What We're Reading

Spotting Venus, Lunar-Like Sub Dive, and Hitchhiking in Duck Guts

March 26, 2012

Spotting Venus, Lunar-Like Sub Dive, and Hitchhiking in Duck Guts

Black Planets, Moon Blasts and Octopus Camouflage
Aug. 15, 2011
A look at the most interesting reads this week from the realm of science, including a giant planet so black that it is less reflective than "the blackest acrylic paint" and an octopus engulfed in camouflage against an ocean plant that suddenly blanches white, shoots ink and darts away.
What We're Reading: Quantum Quirks, Dying Oaks and Victorian Women
July 18, 2011
A look at the most interesting reads this week from the realm of science, from loading cargo on to the space shuttle Atlantis to decoding trends in London criminal trials from the 1800s.
What We're Reading: Superbugs, Second Thumbs and Potato Genomes
July 13, 2011
A look at the most interesting reads this week in the realm of science, from increasingly drug-resistant gonorrhea to the mole's mysterious sixth digit.
What We're Reading: Ancient Fossils, Opossums, and Bones
June 14, 2011
A look at the most interesting reads from the realm of science, selected by the NewsHour.
Shuttle returns, Statistical Fights and Space Beer
June 1, 2011
A look at what NewsHour science is reading about this week, from Endeavour's final mission to new doubts about a study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
3D Transistors, Fertilizer Runoff and Frappuccino Straws
May 5, 2011
Here's a look at what we're reading on the science and technology beat this week.
What We're Reading: Human Brain Map, PhillieBot and 'Brain Time'
April 22, 2011
A look at the most interesting reads this week from the realm of science.
Heavy Rockets, Higgs and TV Science
April 6, 2011
Space X's Falcon Heavy rocket will be primed to carry twice as much weight into orbit as a NASA space shuttle, according to design plans unveiled Tuesday by SpaceX.
What We're Reading: Ancient Stone Scraps, Stardust and Rock People
March 28, 2011
Thousands of stone scrappings and chips, believed to be discarded during an ancient toolmaking process, were unearthed by archaeologists in a Texas creek bed...
Stellar Wormholes, Space Data and Supercooling Sodawater
March 7, 2011
A look at some of the most interesting reads in science this week.
Superfluids, Dolphin Deaths and Dinosaur Thighs
March 1, 2011
From superfluids to mysterious dolphin deaths and dinosaur thighs, a look at some of the most interesting reads in the realm of science this week.
Faith in Science, Threatened Particle Colliders and PCB-Resistant Fish
Feb. 21, 2011
An article in Science News says fish in New York's Hudson River have developed a resistance to toxic PCBs and other pollutants.
What We're Reading: Foot Bones, Color Decay and the Science of Obesity
Feb. 14, 2011
A particle accelerator helps to explain why the bright yellows in Van Gogh paintings fade to brown over time...
Maptivism, Pond Fleas and One Polar Bear's Long Journey
Feb. 7, 2011
Introducing Sukey, the "maptivism" app. Detailed in this column is a sort of Four Square for nonviolent organizing...
Mars Rover Overbudget, Long-Lasting Dispersants and Dancing Brittle Stars
Jan. 31, 2011
Sea creatures with bodies like snakes and heads like sea urchins. Monkeys with Lollipop Paws. Dancing brittle stars...
What We're Reading: Giant Crayfish, Wacky Weather and Geomagic Squares
Jan. 24, 2011
A new species of crayfish was spotted climbing out from under a rock in Tennessee, according this Reuters story...
What We're Reading: Worm Bots, Dark Energy and Climate Psychology
Jan. 17, 2011
Why Dire Climate Warnings Boost Skepticism: Dire predictions on climate change don't seem to be working.
Tears and Testosterone, Interstellar Dust Clouds and a Medical Mystery, Unsolved
Jan. 10, 2011
The New York Times had a nice write-up on last week's study on tears and testosterone. When a man gets close enough to sniff a woman's tears, his sex drive and hormone levels drop, but his mood and empathy remain unchanged...
What We're Reading: Year-end Wraps, Interstellar Space and Mushroom Mold
Dec. 20, 2010
Biochemist Photo-Fiddler Here's a fun, visual story on a GlaxoSmithKline biochemist who, in his spare time, used small mirrors, PVC pipes and an old computer hard drive to design a specialized camera that snaps photos of insects in flight.
What We're Reading: Saturn's Rings, Brown Bat Disease and Fossil Looting
Dec. 13, 2010
Nature News reports on the mineral erionite, which has been linked to startling rates of the rare lung condition, mesothelioma, in some Turkish villages...
What We're Reading: Arsenic, Lightfoils and Skull-implanted Cameras
Dec. 6, 2010
The Guardian has a nice writeup from an astrobiologist on the speculation, media frenzy and false stories that rolled out along with last week's discovery that scientists had found bacteria that can feed off arsenic at Mono Lake...
Warming Lakes, Restoring Youth and ... Owl Puke
Nov. 29, 2010
Scientists have partially reversed age-related degeneration in mice, according to a study published online in the journal Nature and reported by the Wall Street Journal...
What We're Reading: Jellyfish Stars, Giant Hailstorms, Morphing Tumor Cells
Nov. 22, 2010
Brain Tumors Grow Their Own Blood SupplyDrugs designed to choke off blood to brain tumors often fail, and two new studies published online in the journal Nature help explain why.
What We're Reading: Venomous Snakes, Urban Gardens and Antimatter
Nov. 18, 2010
Scientific American reports on an exoplanet more massive than Jupiter that came from another galaxy and then got consumed by ours. Take a look at this story and some of the other top science reporting from around the Web.
What We're Reading: Deaf Dolphins, Shuttle Trouble, Cat Fluid Mechanics
Nov. 15, 2010
"In a world where hearing is as valuable as sight," deafness may be a major factor in what's stranding dolphins on seashores, The Washington Post reports. Take a look at this story and some of the other top science reporting from around the Web.

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Extreme Weather, Krypton 81 and Bunnies with Terminator-like Vision

Nov. 22, 2011

A look at the most interesting reads this week in science, from the latest UN climate change report to a rare isotope used to study a massive underground water.

DIY Genetics, Dwindling Water and Seismologists on Trial

Oct. 10, 2011

DIY Genetics, Dwindling Water and Seismologists on Trial

Stellar Vampires, Snake Sperm and Optomechanics

Oct. 24, 2011

Stellar Vampires, Snake Sperm and Optomechanics

What We're Reading: Brain Walls, Critter Vision and Microfossil Wars

Aug. 22, 2011

A look at what's new this week in science news.