Original Signal - Transmitting Science

National Geographic

Supercontinent Pangaea Pushed, Not Sucked, Into Place: A plume of superheated rock from deep in Earths crust welled up between the ancient continents, pushing them apart until they collided to form Pangaea, a new study proposes.

Florida Keys Evacuation Ordered for Hurricane Ike: Hurricane Ike is forecast to hit the islands early next week as a major hurricane. Given the limited escape routes, officials arent taking chances, ordering evacuations, to begin Saturday.

Some Congo Troops Leave Troubled Wildlife Park: An agreement between the countrys wildlife authority and the army to move troops may help preservation efforts at Virunga National Park, home to rare mountain gorillas.

WEEK IN PHOTOS: Virgins Gather, Freak Hailstorm, More: Hurricane Gustav inspired a bit of bathing, virgins awaited a king in Africa, hail spurred snowball fights in Kenya, and more.

Hanna, Hurricane Ike Take Aim at Eastern U.S., Bahamas: Tropical storm Hanna may hit the mid-Atlantic U.S. tonight. Meanwhile, powerful Hurricane Ike—part of a fierce breed of African storm—looks to be a major threat for Florida.

Phallic Figurines Found in Israel Stone Age Burials: The prehistoric site near Nazerat (Nazareth) is unusual in its lack of female symbolism and oddly arranged skeletons, archaeologists say.

Siberian Woolly Mammoths Had North American Blood: Siberias last woolly mammoths, which died out about 10,000 years ago, descended from North American stock, according to new research. But others question the conclusion.

VIDEO: Deadly Hanna Deluges Haiti: If I couldnt swim, I would have been dead, said one Haitian survivor after tropical storm Hanna caused massive flooding, cutting off one city and killing dozens.

Strong Hurricanes Getting Stronger; Warming Is Blamed: Global warming is making the most powerful hurricanes even stronger by warming the oceans, a new study says.

Bird Duets Are "Aggressive Audio Warfare": The intertwining songs of tropical wrens serve as weapons and help males and females find each other in dense forests, a new study says.

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Black Hole Seen in Closest Look Ever: A supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way has wound up in the crosshairs of a virtual telescope spanning 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers).

Sea Level Rise Won't Be a "Hollywood Cataclysm": Oceans will likely not rise a cataclysmic 16 feet suggested by some scientists, but the increase will still be substantial, a new glacier study predicts.

PHOTOS: Deadly Floods Hit South Asia; Displace Millions: The deluge, caused by a dam break in Nepal, has destroyed more than 250,000 acres of farmland, killed at least 90 people, and left at least a million people homeless.

VIDEO: Ice Shelves Crumbling in Canada: A Manhattan-size ice chunk, from an ice shelf believed to be thousands of years old, is among many pieces breaking off shelves in the Canadian Arctic this summer.

VIDEO: New Catfish Species Found: While exploring Venezuelan wilderness, scientists discovered a new catfish. And they got a closer look at a fish species that lives for almost exactly one year.

ANIMAL PHOTOS WEEKLY: Gustav Pups, Baby Gorilla, More: Pet owners evacuate animals ahead of Hurricane Gustav, a western lowland gorilla holds her new baby, and more in our weekly roundup of animal photos.

Seas Will Rise Much Faster Than Thought, Study Says: Melting Greenland ice could cause oceans to swell by more than a foot over the next hundred years, according to a study of the ancient Laurentide ice sheet.

Wolves Prefer Salmon to Deer?: Fishing wolves in coastal British Columbia forgo their usual prey and eat salmon almost exclusively in the fall, says a new study that absolutely shocked its authors.

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Arctic Ice Shelves Crumbling Rapidly: A long, hot summer has ice shelves on Canadas Ellesmere Island disintegrating at an alarming pace, satellite images show.

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Oldest Gecko Fossil Found in Amber: A foot with intact toe pads and part of a tail are all that remain of a hundred-million-year-old gecko found in Myanmar (Burma), researchers report.

