Jun 27 Hayabusa2, a Japanese spacecraft, arrives at Ryugu asteroid to retrieve minerals By Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American If all goes according to plan, two spacecraft will commence close encounters with two asteroids by the end of August, in order to retrieve organic materials dating back to the solar system’s birth. Continue reading
Jun 24 Will launching plants into orbit yield new medicines? By Eric Boodman, STAT A team of biologists and chemists hopes that this alien environment might prod these floral cosmonauts into producing new and improved molecules for drugs. Continue reading
Jun 22 To beat Vegas bookies at the World Cup, these statisticians turned to artificial intelligence By Amanda Grennell After cleaning up at the 2014 World Cup, statistician Andreas Groll is enlisting machine learning to keep his lucky streak going… Continue reading
Jun 22 White House proposes a reduction of the FDA’s mission By Ike Swetlitz, STAT The idea of changing a key mission of the FDA comes amid a turf war between the FDA and the USDA over the regulation of genetically engineered animals. Continue reading
Jun 21 Why a U.S. ‘Space Force’ is ‘premature’ but ‘inevitable’ By Nsikan Akpan What would a space force look like? Why now? Will NASA play a role? Three experts, including a retired Air Force Lieutenant General, explain the rationale behind President Trump's announcement. Continue reading
Jun 20 Watch 7:10 How off-the-grid Navajo residents are getting running water By Fred de Sam Lazaro Lack of access to running water is an issue in many developing countries, but it is also a problem in the United States. Nearly 40 percent of the homes in the Navajo Nation lack running water or sanitation, and many… Continue watching
Jun 20 The science behind the summer solstice By Stephen Schneider, The Conversation The summer solstice brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for 88 percent of Earth’s people. Continue reading
Jun 18 Laze, vog and other volcano vocabulary inspired by Kilauea By Nsikan Akpan, Julia Griffin Kilauea's eruptions have exposed the guts of our planet in ways previously unseen, and along the way, inspired a number of volcanology terms. Continue reading
Jun 17 Watch 4:32 Sea levels could rise three feet by 2100, study projects By PBS News Hour Antarctica is losing ice three times faster than it was in 2007 as greenhouse gas emissions by human activity contribute to global warming. A study in Nature says that sea levels could rise between three and six feet by 2100,… Continue watching
Jun 16 Controversial NIH study of ‘moderate drinking’ will be terminated after scathing report By Sharon Begley, Andrew Joseph, STAT The National Institutes of Health will shut down a controversial industry-funded study of moderate drinking and heart disease after a task force found severe ethical and scientific lapses in the study’s planning and execution, the agency’s director said Friday. Continue reading