motion: Detailed slow-motion footage showing how ants tunnel their way through confined spaces could aid the design of search and rescue robots, say scientists.

Bahrain digs unveil one of oldest civilisations: Digs shed light on one of worlds oldest civilisations

Flightless penguin puzzle 'solved': The underwater prowess of the penguin may have cost the bird its ability to fly, scientists believe.

Ant abilities could aid robot design: A study showing how ants tunnel their way through confined spaces could aid the design of search and rescue robots, say scientists.

Irish potato famine mystery solved: Scientists have used plant samples collected in the 19th Century to identify the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine.

Vaccine developed for farm disease: A vaccine to protect sheep and cattle from a livestock virus spread by midges has been approved by government vets.

VIDEO: Fight on to beat Ash Dieback fungus: East Anglia is spearheading the fight to beat Ash Dieback fungus with a planting scheme designed to develop resistance.

Ground control to 'Major Tim': Getting ready for the Full English in orbit

Tree health policy to 'stop spread': Strengthening biosecurity at UK borders and a plant health risk register would help protect the nations trees from pests and diseases, a report concludes.

AUDIO: Space travel is 'logistical nightmare': Colin Pillinger, famous for the Beagle 2 Mars mission, says the value of sending astronaut Tim Peake into space should not be underestimated.

First crane egg in 400 years laid: Nesting cranes lay the first egg in southern Britain in more than 400 years.

Warming extremes 'not as likely': Global temperature rises will be slower in the coming decades say researchers but the long term picture is consistent.

UK astronaut Peake to go into orbit: The UK astronaut Tim Peake is given a date to fly to the International Space Station.

Deep sea 'gold rush' moves closer: The prospect of a deep sea gold rush opening a controversial new frontier for mining on the ocean floor has moved a step closer.

VIDEO: Coast littered with dead animals in Chile: Hundreds of birds and marine animals wash up on the Chilean coast, raising fears fishermen might be flouting a ban on blast fishing.

more

Discovery

Building Blocks of Life Found in Galactic Cloud: Astrochemists have detected two complex molecules in interstellar space, which may provide more clues as to where life's first complex molecules came from. ->

KKK Hood or Blanket? How Expectation Misleads: A report of a Ku Klux Klan sighting at an Ohio campus was likely a case of mistaken identity. But why? ->

Quiz Reveals Likelihood You'll Be Dead By 2023: People over 50 can take a quiz to find out their odds of meeting their maker in the next ten years. ->

Russia Finds 'New Bacteria' in Antarctic Lake: Russian scientists believe they have found a wholly new type of bacteria in the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica.

Bumble Bees at Risk, While Others Thrive: A study of 30,000 bees from 438 species over 140 years in the northeast US shows that bumbles are in trouble, southern bees are moving in and exotic species are on the rise. ->

Stone-Age Skeletons Unearthed in Sahara Desert: The skeletons date between 8,000 and 4,200 years ago, meaning the burial place was used for millennia.

Sharks Along Florida Coast Cause Beach Closures: Tens of thousands of sharks have been spotted migrating along the Florida coast, causing beach closures. ->

3D-Printed Skull Implant Ready for Operation: The FDA has approved a process for printing skull bone replacements, which could benefit hundreds of patients per month.

Earliest African American Man Dated: A miniscule bit of DNA from an African American man now living in South Carolina has been traced back 338,000 years. ->

Evidence Oceans Flowed on 'Snowball Earth': When ice possibly swathed the entire world, the oceans underneath may have nevertheless surprisingly churned.

'Hairy' Visitor: How to Observe Comet Panstarrs: As Comet Panstarrs makes its debut in Northern Hemisphere skies, it will be a naked eye celestial object -- here's how YOU could see it.

Comet Pan-STARRS Invades Northern Skies: It’s been a long time coming, but Comet Pan-STARRS, the first of two comets expected to grace Earth’s skies this year, will be visible in the northern hemisphere just after twilight beginning Thursday.