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Universe Today

Opportunity Twitters Self Portrait: The Mars Exploration Rovers are now tweeting on Twitter, and Opportunity recently shared what she's been doing since climbing out of Victoria crater via a shadow self portrait. After seeing a one-time electrical spike on Opportunity's left front wheel, mission

Rosetta Flies By 'Diamond in the Sky' Steins: ESA's Rosetta spacecraft successfully flew by the asteroid 2867 Steins, coming within 800 km (500 miles) and gathering images and data on the irregularly shaped rock in space. "Steins looks like a diamond in the sky," said Uwe Keller, Principal

The Fire Cracker Galaxy - NGC 6946 by Dietmar Hager: It's time to take a look back to what was happening 210 years ago on the night of September 9th. Sir William Herschel was at the eyepiece of his telescope in Slough. While he was viewing in real time, what

"Eight Minutes of Terror": Solar Physicists Find a Supersonic Way to See the Transition Region: Solar physicists will have the unprecedented opportunity to peer inside one of the most mysterious regions in the Sun's atmosphere. Separating the chromosphere (at a temperature of a few thousand Kelvin) and the extended corona (at a temperature of over

Goodbye Jules Verne: ATV Undocks From Station: Europe's most advanced robotic spaceship, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), has effectively ended its 6-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It successfully undocked today (Friday) at 21:29 GMT to begin its slow 3 week journey toward the Earth's

Cassini Images Ring Arcs Among Two of Saturn's Moons: NASA's Cassini spacecraft has imaged a faint, partial ring orbiting with one small moon of Saturn, and has confirmed the presence of another partial ring orbiting with a second moon. This is further evidence that most of the planet's small,

Carnival of Space #69: This week, the Carnival of Space is over at Free Space, the blog of Irene Klotz, a correspondent with Discovery News. Click here to read the Carnival of Space #69And if you're interested in looking back, here's an archive to

The Quirks and Quarks Guide to Space: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provides the eclectic radio show Quirks & Quarks. In it, the hosts serve up hot scientific topics using everyday language so that a general audience can appreciate the significance of recently unravelled marvels. Using the same

Sleek, Sexy Spacecraft to Launch Next Week: This has to be the sexiest looking spacecraft ever built by humankind. No, it's not a starship or battle cruiser (although it does look a little like the Eagle spacecraft from the old television show Space: 1999). This sleek, slender,

Weekend SkyWatcher's Forecast - September 5 - 7, 2008: Greetings, fellow Skywatchers! The weekend has arrived at last and with it… more lunar challenge studies. Are you ready to dance with the pie-eyed piper as we seek out Piccolomini? You'll find it to the southwest of the shallow ring

Podcast: Science Fiction at Dragon*Con with Plait and Grazier: Pamela left Fraser behind (with sorrow) and took on Dragon*Con and the facts (or lack there of) in Science Fiction. Helping her out were special guests Phil Plait and Kevin Grazier.Click here to download the episode.Or subscribe to: astronomycast.com/podcast.xml with

Black Holes Can Only Get So Big: Black holes are thought to exist throughout the universe, with the largest and most massive found at the centers of the largest galaxies. These supermassive black holes have been shown to have masses upwards of one billion times that of

Explore Earth's Satellites with Google Earth: OK, I've just wasted an hour in simulated space, checking out some of the active and junked satellites orbiting our planet. Google Earth can be an addictive thing at the best of times, but when 13,000 of the satellites in

New Report: LHC Switch-on Fears Are Completely Unfounded: We don't mean to beat a dead horse – both Fraser and Ian have already covered this topic quite thoroughly — but just in case anyone still has any fears about the Large Hadron Collider meaning the end of the

Kuiper Belt Object Travelling the Wrong-Way in a One-Way Solar System: A strange Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) has been discovered orbiting the Sun in the wrong direction. The object, designated as 2008 KV42 but nicknamed Drac (after Dracula, as vampires are fabled to have the ability to walk on walls), has

Phoenix Probe Says Both Yes and No to Water on Mars: NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has a fork-like conductivity probe on it's robotic arm, and results from the instrument are presenting a bit of a quandary for mission scientists. The thermal and electroconductivity probe has sensed humidity rising and falling in

Atlantis Rolls to the Launch Pad: Thursday afternoon space shuttle Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, making it's slow 5.1 km (3.2 mile) journey along the crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA mission managers cleared the shuttle’s move after

The LHC Will Revolutionize Physics. Can it Revolutionize the Internet Too?: We already know that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be the biggest, most expensive physics experiment ever carried out by mankind. Colliding relativistic particles at energies previously unimaginable (up to the 14 TeV mark by the end of the

