Science Questions

Just Ask: Could Sonar Be Responsible for Cape Cod Dolphin Strandings?

Feb. 27, 2012

Just Ask: Could Sonar Be Responsible for Cape Cod Dolphin Strandings?

Airplane Turbulence: Is It Dangerous?
Aug. 3, 2011
No frequent flyer is a stranger to turbulence. But what causes it, and how dangerous is it?
Testing the Limits of Human Endurance
July 20, 2011
As soon as the Gulf Stream water reaches the optimal temperature -- not too hot, not too cold -- 61-year-old Diana Nyad will set off for one of the greatest tests of human endurance, ever. She will swim from Havana, Cuba to the Florida coast -- a 103-mile swim.
Wrinkled When Wet: Accidental or Adaptive?
July 6, 2011
Beachgoers know it well. You soak in the sea or the tub long enough, and your waterlogged fingers get puckered and funny looking. But why do our fingers and toes wrinkle in water?
What Is a Black Hole, and How Are They Formed?
June 16, 2011
As new findings are released on the most ancient black holes ever detected, we break down the basics.
Stink Bug Invasion: Is a Wasp the Solution to Save Valued Crops?
May 24, 2011
When it comes to fruit and vegetables, brown marmorated stink bugs don't discriminate. They extract fluid from the apples, turning them dry and corky, and then leave them to rot.
Why Did April Spawn so Many Deadly Tornadoes in the South?
May 12, 2011
A deadly outbreak of tornadoes hit the southern U.S. in April, causing widespread fatalities that some say were compounded by power outages and communications disruptions.
What's Behind Space Shuttle Endeavour's Electrical Glitch?
May 2, 2011
At the root of Friday's scrubbed space shuttle launch is a simple fact about fuel.
Why Does Antimatter Matter?
April 25, 2011
This week, a team of researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory announced they had discovered helium's twin particle, antihelium-4, the heaviest antimatter nucleus ever observed. So what does that mean, and why do we care?
One Year Later, Where Has All the Oil Gone?
April 20, 2011
One year ago, BP's deepwater Macondo well ruptured and blew out, releasing a massive geyser of oil that gushed wildly for 86 days until the well was sealed in September. What's in the water now? Where did the oil go? And what has it done to the ecosystem?
NASA Announces New Homes for Space Shuttle Fleet: Think You Know the Shuttles?
April 12, 2011
NASA marked the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch and the 50th anniversary of the first human in space -- Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961 -- by naming the final destinations of its retiring space shuttle fleet. Test your shuttle knowledge in our quiz.
Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Bombs: What Defines the Differences?
April 6, 2011
What is the difference between the nuclear material in a bomb, versus a reactor?
Radiation in Japan's Food Supply: Dangerous or Benign?
March 22, 2011
The Japanese government announced on Monday that it had halted some food shipments to prevent tainted samples of milk and spinach from reaching consumers.
Mechanics of a Nuclear Meltdown Explained
March 15, 2011
With Japanese workers still struggling to regain control of a damaged nuclear power plant amid worsening fears of a full meltdown, we ask, what exactly is a nuclear meltdown?
Shuttle Debris, Explained
Feb. 28, 2011
We answer a viewer question about recent debris from shuttle Discovery.
Just Ask: Why Do Onions Make Us Cry?
Feb. 22, 2011
We all know the stinging sensation and welling up of tears that comes from chopping onions.
Restoring Ancient Artifacts - What Does it Take?
Feb. 15, 2011
As the dust settles on Egypt's recent protests, one less-discussed outcome of the uprising is the damage done to some of the country's ancient artifacts.
New Government Guidelines on Salt Intake: Are They Achievable?
Jan. 31, 2011
Federal guidelines on what Americans should -- and should not -- be eating were released on Monday.
What is a Neutrino...And Why Do They Matter?
Jan. 25, 2011
Neutrinos are teeny, tiny, nearly massless particles that travel at near lightspeeds...
How Does Salt Battle Road Ice?
Jan. 18, 2011
Since as early as the 1930s, a variation on simple table salt has been used to keep wintry roads from getting dangerously slippery.
How Close Are We to Finding an Earthlike Planet?
Jan. 11, 2011
The Kepler Space telescope has found a small, rocky planet, the smallest yet to be orbiting a star outside our solar system, scientists announced Monday at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Birds Tumbling From the Sky; Mass Fish Kills: How Unusual Are These Die-Offs?
Jan. 4, 2011
On New Years Day, residents of Beebe, Ark., awoke to find some 5,000 dead blackbirds strewn across roads, lawns and rooftops. Three days later, 125 miles from Beebe, thousands of fish were found dead on riverbanks and floating along the Arkansas River.
Just Ask: Probing the Sun ... How Close Can We Get?
Dec. 21, 2010
Here's this week's Just Ask! science query: At what point would a spacecraft approaching the sun vaporize?
Just Ask: How Does Sunscreen Work?
Dec. 14, 2010
As a cold front settles across the Eastern seaboard, we turn wistfully to thoughts of the sun for this week's Just Ask! science post.
Just Ask: What Would a Supersized Atom Look Like?
Dec. 7, 2010
If you expanded an atom to the size of a baseball, what would it look like? With quantum laws in play, the answer isn't as easy -- or intuitive -- as you'd think.
Just Ask: What Makes Volcanoes Erupt?
Nov. 30, 2010
It's time for our weekly Just Ask! feature, where experts tackle your questions on science and technology.

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Hunt for Elusive Higgs Boson Continues

Dec. 13, 2011

Evidence of the elusive Higgs Boson may be peeking out from some very dense data, but scientists at CERN are not ready to conclude that they've found it, they said Tuesday. What does the Higgs boson mean to physics, and how will particle physicists know when they've found it?

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Oct. 12, 2011

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Mysterious Noncoding DNA: 'Junk' or Key Genetic Ingredient?

Nov. 7, 2011

Mysterious Noncoding DNA: 'Junk' or Key Genetic Ingredient?

What are Quasicrystals, and What Makes Them Nobel-Worthy?

Oct. 5, 2011

The 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to an Israeli scientist named Dan Shechtman who discovered a type of crystal so strange and unusual that it upset the prevailing views on the atomic structure of matter, leading to a paradigm shift in chemistry. But why?