School Gardens Plant Seeds of Healthy Eating: Children show an increased willingness to try new foods after they had grown and cooked them in a school-based kitchen and gardening program.

Why Sinkholes Are Eating Florida: Sinkholes are an increasingly deadly risk in Florida, due primarily to the region's geology.

More Americans 'Alarmed' about Global Warming: The percentage of Americans who dismiss the reality of climate change has dropped in half from 2010 to 2012, while those who are "alarmed" have risen by 60 percent. ->

The Earliest Dogs: Photos: A pointer named 'Major' was identified this week as being the first known modern breed of dog. See photos of other early dog breeds.

Who Will Be the Next Pope?: Which cardinals are on the short list of likely candidates to become the 266th pope? ->

Rare Kissing Octopus Unveiled For the First Time: Unlike other octopus species, Larger Pacific Striped Octopuses mate in an intimate clinch with their beaks and suckers pressed against each other.

Steer a Spaceship with Your Brain: A collaborative brain-computer interface pushes the limits of control.

DNews: Taking Brain Implants Wireless: Controlling machines with your mind just got easier thanks to wireless brain-computer interfaces. Trace takes a look at the near future of cybernetics.

more

Science/AAAS

The Great Famine: Decoded: Researchers sequence genome of organism that ravaged the Irish potatoes in 19th century

Stem Cell Lobbying Group Closing Its Doors After 12 Years: With federal funding for human embryonic research no longer an issue, advocates move on to other policy issues

ScienceShot: Short Plants Are Evolutionary Sprinters: Diminutive species mutate more rapidly than their taller counterparts

ScienceShot: The Secret of a Viper's Velvet Black Camouflage: Unique nanostructures allow the predator to fade into the shadows

Sequester's 5% Cut Rolls Through Biomedical Labs: Specific hits are hard to pinpoint

Friendly Viruses Protect Us Against Bacteria: Viruses in mucus may be important line of defense against disease

ScienceShot: Why Most Snails Coil to the Right: Researchers uncover evolutionary explanation for lack of lefties

more

USATODAY

NASA's seven new space pioneers are companies: A half century ago the Mercury Seven embodied Americas space future. Now its the merchant seven: space companies for hire.

Medical groups assail patenting of human genes: Businesses argue in court that financial incentives are crucial.

President Obama kills NASA's moon mission plans: President Obama is redirecting Americas space program, killing NASAs $100 billion plans to return astronauts to the moon and using much of that money for new rocket technology research.

What happens to those 3-D glasses after 'Avatar'?: Recycling programs are in place to deal with the 935,834 pairs of 3-D glasses worn daily to see Avatar.

A science book worth your time: Time waits for no man. But when it comes to time, one man, Caltech physicist Sean Carroll, might be worth yours.

Study: Water vapor may help 'flatten global warming trend': Why Earths surface temperature hasnt warmed as expected puzzles scientists. Water vapor in the stratosphere may be a factor, says a new study.

Deadly fish virus found in Lake Superior: Researchers say a fatal fish virus has been found in Lake Superior for the first time, meaning it has spread to all the Great Lakes.

more

Digg Science

Big News: Coal Electricity Drops Big Time: Its been a bad stretch recently for dirty coal, the countrys largest source of global warming emissions. First, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stepped up and contributed big time to the Sierra Clubs fiercehttp://digg.com/news/science/big_news_coal_electricity_drops_big_timemikek814http://cdn3.diggstatic.com/user/3347795/p.png

Big News: Coal Electricity Drops Big Time: Its been a bad stretch recently for dirty coal, the countrys largest source of global warming emissions. First, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stepped up and contributed big time to the Sierra Clubs fierce

The World's 18 Strangest Elevators: Elevators need not be boring metal boxes carrying office employees up and down. Our collection of the worlds strangest includes an elevator that rises through the middle of an aquarium, and one that scales a 1000-foot-high face of a cliff.