US Astronauts May Have to Leave Space Station in 2012: Because of stalled legislation that is needed to allow NASA to pay the Russian Space Agency to ferry US astronauts to the International Space Station on board the Soyuz spacecraft, the US section of the space station may have to

Communicating Via the Cepheid Galactic Internet: If an alien species wanted to communicate with Earthlings, or any other civilization that might be out there, how might they do it? Some have proposed microwaves, neutrinos or lasers, or even moving stars around into patterns. But why wouldn't

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The New York Times

Warmth Opens Arctic Routes, Experts Say: The Arctic Ocean, long a frozen region hostile to all but nuclear submariners and seal hunters, is transforming during the summers into more of an open ocean.

Observatory: Marijuana Ingredient May Fight Bacteria: Researchers have discovered that the main active ingredient in marijuana shows promise as an antibacterial agent.

Video Game Review: Playing God, the Home Game: As an intelligent romp through the realms of science, mythology, religion and hope about the universe around us, Spore both provokes and amuses.

Dual Citizenship for the Woolly Mammoth: Woolly mammoths migrated to North America, then back to Siberia, according to a new scientific analysis.

Brain Cells Observed Summoning a Memory: For the first time, scientists have recorded individual brain cells in the act of summoning a spontaneous memory.

Assessing the Value of Small Wind Turbines: Interest for wind turbines small enough to mount on a roof is spreading from coast to coast, even though their installation is hardly ever recouped in electricity savings.

$400 Million Gift to Genetic Institute: The gift to the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard was the biggest so far from Eli and Edythe Broad, who are giving away a multibillion-dollar.

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Scientific American

Incoming MIT Freshman Creates New Vehicle: No description.

The Sun Will Eventually Engulf Earth--Maybe: The future looks bright--maybe too bright. The sun is slowly expanding and brightening, and over the next few billion years it will eventually desiccate Earth, leaving it hot, brown and uninhabitable. About 7.6 billion years from now, the sun will

Honda unleashes the Insight, its ''Prius-fighter'': In advance of the Paris International Auto Show in early October, Honda has released photos of its new entry-level hybrid car, which the press has (naturally) labeled the “Prius-fighter.” Reports indicate that the Insight, a five-door family hatchback that is

Hurricane Ike bears down on Cuba, as Florida begins advance preparations: Hurricane Ike continued its path of destruction Sunday afternoon in the Bahamas Turks and Caicos, as Cuba scrambled to evacuate residents of the eastern part of the country that the Category 4 hurricane is likely to slam into later today

Hurricane Ike does the twist around the Caribbean as Tropical Storm Lowell joins the family: The island nations of the Caribbean are bracing for more dangerous weather as Hurricane Ike maintains its strength. As of 11 p.m. EST Saturday, Ike was near or over Turks and Caicos, according to the National Weather Service, and was

Cuba, Gulf Coast turns eye to Hurricane Ike as Hanna dumps rain on East Coast: Tropical Storm Hanna may not be a hurricane, but its still dumping tons of water on the US East Coast as it moves northeast this afternoon. Officials have not reported any deaths from the storm, which is bearing down on

Tropical Storm Hanna makes landfall in South Carolina, Hurricane Ike gathers force in Caribbean: Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall on the border of South Carolina and North Carolina this morning. Reuters reports that the storm was not quite at hurricane strength, with top windspeeds of about 60 miles per hour, but had enough force

What is histoplasmosis?: Fungal infections are common and usually treatable. But they can be deadly in patients with immune systems compromised by diseases such as AIDS or by meds taken to keep them in check when they become too active (causing so-called autoimmune

No Fire in the Hole!: Firefighters Use Flame-Retardant Grenades: A new grenadelike gadget--designed to quickly extinguish flames in small quarters, thereby limiting injury to victims as well as firefighters--is becoming an important part of firemens arsenals.

Timeline: A History of Privacy in America: Americans paradoxically combine an unquenchable curiosity with an insistance on being left aloneClick the image below to read the timeline

Ghostbusters to come out of retirement: No. 3 in the works: Youd think fighting ghosts would be a business with longevity, what with people dying every day and all. And wuddya know: the Ghostbusters are making a comeback, Variety is reporting.

