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Seventeen Years of Waiting Meets More Delays—Weather Pushes SpaceX Dscovr Launch to Tuesday

Medicine & Technology After 17 years of waiting for his late night dream to come to fruition, former Vice President of the United States Al Gore is going to have to wait a little longer to see his satellite launched into space. A US Air Force ground radar malfunction delayed SpaceX’s launch of the 1,250-pound satellite nicknamed “GoreSat” this weekend, however, in spite of planning a relaunch this morning, the rocket company decided to delay another 24 hours due to weather concerns at its Florida launch site.

Head Lice Home Remedy Leads To the Death of Massachusetts Toddler

After a head lice home remedy went awry last Saturday, Jan. 31, one Springfield, Mass. toddler died. While typical treatments include simple insecticide shampoos, the toddler’s parents decided to opt for an alternative treatment using household items, which resulted in the suffocation of the 18-month-old.

The Antigastronomist—Unboiling an Egg

While gastronomists and foodies alike have searched for new methods of altering the chemical composition of foods, chemists at UC Irvine and the University of Western Australia have found a way to undo some of the changes. In fact, after being tasked with finding new methods for reducing the costs of pharmaceutical development, the researchers have found a way to deconstruct the problem and solved the puzzle of unboiling an egg.

The Month of Love—When the Stars & Planets Align

As the month of love kicks off, with Valentine’s Day only a few days away, gentlemen out there are looking for the perfect gift. Money not being an object, diamond and floral sales skyrocket in February, but even in spite of the size of their trust funds, no man is able to buy a perfect night sky. Fortunately for them, however, February will be a skywatcher’s dream even without any meteor showers on the near horizon.

NASA Satellite Reveals ‘Cloud Streets’ Over Bering Sea

While NASA researchers are still waiting for the initial readings from their newest mission, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission which plans to give researchers and farmers vital information about the moisture of any given soil on the face of the Earth, another mission has its sights set on the seas this week. Releasing a new image courtesy of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite, researchers at the space agency reveal that while all may seem calm below, the clouds above the Bering Sea tell a tale much more interesting than the waters it hides.

When Roses Bloom in Northern California, Researchers Take Notice

While the presence of small pink roses may seem like an innocuous blossom, researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz are finding that as little creatures appear they signal warmer waters to come. No, these pink roses aren’t flora species, they’re hot pink sea slugs found traditionally in southern California tide pools. But as they’ve migrated north, researchers now believe that coastal water temperatures are on the rise, and this could have serious implications farther up on the food chain.

The Chicks With All of the Tricks—Spatial Strategies & Number Mapping

When it comes to cognition, there are few answers on the origins of many behaviors. Neurobiology and social anthropology help researchers understand the development of speech, the correlation of objects or words with physical entities, and even the emergence of faiths. However, when it comes to something as simple as a number line, which is virtually a universal means of discerning small numbers from larger numbers, researchers are stumped. And looking to nature for the answer, a new study published this week in the journal Science, discovered just how universal these number lines are.

Is Climate Change To Blame for These Blooming Pink Nudibranchs?

While they be fun to look at, a new sight in northern California tide pools are causing quite a bit of concern as the shades of oceanic blue are filled with one-inch blotches of hot pink. The culprits, known as Hopkin’s Rose Nudibranch (Okenia rosacea), are sea slugs common to the warmer waters of southern California. But as water temperatures shift, researchers fear that their migration further up the coast may be a sign of what’s to come.

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