science saturday

I want to start today’s roundup by noting that doing this the day after April Fools is tough, because scientists have diabolical senses of humor, and I’m not generally smart enough to know when they’re yanking my chain. In other…

Most of the links this week will deal with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The biggest issue I have personally with nuclear power is that while things don’t often go wrong, when they do they have the ability to…

NASA’s Glory satellite fails to reach orbit. It was supposed to study the effect atmospheric particles have on the climate. This is the second time this has happened which might make one wonder if Koch Industries is building the rockets…

Sulfuric acid doesn’t dissolve a corpse quite as quickly as the mafia claims. From China a fossil of a walking cactus. A frigging walking cactus. Space Shuttle Discovery launched for the final time Friday, and here are some great views…

The Secret Service has done a study on US assassinations, and there’s some really interesting findings available. Here’s yet another way a hacker can use your public information against you. How is it that the Eiffel Tower is still standing?…

There’s a lunar core? I thought it was just a hunk of rock. Ever seen a solar eclipse from space? Now you can. The Russians are about to drill into Lake Vostok. Why is that a big deal? Because it’s…

Watching high speed laser welding with an x-ray camera–what part of that description isn’t awesome? Solving the Pioneer anomaly. Voyager is approaching the boundaries of the solar system. Lunar eclipse! Science Friday has the viewing tips. Ancient Maya temples may…

Fake eyes can affect behavior. This study is new, but the results aren’t surprising. They’re still cool, though. Reproductive scientists have used stem cells to create mice with two dads. It’s a planet lined with diamonds. Still not buying one.…

Radioactive mercury splits unevenly during fission. It’s a completely new form of asymmetric fission. This picture of the Nile at night from the International Space Station is nothing short of stunning. There are three times as many stars in the…

It still amazes me that scientists can even find planets in other systems, but to figure out that this one was once part of another galaxy is incredible . Scientists at CERN have trapped antimatter. What did NASA discover when…

Sorry this is late–the line for early voting was longer than I expected. That’s a good thing, though, so I’m fine with this being a little late if you are. Apparently, your fingers catch typos, or rather, there are two…

The Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity succeeded beyond everyone’s greatest hopes. Now, NASA is building a new Mars rover named Curiosity, which is much larger and heavier than the earlier two, and you can watch it being built. There’s more…