Hurricane Hanna eyes U.S. east coast as Ike gathers steam: Tropical storm Hanna is fixing to drench the eastern U.S. this weekend, and with an even bigger tempest, Ike, in her wake, this month is shaping up as the stormy September predicted by atmospheric scientists.

Researchers Pinpoint Genes Linked to Childhood Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Researchers have identified a pair of genes that increase a childs risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) before the age of 19--adding to a growing list of 30 known genetic factors for the malady.Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic

Eco-Afterlife: Green Burial Options: Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard that increasing eco-awareness around the world has now extended itself to the afterlife, whereby burials can even be “green.” Is that true? -- Mary Lewis, Duxbury, MA

A Guide to Hurricanes: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike: Whats next for the U.S.? What causes natures destructive storms? How do scientists study and predict them? How are they linked to global warming?

Drowning New Orleans: Editors Note: This story was originally published in the October 2001 issue of Scientific American.The boxes are stacked eight feet high and line the walls of the large, windowless room. Inside them are new body bags, 10,000 in all. If

50 Years Ago: Greatest Scientific Discovery is Science Itself: SEPTEMBER 1958THE CREATIVE PROCESS-- “The most remarkable discovery made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and of writing. Like these earlier human creations, science is an attempt to control our

A Deep Thaw: How Much Will Vanishing Glaciers Raise Sea Levels?: Greenland, the worlds largest island, holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 23 feet (seven meters). Add the ice sheets of Antarctica and the oceans would deepen more than 200 feet (60 meters). Satellite measurements from space and

Drugs Move Slowly Through Development Pipeline: No description.

Remember: Memory Record and Replay Handled by Same Cells: Researchers have discovered that the same nerve cells involved in forming memories also are involved in replaying them. The finding, published today in the online edition of Science, provides new insight into how complex memories are laid down in a

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Space.com

Former NASA Engineer's Rocket Engine Test Explodes: An artists illustration of an Advent Launch Services launch. Credit: Advent Launch Services.

NASA Chief Vents Frustration in Leaked E-mail: A leaked e-mail reveals frustration over NASAs future by the agencys chief.

An Interview with NASA Chief Mike Griffin: NASAs head explains a study on extending the shuttles life beyond 2010.

China Launches Two Satellites, Readies for Third Manned Spaceflight: China launched two satellites and is preparing for its third manned spaceflight.

Delta 2 Rocket Launches High-Resolution Satellite: A super-sharp Earth-imaging satellite launched into orbit on Saturday.

Despite Glitch, European Spacecraft's Asteroid Flyby a Success: Despite glitch, scientists declared the Rosetta probes asteroid flyby a success.

European Cargo Ship Departs Space Station: Europes space station cargo ship Jules Verne undocked late Friday.

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ScienceDaily

How Plants Fine Tune Their Natural Chemical Defenses: Even closely related plants produce their own natural chemical cocktails, each set uniquely adapted to the individual plants specific habitat. Comparing antifungals produced by tobacco and henbane, researchers have discovered that only a few mutations in a key enzyme are

A New 'Pyrex' Nanoparticle: Researchers in Switzerland have developed a new method to fabricate borosilicate glass nanoparticles. Used in microfluidic systems, these Pyrex-like nanoparticles are more stable when subjected to temperature fluctuations and harsh chemical environments than currently used nanoparticles made of polymers or

Rattlesnake-type Poisons Used By Superbug Bacteria To Beat Our Defenses: Colonies of hospital superbugs can make poisons similar to those found in rattlesnake venom to attack our bodies natural defenses, according to new research.

Milk May Help Bacteria Survive Against Low Levels Of Antibiotics: Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals.

Living Sensor Can Warn Of Arsenic Pollution: Scientists studying arsenic pollution have discovered a living sensor that can spot contamination. They have also discovered new bacteria that can clean up arsenic spills even in previously untreatable cold areas.

New Once-a-week Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes Developed: Researchers have reported that a new once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes could replace the more common twice-daily injection.

Free Drug Samples May End Up Costing Uninsured More: Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a new study.

