 | 2009 JULY
July 9, 2009
'Cloud Computing' Could Transform Data Storage
Some businesses are beginning to embrace a technology called "cloud computing" -- storing data and programs on the Internet rather than on an individual company's computers. But critics worry about privacy issues. Spencer Michels reports.
   
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| July 9, 2009
U.S. Government to Fund H1N1 Vaccinations
The U.S. government plans to fund a vaccination program against the new H1N1 swine flu this fall, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday.
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| July 8, 2009
Cyber Attacks on U.S. Government Put Digital Security in Spotlight
Recent attacks on government computers, private organizations and foreign governments have raised fresh questions about the nation's digital security. Analysts discuss the implications of the attacks and the vulnerability of the nation's digital systems.
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| July 8, 2009
Cyber Attacks on Governments
On the Fourth of July, cyber attacks started targeting computers at the White House, the Pentagon and other major U.S. government agencies. The New York Stock Exchange and the South Korean government were also targets. Who and what are behind the attacks? Two experts take your questions.
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| JUNE
June 30, 2009
3.6 Trillion and Counting: New Billboard Clocks Emissions
Eight stories above midtown Manhattan, a new billboard has begun counting how much, and how fast, greenhouse gases are entering the atmosphere. Climate Central reports.
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| June 19, 2009
NASA Launch Begins Effort to Return Man to the Moon
NASA launched two satellites to the moon last week, the first step toward its goal of returning a human to the lunar surface. At the start of this new effort, though, a debate has been ignited at the space agency over how best to do so. Tom Bearden reports.
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| June 18, 2009
NASA's Latest Lunar Mission
NASA sent a rocket to the moon Thursday, launching a pair of unmanned science probes designed to search for hidden ice and possible landing sites. Andrew Chaikin, author of "Voices From the Moon," discusses why we study the moon and describes the new NASA mission, which is part of a plan to establish a lunar base by 2020.
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| June 12, 2009
After Delays, Digital Television Conversion is Complete
Analysts examine the road to digital television conversion and assess the successes and drawbacks involved in the change.
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| June 9, 2009
Cities Struggle With Access to Green Energy Sources
In cities across the country, officials are faced with the task of getting renewable energy from the outskirts of town to the urban centers where demand is greatest. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports from Los Angeles.
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| June 9, 2009
In Science and Jazz, Father and Son Find Common Bonds
A rare disciplinary cross-pollination performance piece, "Genes and Jazz" is a concert that pairs a Nobel laureate's considerable medical expertise with his son's original jazz pieces.
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| June 3, 2009
List of U.S. Nuclear Sites Mistakenly Released on Web
The U.S. government admitted Wednesday to accidentally posting on the Internet locations of hundreds of civilian nuclear sites and details on their activities.
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| June 2, 2009
Stalagmites Provide Clues in Changing Rainfall Patterns
ITN's Channel 4 news correspondent Tom Clarke reports on what scientists are learning from stalagmites about the rainfall and changing weather patterns in a remote region of southwest Poland.
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| June 1, 2009
China Appears to Tighten Internet Access Around Tiananmen Anniversary
In the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests on June 4, concerns over Chinese censorship of the Internet are running strong, although problems with unpredictable Web access and other matters are proving just as tricky.
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| MAY
May 29, 2009
Digital Threats Mark New Front in Nation's Security
President Obama unveiled plans Friday to shore up the safety of U.S. computer networks, including naming a new "cyber czar." Analysts examine the nature of digital vulnerabilities.
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| May 29, 2009
Obama Pledges Increased Cybersecurity, Will Name Cyber Czar
President Barack Obama unveiled a comprehensive plan to combat threats to the U.S. digital infrastructure Friday, including creating a new position to handle cybersecurity coordination.
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| May 29, 2009
Global Monitoring Systems Work to Confirm North Korean Nuclear Test Claims
When North Korea conducted its second underground nuclear test in three years Monday, one of the first places in the world to register anything unusual was the National Earthquake Information Center in Denver, Colo.