Big bird - Really big bird - from dino era discovered: An enormous bird, taller than an adult human, walked the Earth (and maybe flew above it) more than 80 million years ago, according a newly discovered fossilized jaw. The finding suggests oversize birds were more common during the Age of

The Summer Triangle Over Catalonia: APOD August 10th 2011: Can you find the Summer Triangle? Its not hard to find this famous triangle of stars this time of year from northern locations. Just look straight up after sunset and find three of the brightest stars in the sky that

Eight years and 34 million miles on, Mars rover nears end of road: It travelled at an average speed of 60cm an hour and it has arrived a year late. But the Mars rover Opportunity is finally approaching its destination, the rim of the vast Endeavour crater.

Shot this on Sunday in Nebraska before turning the car around and flooring it: Imgur is used to share photos with social networks and online communities, and has the funniest pictures from all over the Internet.

Melting Arctic Circle -- Drill Baby Drill!: The drilling industry is preparing to swoop in and capture their shares of Arctic oil and gas as the top of the world loses its ice cover. Heres how to do it right.

Herpes cousin may enter through the nose: Viruses can appear in the noses of both healthy and infected people.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's View of the Rim of Endeavour, called 'Spirit P(...): NASAs Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to capture this view of Endeavour Craters rim after a drive during the rovers 2,676th Martian day, or sol, of working on Mars (Aug. 4, 2011). The drive covered 396 feet

Placenta Pills May Help Postpartum Depression: (DENVER) -- Mother of three Tamara Guida believes that women should eat their own placenta because the nutrient-packed organ that feeds the fetus is rich in nutritional and hormonal properties. Guida says consuming the placenta helps women recover from pregnancy

Blood Test Can Tell Fetal Sex at 7 Weeks, Study Says: A test that is not regulated in the United States but is routinely used in Europe to assess the risk of gender-linked disorders raises the specter of sex selection.

Study: Lizards are way smarter than you think: Tropical lizards show they can solve novel problems and remember the solutions

Launch of Juno!: An Atlas V rocket lofted the Juno spacecraft toward Jupiter from Space Launch Complex-41. The 4-ton Juno spacecraft will take five years to reach Jupiter on a mission to study its structure and decipher its history.

Potential Mars Water 'A Big Deal,' Scientists Say: The new discovery of salty water on Mars could prove significant for science and the search for life, scientists say.

NASA funds 30 new space research projects: Read NASA funds 30 new space research projects on Yahoo! News. The US space agency announced funding for 30 new space projects Monday, including ways to protect astronauts from deep-space radiation, eliminate space debris and improve spacesuit technology.

Why Giant Bugs Once Roamed the Earth: Dragonflies the size of modern birds ruled 300 million years ago because smaller larvae were at risk of oxygen toxicity, a new study hints.

Moonless Earth Could Potentially Still Support Life, Study Finds: Scientists have long thought the Earths moon was vital for its habitability. But that may not be so.

Wild Hemp Grows Everywhere In Nebraska: Back in the days before America got Reefer Madness, the good old U.S.A. was a worldwide center of hemp production. Verdant fields of the incredibly useful fiber crop were cultivated all over the country.

Simulation shows its possible to tow an iceberg to drought areas: Way back in the 70’s Georges Mougin, then an engineering graduate, had a big idea. He suggested that icebergs floating around in the North Atlantic could be tethered and dragged south to places that were experiencing a severe drought, such

more

Science News Online

FOR KIDS: Major twister hits Oklahoma: Its speed, which largely determines the damage it causes, is still unknown.

Dog sniffs out grammar: A border collie takes command of sentence rules

Viruses and mucus team up to ward off bacteria: Phages may play unforeseen role in immune protection

On the Scene: Teens take home science gold at Intel ISEF: Self-driving vehicles, battery alternatives and analyses of galaxy clusters claim top prizes at global high school science competition

Math Trek: One of the most abstract fields in math finds application in the 'real' world: Every pure mathematician has experienced that awkward moment when asked, “So what’s your research good for?” There are standard responses: a proud “Nothing!”; an explanation that mathematica...