Driving The Future Of In-vehicle ICT: Information and communications systems in road vehicles are progressing steadily, but the research community behind these developments remains fragmented. Now a European initiative has linked key knowledge centers and is paving the way for the next generation of ‘joined up’

AMD and Vision Loss: Low-Luminance Study Yields a New Predictive Tool: Scientists have discovered a simple and inexpensive way to predict the rapid loss of visual acuity, the ability to see detail, in “dry” AMD patients.

Last-ever Look At ESA's Gravity Satellite GOCE: As preparations for the launch of GOCE Sept. 10 continue on schedule, an important milestone has just been achieved as engineers say farewell to the satellite as it is encapsulated in the two half-shells of the launchers fairing.

How STDs Increase The Risk Of Becoming Infected With HIV: Individuals who have a sexually transmitted disease and women with yeast and bacterial vaginal infections have an increased risk of becoming infected with HIV if exposed to the virus through sexual contact. New research has provided a new explanation as

Age, Income And Marital Status: Socio-demographic Factors Influence Costs Of Back Pain: It is well-known that back pain belongs to the most frequent health problems in the industrial nations and, it is also well-known that it is the cause of considerable costs for health insurance schemes and the economy. Researchers have now

Atomic Structure Of The Mammalian 'Fatty Acid Factory' Determined: Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. Now researchers have determined

Trichoplax Genome Sequenced: 'Rosetta Stone' For Understanding Evolution: Molecular and evolutionary biologists have produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax, one of natures most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals.

Change In HER2 Status Found After Treating Breast Cancer Patients With Herceptin: Researchers have discovered that when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery. However, of those women who had residual disease, about one-third had

New Evidence On The Robustness Of Metabolic Networks: Biological systems evolve in ways that increase their fitness for survival amidst environmental fluctuations and internal errors. Now researchers have found new evidence that evolution has produced cell metabolisms that are especially well suited to handle potentially harmful changes like

You Can Be Replaced: Immune Cells Compensate For Defective DNA Repair Factor: A new mouse model has provided some surprising insight into XLF, a molecule that helps to repair lethal DNA damage. The research suggests that although XLF shares many properties with well known DNA repair factors, certain cells of the immune

Lightweight And Long-legged Males Go The Distance For Sex: A study of giant cricket-like insects suggests that sexual selection for smaller, more mobile males could be responsible for some of the impressive sexual difference in body size in this species and may explain other species where males are smaller

Child Safety Seats And Lap-and-shoulder Belts Effective In Preventing Serious Injury, Study Suggests: Study reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child safety seats in preventing serious injury. For young children, all states currently require the use of child safety seats, and the minimum age and weight requirements to graduate to

Role Of Aerosols In Climate Change Examined: It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earths climate. A

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New Scientist

International nuclear rules bent for India deal: A cartel of 45 countries has decided to lift a ban on nuclear commerce with India after pressure from the US

ET could 'tickle' stars to create galactic internet: Advanced alien civilisations may be sending signals through space by causing stars that usually pulse like clockwork to beat faster

International nuclear rules bent for India deal: A cartel of 45 countries has decided to lift a ban on nuclear commerce with India after pressure from the US

Off switch could protect your smart-card secrets: Incorporating ultra-thin switches into RFID-enabled devices like smart cards and passports would make them more secure against hackers (full text available to subscribers)

Invention: Heart-repair pump: A new kind of artificial blood pump could also help regenerate diseased hearts, says a recent patent application

Sensor-laden toy diverts kids from pain: DVDs and computer games dont engross children enough to distract them when medical dressings are changed, but a new gadget offers a solution

Good with numbers? It's in your genes: People who are good at estimating numbers without accurately counting them also do well on tests of precise mathematical abilities

Viral manoeuvres revealed by surveillance system: Individual viruses can be followed as they infect and move around inside cells, using new quantum dot tags

Chauvinists less unnerving than ambiguous men: Some women are more likely to be adversely affected by men who hide their attitudes than by overtly sexist males

How war debris could cause cancer: Depleted uranium from spent munitions has long been suspected of making people ill, but no-one had any idea how until now (full text available to subscribers)

Rosetta probe flies by 'diamond in the sky': The comet-chasing craft flew by asteroid Steins, revealing its diamond shape - but a glitch prevented it from taking high-resolution images

Rosetta probe flies by old 'diamond in the sky': The comet-chasing craft flew by asteroid Steins, revealing its diamond shape - but a glitch prevented it from taking high-resolution images