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| May 25, 2009
World Leaders Condemn N. Korean Nuclear Test
World leaders on Monday denounced North Korea's reported back-to-back nuclear and missile tests, which President Barack Obama said were a reckless challenge that will only invite more international pressure on the secretive regime.
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| May 25, 2009
N. Korean Tests Prompt Global Condemnation
North Korea's reported nuclear and short-range missile tests Monday brought swift condemnation from neighboring countries and around the globe. Here are some key excerpts of worldwide reaction from leaders and analysts:
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| May 22, 2009
Astronauts Complete Repairs in Final Hubble Servicing Mission
The astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis completed all their scheduled repairs and upgrades in the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission this week. View photos from the mission.
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| May 21, 2009
Five Years Later, Mars Rovers Continue to Make Discoveries
More than four years after its expected demise, the Mars rover Opportunity continues to send back valuable data as it crawls across the planet's surface.
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| May 20, 2009
Health Officials Race to Create H1N1 Flu Vaccine
At the World Health Organization's annual meeting this week, a main topic was the ongoing effort to develop a vaccine against the H1N1 swine flu virus. Betty Ann Bowser reports on efforts to create a new vaccine and concerns over having the time to properly produce it.
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| May 20, 2009
After U.S.-Israel Talks, Iran Announces Test Launch of New Missile
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran had successfully launched a new surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 1,200 miles, giving it the capability to hit Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf.
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| May 19, 2009
Georgia's Reliance on Coal Questioned Amid Climate Concerns
Climate Central's Heidi Cullen reports on the coal industry's role in Georgia, a state that gets over 60 percent of its electricity from coal, as new emissions and climate policies are crafted in Washington.
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| May 19, 2009
Analysts Mull White House's New Vehicle Emissions Standards
The Obama administration's new vehicle emissions standards would increase the fuel economy of automobiles to a minimum of 35.5 mpg by 2016. Analysts mull the plan's costs and benefits and assess the challenges ahead for the auto industry.
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| May 19, 2009
New Emissions Rules Mark Strategy Turn for Auto Industry
White House Climate Policy Chief Carol Browner explains the administration's vehicle emissions standards plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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| May 19, 2009
Obama Unveils Tougher Emissions Standards Plan
President Barack Obama outlined plans Tuesday for the nation's first wide-ranging effort to curb vehicle emissions while cutting U.S. dependence on foreign oil, calling the plan an historic turning point toward a "clean-energy economy."
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| May 18, 2009
Astronauts Complete Final Spacewalk of Hubble Repair Mission
The fifth and final spacewalk of NASA's final Hubble repair mission went smoothly Monday, and ended with astronauts John Grunfeld and Andrew Feustel completing all of the necessary repairs on the telescope.
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| May 15, 2009
Cell Phone Data Gives Picture of Human Movement
Researchers are using information from cell phone records to answer questions about where people travel and the social networks that connect them. Along the way, they're creating visual images that illustrate our cell-phone-linked world.
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| May 15, 2009
Researchers Mine Cell Phone Data for Insight Into Human Behavior
In 2007, the number of cell phone accounts worldwide passed 3.3 billion -- half the number of people on the planet.
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| May 14, 2009
Inspired by Soldier Son, Father Develops Military Robots
After the death of his son in the Iraq war, the father of a soldier formed a company that manufactures military robots. Tom Bearden reports.
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| May 11, 2009
Atlantis Embarks on Last Hubble Telescope Repair Mission
The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off Monday on the fifth and final mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew will add a new camera and make other changes. Spencer Michels reports.
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| May 11, 2009
Two Decades of Hubble Repairs
The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on the fifth and final mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew will add a new camera, replace the telescope's positioning gyroscopes, and make other changes. Since Hubble's launch in 1990, four crews have shuttled up to the orbiting observatory.
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| May 7, 2009
Q&A: Gene Sequence 'Bank' Helps Scientists Decipher H1N1 Flu
Within days of the first swine flu case confirmation in California last month, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control mapped the virus's genetic code and posted the sequence in a publicly available database for other researchers to examine.