FOR KIDS: Flagging loose bolts: “Smart alert washer” automatically flags when a nut is coming loose, warning of potential danger

News in Brief: Analog circuits boost power in living computers: New cell-based computers do division and logarithms the old-fashioned way

more

NASA

Bright Explosion on the Moon: NASA researchers who monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts have detected the brightest explosion in the history of their program. It was caused by a small boulder-sized meteoroid hitting the Moon with as much energy as 5 tons of TNT.

Planets Aligning in the Sunset Sky: Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are lining up for a beautiful sunset conjunction at the end of May.

Glow-in-the-Dark Plants on the ISS: No description.

Cassini Catches Meteors Hitting Saturn's Rings: NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided the first direct evidence of small meteoroids crashing into Saturn's rings and breaking into streams of rubble.

Gigantic Hurricane Spotted on Saturn: NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted a gigantic hurricane swirling inside a mysterious, six-sided weather pattern known as "the hexagon" at Saturn's north pole.

See Saturn at its Best and Brightest: Saturn and Earth are having a close encounter. See the ringed planet at its best and brightest on April 28th.

Hubble Sees Comet ISON: No description.

Comet ISON Meteor Shower: A new model of the debris flowing from Comet ISON suggests that the sungrazer could dust the Earth with meteoroids in early 2014. Experts discuss the possibilities today's story from Science@NASA.

Kepler Discovers Smallest 'Habitable … Zone' Planets: NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the "habitable zone," the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.

A Whiff of Dark Matter on the ISS: A particle detector on board the International Space Station has recorded intriguing signs of Dark Matter. Researchers say that a significant advance in cosmology could be in the offing.

Don't Let This Happen to Your Planet: Life as we know it doesn't thrive on planets without ozone layers, which is why the recovery of Earth's ozone layer is so important. A new instrument slated for launch to the ISS will monitor our planet's protective ozone cocoon

Collision Course? A Comet Heads for Mars: No description.

Universe Older Than Previously Thought: The European Space Agency's Planck spacecraft has released the most detailed map ever made of the oldest light in the universe, revealing new information about its age, contents and origins.

Sunset Comet: Comet Pan-STARRS has survived its encounter with the sun and is now emerging from twilight in the sunset skies of the northern hemisphere. A NASA spacecraft has beamed back spectacular pictures of a "wild and ragged" tail behind the comet's

Rover: Conditions Once Suited for Life on Mars: An analysis of a rock sample collected by NASA's Curiosity rover shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes.

Amplified Greenhouse Effect Shifts … Growing Seasons: Vegetation growth at Earth's northern latitudes increasingly resembles lusher latitudes to the south, according to a NASA-funded study. "It's like Winnipeg, Manitoba, moving to Minneapolis-Saint Paul in only 30 years," says one of the lead researchers.

Solar Wind Energy Source Discovered: Using data from an aging NASA spacecraft, researchers have found signs of an energy source in the solar wind that has caught the attention of fusion researchers.

Solar Cycle Update: Twin Peaks?: Something unexpected is happening on the sun. 2013 is supposed to be the year of Solar Max, but solar activity is much lower than expected. At least one leading forecaster expects the sun to rebound with a double-peaked maximum later

Van Allen Probes Discover a New Radiation Belt: Earth's radiation belts were one of the first discoveries of the Space Age. A new finding published in today's issue of Science shows that we still have much to learn about them. NASA's twin Van Allen Probes, launched just last

What Exploded over Russia?: Two weeks after an asteroid exploded over Russia's Ural mountains, scientists are making progress understanding the origin and make-up of the unexpected space rock. This week's ScienceCast presents their latest results.

more

Original Signal - Transmitting Web 2.0