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Chile’s Quake of the...

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the city of Concepcion, Chile over the weekend is the largest recorded quake in 50 years. Though more people were killed and left homeless after the Haiti earthquake in January, this quake was about 500 times more powerful. Cameras captured the earthquake as it happened on Saturday. The earthquake triggered tsunamis up and down the Chilean coast and...

Mammoth Icebergs Could Alt...

An iceberg about the size of Luxembourg, which struck a glacier off Antarctica dislodging another massive block of ice, could lower oxygen levels in the world’s oceans, affect ocean currents and even change global weather patterns. With the equivalent of the world’s annual freshwater consumption frozen in these slow moving islands of ice, scientists believe it could take up to 30 years to...

Bloom Box May Rock Fuel Ce...

With California’s governor and a former Secretary of State on hand, Bloom Energy held its official launch. The clean-energy startup revealed some of its plans for making fuel-cell technology affordable enough for people to buy for their homes. With roots in NASA’s Mars program, here’s what Bloom Energy says about its solid oxide fuel technology. Derived from a common sand-like powder,...

Piecing Together the Tempe...

Each year, scientists at NASA’S Goddard Institute for Space Studies analyze global temperature data. The past year, 2009, tied as the second warmest year since global instrumental temperature records began 130 years ago. Worldwide, the mean temperature was 0.57°C (1.03°F) warmer than the 1951-1980 base period. And January 2000 to December 2009 came out as the warmest decade on record.

Fixing Food with Science...

Cookbook author David Joachim shows how his book The Science Of Good Food can fix most any kitchen mess. And in this video you’ll learn how to turn a basic custard into a delicious orange flan. Joachim says you can turn to the book when you are baking a cake and something goes wrong. He’ll show you how to use science to fix a food disaster. He and his co-authors offer 100 recipes and...

Rose Ellen’s Genetic...

A cancer patient is helping doctors at the Mayo Clinic unlock a few genetic secrets. Rose Ellen Heley allowed oncologists to decode her DNA and map her genome. Mayo Clinic researchers have learned something about her bone marrow cancer in the process that could help others suffering from cancer. Dr. Keith Stewart says we are entering into the era of individualized medicine and using genetics will...

NASAs WISE Eye in the Sky...

NASA launched a new satellite, called WISE, which stands for Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It’s mission? Find asteroids or comets that could potentially hit Earth and map the whole sky by October. KMGH reporter Corey Christiansen has the story. NASA Medley of WISE Images #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align:...

Science of…Breaking ...

It’s every 15 year old boy’s dream — to be able to break things and not get into trouble. At the Fears Lab at University of Oklahoma, scientists and engineers come from all over the world to squeeze, shake, break and shatter all sorts of things. And it’s all in the name of science. Most people go through work and daily life hoping nothing catastrophic happens. But at this unique...

President Obama Speaks Liv...

With the recent extension of the World Wide Web outside of this world, space is just a click away. And taking full advantage of the new ability to live stream to astronauts orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, President Obama congratulates the team for installing the last piece of the U.S. portion of the space station. During the mission, astronauts installed the Tranquility node and...

Science Determines King Tu...

For years, people thought the Egyptian king was murdered but new DNA evidence is pointing to a different killer. the 3,300-year-old pharaoh King Tutankhamun likely died from complications of a broken leg that was exacerbated by malaria, according to a two-year study of his mummy and family members. They found that the young king had a club foot and cleft palate and probably walked with a cane.

The Science of…The W...

San Francisco Bay area teachers are using the 2010 Winter Olympics to teach kids about math and science. The Silicon Valley Education Foundation teamed up with NBC Learn — the educational arm of NBC News — and the National Science Foundation to provide free lesson plans and video clips. For more information, visit Lessonopoly.org.

The Love Hormone Field Tes...

It’s a rare occasion when a scientist can test a theory outside the confines of a laboratory. So when Paul Zak got a call from New Scientist reporter Linda Geddes to take her blood at her wedding, he just couldn’t say no. Dr. Zak is an ocytoxin researcher who studies social indicators of the love hormone. Geddes and her groom-to-be offered their wedding (and a few guests) as guinea pigs...

Scientists Invent Rice Tha...

Agricultural scientists in India say they have developed a variety of rice that requires no cooking and can be eaten simply after being soaked in water.

New Study Shows Accelerate...

An ice-free Arctic in the summer may just be a few years away, according to preliminary Canadian Research that began during the International Polar Year. And less sea ice this winter allowed the coast guard icebreaker Amundsen to spend the whole winter research season in the Arctic, studying the climate changes at are changing life in the high latitudes.

Science Remixed for the Ma...

Music is a powerful medium to convey big messages. But few have successfully spun science-themed songs into big hits. John Boswell has created a new art form, merging the spoken word from superstar scientists with his own original music. And his Symphony of Science has become a big hit on YouTube. We Are All Connected A Glorious Dawn Our Place in the Cosmos The Unbroken Thread pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_2232', {src:...

NASA and GM Team Up to Bui...

The Robonaut2 is being jointly developed by NASA and General Motors to help humans in space and on Earth. It’s the first step toward having supervised yet autonomous robots performing tasks in outer space and in automotive factories. The R2 can lift four times as much as other robots and with fully functioning hands and fingers it is more dexterous than other bots.

Science on Track for Big B...

The federal agencies submitted their budget requests to Congress this week, marking a big moment for all things science. According to preliminary reports about $148 billion of the Presidents full $3.8 trillion budget is heading for scientific research programs. Photo courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_2233', {src: 'http://www.realscience.us/blog/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/FlowPlayerClassic.swf',...

Branson Explores Underwate...

The man who is planning to send tourists to space is diving into the world of ocean exploration. The first underwater plane is designed for use by Sir Richard Branson’s guests who visit his private Caribbean island. This fun toy could be the beginning of a new Virgin brand — this called one Virgin Oceanic. After taking possession of the new Necker Nymph later this month Branson will continue...

Astrotweets Signal Interne...

Astronauts can order books on Amazon or watch movies on Netflix, even while orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station. NASA just hooked up the Internet last week and already the astronauts have been tweeting up a storm. NASA also unveiled live streaming aboard the space station, starting today. pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_2235', {src: 'http://www.realscience.us/blog/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/FlowPlayerClassic.swf',...

Science State of the Union...

President Obama’s first State of the Union address was long as these speeches go but short on science. With only a few mentions of science, science education and innovation, the Monday morning science quarterbacks criticized the President for not including more science. But two teenage future scientists — Gabriela Farfan and Li Boynton — proudly sat near the First Lady during the...

Florida Freeze Kills Invas...

Millions of tilapia, an invasive fish species, have been wiped out. It has put a temporary dent in commercial fishing, but now biologists say other fish will have a chance to flourish. The tilapia has made its home in Florida lakes for decades since being first brought in to control out of control vegetation. But the recent cold blast in the Sunshine state wiped out most of the tilapia in Polk County...

Science Prepares for Alien...

A two-day conference at the Royal Society in London called The Detection of Extra-terrestrial Life and The Consequences for Science and Society gathered top astronomers to discuss the possibility that some life form on another planet will likely be discovered within our lifetime. The all-star lineup included Dr. Frank Drake, the NASA radio astronomer has been listening to the Universe for signs of...

Scientists Return to Haiti...

A group of geoscientists from leading research universities just received a grant to travel to Haiti to study the aftermath of the 7.0 Haiti earthquake that devastated the capital of Port-au-Prince on January 12. Led by Eric Calais from Purdue University, the team will take measurements of the changes along the fault line that ruptured during the quake and they will learn whether a bigger quake may...

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