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| May 5, 2009
Benefits of Shutdown Debated as Mexico City Lumbers Back to Life
Senior correspondent Ray Suarez is in Mexico City to report on the H1N1 flu virus outbreak. In this reporter's notebook that he filed Monday, he reports on the huge city coming back to life after a days-long shutdown aimed at containing the outbreak.
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| May 1, 2009
As H1N1 Flu Spreads, Researchers Rush to Analyze Strain
After a report from Betty Ann Bowser on the CDC's latest efforts to stop the spread of the H1N1 flu, Margaret Warner talks to health experts about what's being done to better understand how the virus works and why it has proven deadly in some cases.
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| APRIL
April 29, 2009
Climate Studies Suggest Need for Drastic Cut in Fossil Fuels
In order to limit the damage from global warming, the world can use only about one quarter of its known fossil fuel reserves, according to two new research studies.
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| April 28, 2009
Researchers Prepare for Possible Swine Flu Vaccine
U.S. researchers are preparing for possible development of a vaccine for the H1N1 strain of swine flu now racing around the globe, but say a vaccine would still take months to produce, test and distribute.
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| April 23, 2009
Military Robots in the Field
The military has deployed thousands of robots in Iraq and Afghanistan, including aerial vehicles and ground robots. The next step may be robots with guns -- versions have already been developed, although so far military leaders have been hesitant to deploy them. Two experts take your questions.
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| April 23, 2009
Military Expanding Role of Robots on the Battlefield
The military has increasingly utilized robot technology in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, where the machines search for IEDs and conduct aerial surveillance. Tom Bearden reports on robots on the battlefield.
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| April 23, 2009
Photos: Military Robot Exhibition
In February, government agencies and private companies that develop military robots exhibited their latest technologies for students at the Army War College in Carlisle, Penn. The college also invited local high school students to view the robots.
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| April 22, 2009
College Students Exhibit Sustainable Designs on National Mall
At the Environmental Protection Agency's fifth annual Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, DC, college students exhibited their projects addressing sustainability issues including alternative energy, water purification and green buildings.
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| April 22, 2009
Young Engineers Envision Cities Of The Future
Correspondent Tom Bearden reports on a competition of young engineers designing eco-friendly urban centers of the future.
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| April 22, 2009
Potential Affirmative Action Policy Changes Focus of Miller Center Debate
Academics and analysts discussed whether affirmative action policies should continue to be based on race and ethnicity or changed to reflect a person's class and wealth. Ray Suarez moderated the debate at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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| April 21, 2009
'Clean Coal' Debate Plays Out on the Airwaves
American television audiences are likely noticing a battle being waged during commercial breaks as millions of dollars are being spent on advertising to promote or denigrate a mysterious-sounding buzzword: clean coal technology.
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| April 17, 2009
EPA Finding Opens Door to New Emissions Regulations
An EPA report has labeled greenhouse gases as pollutants that threaten public health, paving the way for possible new emissions regulations. Analysts examine what the move means.
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| April 17, 2009
Study: Writing About Values Boosts Grades, Shrinks Achievement Gap
A short self-affirming writing exercise that took only about an hour of class time boosted struggling black junior high school students' grade point average by nearly half a point over two years, according to a new study.
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| April 17, 2009
EPA Report Marks First Step Toward Climate Change Regulations
Carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions are a danger to public health and welfare, and possibly even national security, according to an Environmental Protection Agency scientific review released Friday.
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| April 16, 2009
Ten Years After Columbine, Notable Moments in Recent U.S. Gun-control Debate
On the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings and the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School attack, a look back at notable events in the gun-control debate over the past decade:
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| April 14, 2009
Solar Energy Industry Maintains Footing Amid Recession
Amid the economic slump, there may be a silver lining for solar energy businesses that have withstood the recession so far. NewsHour special correspondent Spencer Michels reports.
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| April 10, 2009
Researchers Examine Arctic Climate Chemistry
In March, two dozen scientists travelled to Barrow, Alaska, as part of an International Polar Year research project to study the atmospheric chemistry of a changing Arctic climate. Photographer Spencer Brown spent a week documenting their trip.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
