Jul 23 How concerned should we be about the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus? By Jenny Marder On Thursday, federal officials announced that the tropical Chikungunya mosquito-borne disease had been transmitted for the first time within the United States, infecting two Florida residents. What’s notable about these cases is that the people affected reported no recent… Continue reading
Jul 23 Bats use polarized light to calibrate internal compasses By Andrew Troast Bats navigate the evening sky using patterns of polarized light, according to a new study. Researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast have found that in addition to their uncommon echolocation skills, bats use polarized sunlight at dusk to set their… Continue reading
Jul 21 Earth sees hottest June on record since 1880, NOAA says By Anna Christiansen The world’s heat record was broken for a second consecutive month. With the exception of Antarctica, new temperature highs were recorded on every continent. Continue reading
Jul 18 White House approves sonic cannons for Atlantic energy exploration By Talia Mindich The Obama administration opened the way to gas and oil exploration off the U.S. Atlantic coast bygiving final approval Friday to the use of sonic cannons that can pinpoint energy deposits beneath the ocean floor. Continue reading
Jul 17 Even healthy corals have herpes, so what’s making them sick? By Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy Even healthy corals carry viruses, like herpes. Are these viruses making them sick? Science Nation explores the microorganisms that are killing coral reefs around the world. Continue reading
Jul 17 Female field scientists commonly face sexual harassment, study finds By Anna Christiansen Field-based research is often a core component of study for earth disciplines at the university level. It requires living away from home or campus, often in a remote or foreign area. A study released Wednesday by the University of Illinois… Continue reading
Jul 16 Scientists unearth largest ever four-winged dinosaur By Anna Christiansen Scientists discovered a fossil in northeast China that reveals a new species of dinosaur. The four-winged, four-foot Changyuraptor is the largest of its kind to date, and joins a handful of other microraptorines that lived 125 million years ago. Continue reading
Jul 16 First steps of a baby Stegosaurus, captured in 3-D By Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy A baby stegosaurus' first steps 150 million years ago can now be modeled in 3D with a few clicks on a camera phone. The technology makes studying dinosaur footprints cheap and easy. Continue reading
Jul 16 45 years ago, Apollo 11 blasted off into space By Ariel Min Forty-five years ago today, the historic liftoff of Apollo 11 was broadcast around the country as America sent the first humans to the moon. Continue reading
Jul 14 Scans of preserved mammoth babies thaw details into ancient animals’ development By Justin Scuiletti First of their kind scans of preserved infant woolly mammoths have made insight into the early stages of development for the 40,000 year-old prehistoric animals less fuzzy. Continue reading