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.

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.

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:.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.
