Feb 23 Why do skiers sunburn so easily? A snow scientist explains By Steven R. Fassnacht, The Conversation The powdery snow that skiers and snowboarders love, especially on crystal clear days, plays a big role in how much your skin will burn — not the elevation. Continue reading
Feb 14 Chernobyl was hit by a drone. What are the dangers? By Associated Press The timing is sensitive as the incident comes against the backdrop of the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of world leaders meant to hash out paths to ending the nearly three-year war. Continue reading
Feb 10 Puerto Rico governor’s effort to eliminate renewable energy goals sparks pushback By Dánica Coto, Associated Press Puerto Rico legislators on Monday held a contentious public hearing on a governor-backed bill that would eliminate renewable energy goals and extend operations of the island's lone coal-fired plant, long accused of polluting low-income communities. Continue reading
Feb 10 In our cosmic neighborhood, space telescope spots rare ‘Einstein ring’ of light around galaxy By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press The halo, known as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away. Continue reading
Feb 09 Are seed oils toxic? The answer is complicated, according to research By Mary J. Scourboutakos, The Conversation Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to clear the final hurdles in his confirmation as health secretary, has proclaimed that widely used cooking oils such as canola oil and soybean oil are toxic. But research shows that the health… Continue reading
Feb 08 Watch 2:45 How NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission may help us understand the origins of life on Earth By Ali Rogin, Harry Zahn The origins of life on our planet remains one of science’s great mysteries. Now, a NASA mission that brought a piece of an ancient asteroid back to Earth has revealed that the building blocks of life may have been scattered… Continue watching
Feb 08 How paleontologists are using fossilized shark teeth to date the past By Stephanie Killingsworth, Bruce J. MacFadden, The Conversation Sharks have ruled the Earth’s oceans for 400 million years and recent research on fossilized shark teeth has led to the discovery of an innovative method for dating ancient sediments. Continue reading
Feb 07 The U.S. dodged a bird flu pandemic nearly 70 years ago. Can we do it again? By Alexandra M. Lord, The Conversation By 1957, scientists had a significantly more sophisticated understanding of influenza, worrying them that a pandemic similar to that of 1918 could easily erupt, killing millions again. Continue reading
Feb 06 Watch 7:39 Why engineers are turning to beavers for insights into managing water resources By Miles O'Brien, Kate Tobin Beavers and the dams they build are not always embraced in the areas where they do their work. But there's a growing recognition that they also are building a kind of natural infrastructure that helps with water management and the… Continue watching
Feb 06 Scientists just cracked the perfect boiled egg By Adithi Ramakrishnan, Associated Press Researchers cooked hundreds of eggs and used math to tackle this runny conundrum. Continue reading