ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

When It Comes to Controversy, Science and the American Public Disagree

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE While most of the general public may not want to spend their life crunching numbers or mixing chemicals in a lab, often science breaches the great divide. While there may be a few points of contention, the good news at least is that most Americans believe that science and scientists are invaluable resources for information. In fact in a new public opinion poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 79 percent of those interviewed said that they believed in the important nature of science. But when it came to controversial topics like climate change and GMOs, the stats and the public opinion were not nearly as generous.

Watch This Spider Spin a Web That Makes Tech Designers Envious

Looking to boost the integrity of nanofilaments, important in commercial manufacturing and technology, researchers from Oxford University recently investigated how the filaments are spun in nature. Pulling inspiration from outside in their gardens, the researchers from the UK captured female Uloborus plumipes commonly known as “feather-legged lace weavers” and watched them spin their webs.

Ever Wonder How Spiders Spin Such Long Webs? Researchers at Oxford Use Microscopy to Find the Answer

Looking just outside into their gardens for a bit of inspiration, one group of Oxford University researchers has sought out to discover how common spider species spin such long, ornate fiber while only being a few nanometers thick. Hoping to reveal nature’s secret, which may someday revolutionize the technological industry as manufacturers find new ways of commercially spinning nano-scale filaments, the researchers captured female Uloborus plumipes commonly known as “feather-legged lace weavers” and watched them spin their webs.

Extreme Weather Risk Doubles Due To Global Warming

As temperatures around the globe continue to rise we could begin to experience more severe forms of weather much more often, according to a new study. Researchers taking part in the study now believe that the climate phenomena known as El Nino and La Nina are likely to increase in both frequency and violence thanks to global warming.

SMAP Craft Set to Move to Launch Pad

NASA has moved the Soil Moisture Active Passive spacecraft to the launch pad in preparation for a January 29 launch, in its first ever attempt to take scientific measurements of the Earth on a global scale.

Scientists Discover Life 2,500 Feet Below Antarctic Ice

In a surprising twist, scientists drilling through 2,500 feet or 740 meters of ice in Antarctica have stumbled upon a colony of fish, crustaceans and jellyfish inhabiting the cold and dark recesses of the barren Antarctic sea floor.

Jellies Reveal Clever Mode of Transport, Even in Absence of Brains

Without fins or bones capable of paddling, in terms of appearances, jellyfish may seem like mere drifters of the sea. But even in spite of their major deficits, including the absence of a heart and brains, these invertebrates have an incredible talent for swimming. So much so that no other creature under the sea can quite compete in terms of efficiency and skills. Though their tactics have long been misunderstood, a new study adds to the working knowledge that these brainless creatures are far more clever than we give them credit for.

Reptile Preceding Dinosaurs Discovered

Paleontologists have discovered a new species of reptile after putting together the remains of a new crocodile-like species that lived long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

VIDEO—Jellyfish Reveal A Knack for Global Positioning & Swimming in New Study

While jellyfish may seem like an innocuous marine species, most commonly known for their ability to sting, a new study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that the little gelatinous creatures are actually quite efficient in traversing waves, and can also detect the direction of ocean currents to effectively swim against them. Like a character straight out of Oz, without a heart, bones and even a brain, these little creatures may seem like their helpless in the wild but they’re proving that they can swim against the currents life brings them.

Revealing the Swimming Secrets of the Ageless, Brainless Jellyfish

They may lack brains, bones, and even a heart, but jellyfish are undoubtedly some of the most interesting creatures marine biologists have come to research. Even in spite of their major deficits, and their obvious downfalls, jellyfish have an incredible talent for swimming. So much so that no other creature under the sea can quite compete in terms of efficiency and skills. Though their tactics have long been misunderstood, a new study adds to the working knowledge that these brainless creatures are far more clever than we give them credit for.

Doomsday Clock Moves Even Closer to Midnight

The world could be closer to coming to an end, if you believe the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists who moved the clock two minutes closer to midnight. The clock now sits at three minutes to midnight making this the closest it has been to midnight since 1984 during the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

"Living Fossil" Frilled Shark Comes Up From Ocean Depths

A rare frilled shark was caught off the coast of Australia in a fishing trawler. This rarely spotted living fossil dates back 80 million years with a face that won't win it any beauty contests and looks like something that might come out of a Hollywood horror movie.

Greenland's Massive Ice Sheets Reveal New Lakes Below

Scientists have discovered changes in the subglacial lakes that have formed below the massive Greenland ice sheet. These lakes could make the ice more sensitive to changes in the climate than many previously believed.
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