Science Aug 15 Black Planets, Moon Blasts and Octopus Camouflage Darkest Planet Found: Coal-Black, It Reflects Almost No Light A Jupiter-size gas giant planet so black that it is less reflective than "the blackest acrylic paint" has been discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope. This National Geographic News…
Science Aug 03 Airplane Turbulence: Is It Dangerous? Photo by WTL via Flickr. No frequent flyer is a stranger to turbulence. But what causes it, and how dangerous is it? Turbulence is the random, chaotic motion of air, caused by changes in air currents. From inside an…
Science Jul 26 Soyuz Rockets Prepare for Liftoff From New Spaceport This fall, Russian Soyuz rockets are expected to begin launching from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana, headquarters of France's Ariane satellite-launching rocket program. This will mark the first time that a Soyuz launcher will lift off from a spaceport other…
Science Jul 20 NASA’s Space Shuttle Program: 30 Years of Flight Atlantis and her four-member crew have been cleared for their historic return to earth on Thursday. Landing is scheduled for 5:56 ET. As NASA's final shuttle prepares for its final landing, we look back at the 30-year program.
Science Jul 20 Just Ask: Epic Swim Tests the Limits of Human Endurance Legendary long distance swimmer Diana Nyad, 61, will attempt to be the first person to swim the 103 miles from Cuba to Key West without a shark cage. Photo by Miami Herald via Getty Images. What does swimming 103 miles…
Science Jul 18 What We’re Reading: Quantum Quirks, Dying Oaks and Victorian Women Raffaello Cargo Module Returned to Shuttle Bay The Atlantis astronauts have loaded nearly three tons of trash and broken hardware onto the Raffaello cargo module and moved it to the shuttle's payload bay in preparation for the…
Science Jul 06 Wrinkled When Wet: Accidental or Adaptive? Fingers wrinkled after an afternoon snorkeling. Photo by notanyron via Flickr Creative Commons 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…
Science Jun 03 Could studying seawater saltiness be key to decoding the climate puzzle? A satellite slated to launch into space next week will study the saltiness of the oceans, and, scientists hope, provide a better grasp of extreme weather events.
Science May 24 Just Ask: Stink Bug Invasion; Is a Wasp the Solution to Save Valued Crops? When it comes to fruit and vegetables, brown marmorated stink bugs don't discriminate. They feast on peaches, plums, apples, and grapes, along with corn, tomatoes, peppers and soybeans. They extract fluid from the apples, turning them dry and corky, and…
Science May 12 Why Did April Spawn so Many Deadly Tornadoes in the South? Photo courtesy Katrina Floyd A scary thing happened to Katrina Floyd on the morning of April 27. A thunderstorm swept through her northeast Alabama town of Ider in the early morning hours, uprooting trees and knocking out power and cell…