science saturday

I’ve applauded Anonymous in the past, but this is not cool. The second you start drafting people into your cause without their knowledge, you become the thing you rail against. Hello again grizzled langurs. Glad you’re not all dead after…

Can’t help myself–I’m a sucker for high speed video of birds in flight. There are few things I find more elegant. Russia’s Mars probe, Phobos-Grunt (not making that name up), is probably going to crash to earth on Sunday. Most…

Independent journalists are taking to the skies, attempting to use drones to capture footage and livestream it. Even though I’m a huge fan of tech, I’m not sure I feel this is an improvement or even a welcome development. Scientists…

If you weren’t already afraid of scorpions, then you probably don’t want to hear that their exoskeleton sort of acts like one big eye. Popular Science takes us on a tour inside Space Shuttle Atlantis. Twenty-five bucks will soon get…

Everyone who’s been able to light their water on fire when gas companies started fracturing shale to get to natural gas just said “No shit, EPA.” NASA scientists announced that they’ve found the closest thing to an earth orbiting a…

Has CERN found the Higgs Boson? If I actually drank mixed drinks, I might be more interested in this story about the physics of mixology. But I like the flavor of the alcohol I drink. The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear meltdown…

HYbrid cars not only save gas–they’re safer too. Suck on that, SUVs. So this can potentially help you learn more effectively. But can it help me write better poems? Watch Popular Science blow up a turkey with a deep fryer.…

The first time neutrinos were measured going faster than the speed of light (something heretofore thought impossible), there were questions about the way they were measured. There’s been a second test, and it seems neutrinos might actually be faster than…

Look, up in the sky! It’s a…Russian probe crashing back to Earth. A new robotic sportscaster–as long as he’s less irritating than Chris Berman, I’m in. I’m shocked! Shocked! to discover the EPA has found fracking compounds in a Wyoming…

Interesting piece on how psychology affects performance in the world of sports. Birds may be using a sophisticated grammar to communicate. Great space images via National Geographic. Edward Tenner on why the Webb Telescope is worth it, even if it…

The Ig Nobel Prizes have been awarded, and they’re awesome as usual. Say goodbye to Tevatron. New data on Mercury, and some great images too. Some background on the Italian trial of six geophysicists surrounding the Aquila earthquake of 2009.…

Remember way back last week when I told you about seeing a supernova from your back yard? Yeah, well, astronomers want your help in studying it. I’m always fascinated by stories like this because my Zoology professor in college was…