Nanotube 'longboats' slaughter cancer cells: Instead of unloading vicious Viking warriors, these longboats deliver toxic drugs to cancer cells without the side effects of chemotherapy

Why a big horn gives beetles a tiny organ: The speed with which beetles evolve differing penis sizes suggests they are evolving into new species over just a few years

Mars lander to squirrel away soil in advance of winter: While it still has plenty of solar power, the Phoenix probe will try to quickly stockpile soil samples for later study

New robot legs have a spring in their step: Designs with fibreglass springs and metal cables for tendons can recycle energy with every stride like a human leg

Europe's first cargo ship to undock from space station: The Jules Verne ATV, which has acted as an extra bedroom and washroom on the station, will re-enter Earths atmosphere in three weeks

Climate change could stop corals fixing themselves: By 2100, most of the worlds coral reefs could be living in waters that lack the minerals for them to repair damage, as a result of ocean acidification

Snap-happy dieters reap benefits: Dieters who keep a photo diary of the meals they eat do better than people who only keep a written account

UN aims to protect Iraqi wetlands: The marshlands of Mesopotamia were drained under Saddam and are now recovering plans are now afoot to list them as a World Heritage Site

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BBC

End is nigh: Why are people so fond of predicting the worlds end?

Global forests: Guyanas president on forests role to curb climate shift

Hugging benefits fractious chimps: A new study provides the first evidence that consolation in primates, such as hugging and stroking, can reduce stress levels after a fight.

Txt forensics: Forensic science turns its attention to text messages

If you want a date, don't beat about the bush: Telling someone you fancy I really like you could make him or her find you more attractive, research suggests.

Germany leads 'clean coal' pilot: A small German coal-fired plant will be the first in the world to capture and store its own CO2 emissions.

'Climate crisis' needs brain gain: The former UK chief scientist says the climate challenge is so great, it demands the most brilliant minds tackle it.

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CNN

Space farming takes root: When Neil Armstrong took one small step onto the moon in 1969, it seemed only a matter of time before the advent of thriving space colonies and summer vacations on distant planets. But after an initial flurry of moon landings,

NASA launches telescope: Read full story for latest details.

Beaming solar power from space: Jyoti is the Hindi word for light. Its something Pranav Mehta has never had to live without. And he is lucky. Near where he lives in Gujarat -- one of the most prosperous states in India -- thousands of rural

Phoenix lander shakes its way to success: Read full story for latest details.

Google founder signs up for space trip: Google co-founder Sergey Brin has paid $5 million to secure a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, officials said Wednesday.

Planets make case for 'crowded universe': Read full story for latest details.

Shuttle back with 'beautiful landing': Read full story for latest details.

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Discovery

Lasers to Help Capture 'Movies' of Changing Universe: Using laser technology, astronomers are able to measure small changes in the universe.

Melting Swiss Glacier Yields Neolithic Trove: High in the Swiss Alps, climate change is exposing a long-hidden past.

Saturn Moons Sport Rings, Too: Two of Saturns smallest moons are circled by faint rings of their own.

Iraq's 'Garden of Eden' May Get Global Protection: Iraqs restored swampy southern region will likely become a World Heritage site.

Protective 'Skin' Could Herald Tiny Satellite Fleet: A skin that can protect satellites from extremes may usher in nanosatellites.

On Mars, Does Fire Plus Ice Equal Life?: If life on Mars exists, it may dwell where volcanoes and glaciers coalesce.

Helicopters Learn Tricks 'Watching' Other Helicopters: A computer algorithm lets helicopters learn new tricks by watching others.

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Science/AAAS

The Case of the Vanishing Oaks: Study shows dramatic changes in Midwest forests

Seas to Rise Faster This Century: Global warming likely to have large impact on glacial melting

Mammoths: Made in America: Last vestige of ancient beasts supplanted European and Asian varieties

Fingering What Make Us Human: Small tweak to DNA may have given us our unique hands

Finding a Guy Who Looks Like Dear Old Dad: Study reinforces the idea that men and women choose partners who resemble their own parents

Stronger Winds A' Blowin': Tropical cyclones are becoming more powerful, potentially due to global warming

Cancer's Unwelcome Return: New study sheds light on why patients might relapse after treatment

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USATODAY

The future of Earth's seas changes with the research tides: Dueling reports out this week in science journals point to the different directions in which researchers are facing the rising seas.

