The Three Faces of Camouflage
Marine biologist Roger Hanlon shows how cuttlefish change their coloring to disappear in the marine environment.
England Shaken but not Stirred After Strong Quake
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island nation in the middle of last night. One serious injury and no deaths have been reported but the cost looks like it may top $20 million. England has an earthquake about once every 30 years and the last major quake was 25 years ago.
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Diseases, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 02 26th, 2008 | No Comments
UCLA Confirms Adult Skin Cell Transformation
Dr. Kathrin Plath at UCLA
Last November a groundbreaking discovery announced that adult skin cells could be turned into the equivalent of embryonic stem cells. But could the experiment be reproduced? The answer is yes. A team at UCLA has created stem cells from skin cells, just like the first experiments....
Clinton, Obama Campaigns Talk Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) national meeting invited the major presidential candidates to participate in a forum on science policy. The event happened spontaneously and because of the short time frame only two campaigns sent advisers to tell the scientists how they...
U.S. Blasts Satellite out of Orbit
The Navy says that it struck a U.S. spy satellite, destroying the toxic hydrazine fuel tank in the process. The missile launched from a navy ship near Hawaii and created quite a light show. Some wonder whether this is maneuver is a flexing of military muscle following a similar move by China last year...
New Antarctic Creatures Caught on Video
A census of life at the bottom of Southern Ocean near Antarctica is revealing odd creatures — ranging from new fish, glass-like sea creatures called tunicates and giant sea spiders. After a recent 20-day collection trip, scientists announced that 25% of the animals they found were new to science.
Power Shirt Generates Energy from Physical Motion
Georgia Tech Professor Zhong Lin Wang shows a microfiber nanogenerator composed of a pair of entangled fibers. Photo by: Gary Meek
Portable electricity just took a big step forward. The ability to power a cell phone or iPod is now within reach with a new breakthrough at Georgia Tech, where researchers...
The Science of…Leap Year
courtesy of ASU deptarments of Geography and Computer Science
This year, February 29 appears on the calendar. That’s because 2008 is a leap year. It’s just an easy way to keep our calendars clear and consistent.
Why do we get an extra day every four years? The answer is in the way the Earth...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Adaptation and Extinction, Endangered Species, Global Warming, Podcast, SciClips on 02 8th, 2008 | No Comments
Pacific Walrus on the Brink
courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service
First the polar bears and now the Pacific Walrus are being squeezed off the melting ice and onto the brink of extinction. Could listing the walrus under the Endangered Species Act save the tusked mammal or is global warming making it too hot for the walrus to...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Climate, Engineering, Environment, Marine Science, Podcast, SciClips on 02 7th, 2008 | No Comments
Ocean-Going Hybrid Vehicle
courtesy of Webb Research, photo by David Doubilet
Taking a page out of a science fiction story, a group of scientistshave successfully flown the first environmentally powered robotic vehicle through the ocean.
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High Fat Health Food
courtesy of University of Massachusetts Amherst
Soon the greasy goodness of fat might make low-fat foods taste a lot better without adding calories. Researchers have pioneered a new technique for wrapping fats so the body can’t digest them as easily. This may have applications for drug delivery...
Posted by Michael Bradbury in Adaptation and Extinction, Marine Science, Podcast, SciClips on 02 5th, 2008 | No Comments
Fish Booms (and Busts) Solved
courtesy of Scripps Institue, UC San Diego
Cycles of booms and busts have plagued the fishing industry forever. Fish suddenly disappear in one area and turn up in another. Now scientists think they have figured out part of the mystery — at least when it comes to sardines and anchovies.
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Duckie Danger
courtesy of Royalty free stock photography
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathtub. Rubber ducks could contain a toxin that interferes with reproduction. New research also finds that these chemicals called pthalates is found in many popular baby products.
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Spit if You Want Your Genetic Code
Everybody has 23 pairs of chromosomes. It’s just part of our genetic makeup. We get half from our mothers and half from our fathers. And that combination of genes outlines our natural abilities, our appearance and even what diseases we could develop. Now a company in California is trying to make...
