Tags: News

SMAP Launch Promises New View of Earth’s Soil—From Space

SPACE As climate change issues intensify, and many countries face continuing droughts, NASA’s newest mission plans to offer a bit of assistance in confronting a drying Earth. Sent into orbit just this morning, Saturday Jan. 31 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission plans to give researchers and farmers vital information about the moisture of any given soil on the face of the Earth.

Think That Chicks Are Just Plain Cute? Well It Turns Out That They Have a Knack for Numbers Too

While it may take children a couple of years to learn the true values of arithmetic, a new study conducted by ethologist Dr Rosa Rugani, from the University of Padova, reveals that newborn chicks can not only recognize number patterns but also place them in ascending order from left to right. In fact, while the cognitive ability to count may seem like an acquired trait taught to us in school, Rugani’s recent experiments prove that even those with bird brains can display a knack for “number mapping”.

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

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.

NASA Climate Research Satellite Launch Postponed Due to Fast Winds

Fast winds over California postponed a NASA satellite launch today, but researchers with the space agency say that the mission is far from over. Set to launch this morning, Jan. 29, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory may have had a setback but it still has plans to map the world in a way researchers have never done before.

Clearing Up the Smoke—Editorial On E-Cigarettes Study & Public Opinion

In a recent article published by our writers entitled “Just a Bunch of Hot Air? The Truth About Vaping” our journalist investigated new research published by the New England Journal of Medicine regarding e-cigarettes and health implications associated with vaping. Readers have said that the article propagated fear tactics to decidedly speak against vaping, and with so many questions having recently arisen in response to the article, the editorial staff has decided that it is best to clear up the subject here.

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 Can Now Unboil Eggs

Did you ever wish you could unboil those eggs you just finished boiling, just so that you could use them in some other culinary masterpiece? Well, maybe someday you can thanks to a team of scientists at the University of California.

NASA Scientists Mystified by White Spot on Ceres

NASA's Dawn spacecraft continues its approach to the dwarf planet Ceres for its planned mission. During this approach it has already snapped several images of this small planet located in the asteroid belt. And what these pictures have revealed has mystified scientists at NASA for weeks.

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.

So Long Lovejoy, See You in 8,000 Years

After putting on quite a show in the night sky that delighted astronomers of all ages across the world, it is finally time to bid farewell to the comet Lovejoy. This past Saturday night was the last time that sky-watching enthusiasts had the opportunity to witness Comet Lovejoy with the naked eye, and there won't be another chance to catch this unique comet for the next 8,000 years.

Your Cup of Joe Could Prevent Skin Cancer

According to new research from Yale University and the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), drinking coffee everyday could reduce your for malignant melanoma skin cancer.

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.
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