Rocket fuel experiment by NASA engineer blows up: A retired NASA engineer looking to develop an inexpensive way for people to travel to space might have to go back to the drawing board after one of his experiments exploded Saturday.

The future of Earth's seas changes with the research tides: Dueling reports out this week in science journals point to the different directions in which researchers are facing the rising seas.

Rocket fuel experiment by NASA engineer blows up: A retired NASA engineer looking to develop an inexpensive way for people to travel to space might have to go back to the drawing board after one of his experiments exploded Saturday.

Cassini detects partial rings with Saturn's moons: The latest images from NASAs Cassini spacecraft show faint, partial rings orbiting with two of Saturns small inner moons, scientists said.

Cassini detects partial rings with Saturn's moons: The latest images from NASAs Cassini spacecraft show faint, partial rings orbiting with two of Saturns small inner moons, scientists said.

Hubble mission delayed 2 days due to storms: NASA has delayed next months space shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope by two days.

Asian soot, smog may boost global warming in USA: Smog, soot and other particles like the kind often seen hanging over Beijing add to global warming and may raise summer temperatures in the American heartland by three degrees in about 50 years, says a new federal science report released

Asian soot, smog may boost global warming in USA: Smog, soot and other particles like the kind often seen hanging over Beijing add to global warming and may raise summer temperatures in the American heartland by three degrees in about 50 years, says a new federal science report released

Hubble mission delayed 2 days due to storms: NASA has delayed next months space shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope by two days.

Broad family adds $400M to MIT-Harvard genetics project: Billionaire philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad are adding $400 million to a joint biomedical venture at Harvard and MIT.

Broad family adds $400M to MIT-Harvard genetics project: Billionaire philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad are adding $400 million to a joint biomedical venture at Harvard and MIT.

How to build lunar homes from moon dirt: Since many of the tried and true tools we use on Earth will be impossible to bring, some scientists are hard at work inventing from scratch the machines well need to make life possible on the moon.

World's strongest hurricanes could be getting stronger: The strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean have become more intense due to global warming over the past 25 years, according to a new study in Wednesdays edition of the British journal Nature. The findings add fuel to the simmering

Huge ice sheet breaks loose in Canada: A massive 19-square-mile ice shelf in Canadas northern Arctic has broken away from Ellesmere Island, surprising scientists who say the floating ice shelf is another dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier.

World's strongest hurricanes could be getting stronger: The strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean have become more intense due to global warming over the past 25 years, according to a new study in Wednesdays edition of the British journal Nature. The findings add fuel to the simmering

Huge ice sheet breaks loose in Canada: A massive 19-square-mile ice shelf in Canadas northern Arctic has broken away from Ellesmere Island, surprising scientists who say the floating ice shelf is another dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier.

How to build lunar homes from moon dirt: Since many of the tried and true tools we use on Earth will be impossible to bring, some scientists are hard at work inventing from scratch the machines well need to make life possible on the moon.

Research 'reprograms' pancreas cells in mice: A team of biologists has turned mouse pancreas tissue into specialized cells, the same ones that go missing in juvenile diabetes. The study opens a new avenue to regenerative medicine, in which physicians remake patient cells into tissues that can

Strange clouds spotted at the edge of Earth's atmosphere: A weirdly wonderful sight appeared to astronauts aboard the International Space Station this summer thin blue clouds hovering at the boundary between Earths atmosphere and the void.

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Digg Science

Demand for solar panels exceeds supply: The sun may set early on anyone trying to take advantage of expiring solar-energy tax credits this year.Many solar manufacturers and installers say they cant take on more jobs for 2008 because theyre either out of panels or out of

The Sun Will Eventually Engulf Earth--Maybe: The future looks bright--maybe too bright. The sun is slowly expanding and brightening, and over the next few billion years it will eventually desiccate Earth, leaving it hot, brown and uninhabitable. About 7.6 billion years from now, the sun will

Anything Into Oil: Turkey guts, junked car parts, and even raw sewage go in one end of this plant, and black gold comes out the other end.

Forecasting the Fate of Mysteries: Six physicists weigh in on the impact of the LHC and where science goes from here.

Amazing Picture of International Space Station Over Miami,FL: The turquoise waters of Miami, Florida, gleam underneath the International Space Station as it floats some 240 miles (390 kilometers) above the Earths surface. The orbiting lab has hosted a rotating international crew since November 2000.

New weapon in the war against viruses (quantum dots): Virologists have a new weapon in the war against viruses – a way to tag and track individual viruses that are too small to be viewed with light microscopes.

Top 10 Amazing Physics Videos: Tesla coils, superconductors, and hilarious music videos are great reasons to be excited about physics. Here are some of our favorites.

America's Decline in Science: This is the beginning of the Americas dark future.

The Human Tongue as Computer Control Pad: The tireless tongue already controls taste and speech, helps kiss and swallow and fights germs. Now scientists hope to add one more ability to the mouthy muscle, and turn it into a computer control pad.Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic,

CERN fires up new atom smasher to near Big Bang: It has been called an Alice in Wonderland investigation into the makeup of the universe — or dangerous tampering with nature that could spell doomsday. Whatever the case, the most powerful atom-smasher ever built comes online Wednesday, eagerly anticipated by

Return of the 17 Year Cicadas (time-lapse photography): Using time-lapse photography and real-time digital video, plant biologist Roger Hangarter and undergrad filmmaker Samuel Orr captured this remarkable life cycle in a 5-minute film complete with soundtrack and descriptive text.

The 10 most beautiful experiments of all time: Whether they are blasting apart subatomic particles in accelerators, sequencing the genome or analyzing the wobble of a distant star, the experiments that grab the worlds attention often cost millions of dollars to execute and produce torrents of data to

Understanding Algae As An Alternative Fuel Source: The technology will be utilized in the development and creation of various algae species targeted to high yield per acre and high levels of usable alternative oil for heating and fuel.

Mystery of the 'couple' buried arm in arm 1,000 years ago: Archaeologists have unearthed the mysterious remains of what first appears to be a couple buried together arm in arm more than 1,000 years ago.

How to Spot a Terrorist on the Fly: The man in the cheap brown jacket stood slumped in line, staring at the ground. His hands were fidgety, reaching repeatedly into his inside jacket pocket, or patting it from the outside. A momentary look of anguish, just 1/15th of

Rap about world's largest science experiment is YouTube hit: The start up of the biggest experiment on the planet has inspired a science rap song that has become an unlikely global hit.

Dual Citizenship for the Woolly Mammoth: Woolly mammoths migrated to North America, then back to Siberia, according to a new scientific analysis.

Hubble Repair Mission More Risky than You'd Ever Imagine: If you think that the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope is going to be boring, you havent seen this yet.

Building the 'Big Bang machine': The Large Hadron Collider is not just an extraordinary science experiment, it is also a remarkable engineering undertaking. Just getting it built is an astonishing story in itself.

How Much Will Vanishing Glaciers Raise Sea Level: Greenland, the worlds largest island, holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 23 feet (seven meters).

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NASA

NASA to Explore a "Secret Layer" of the Sun: NASA researchers are preparing to launch an experimental telescope that can see a layer of the sun thought to be the "birthplace of space weather."

Amateur Astronomers See Perseids Hit the Moon: Backyard astronomers watching the Perseid meteor shower last month saw meteoroids hitting not only Earth but also the Moon. They recorded the impacts using backyard telescopes and off-the-shelf cameras, showing that "lunar meteors" are easy targets for amateur observatories and

First Light for the Fermi Space Telescope: Today, NASA revealed first light images and announced a new name for its latest space telescope.

Strange Clouds at the Edge of Space: Astronauts on board the International Space Station have recently photographed strange electric-blue clouds hovering at the edge of space.

Living with a Star: What if you woke up one morning and found your whole planet had been swallowed by the atmosphere of a star? Dont laugh, it could happen to you, and NASA has a special program to deal with it.

The Realm of Earthworms: NASA Gets Down to the Nitty-Gritty: NASA scientists are preparing to launch a "flying tractor" with microwave sensors to explore the nitty-gritty realm beneath your feet.

A Flash of Insight: LCROSS Mission Update: There are places on the Moon where the sun hasnt shined for millions of years, inky-dark places that may harbor a treasure of great value. NASAs is about to light one of them up.

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