New Element Joins Periodic Table

Relativity, theory of evolution top the list

(NEWSER) - Every year, the website Edge poses a big, open-ended question to leading scientists. This year's query— "What is your favorite deep, elegant or beautiful explanation?" —received 191 answers covering a wide range of ideas, with Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity and Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution receiving the most replies, reports Reuters . Some interesting responses:

• "Darwin's natural selection wins hands down," writes Richard Dawkins, unsurprisingly. "Never in the field of human comprehension were so many facts explained by assuming so few."

Twin 'grails' will study moon's gravity field

(NEWSER) - Two NASA probes are poised to reach the moon over the New Year's holiday. After a journey of more than three months, the $496 million Grail probes—short for Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory—will soon be in place, reports AP . Grail A is set to arrive on New Year's Eve and Grail B the following day. More»

And it's in danger of happening again

(NEWSER) - Scientists have discovered that the Dead Sea pretty much vanished 120,000 years ago when the earth was as warm, or slightly warmer, than it is today, reports the BBC . It's in danger of doing the same today, this time helped along by populated areas taking the water that would normally flow into it. This could lead to momentous problems, as those Mideast populations rely on the salt lake for agriculture, fertilizer, and salt manufacturing. More»

Heavy elements flerovium and livermorium closer to joining the club

(NEWSER) - You can pencil two new elements onto your periodic table, because prospective elements 114 and 116 have finally gotten names. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry today dubbed the two elements flerovium (Fl) and livermorium (Lv) respectively, MSNBC reports. But do use pencil, because the names aren’t entirely official yet—they have to wait through a five-month public comment period first. More»

They survive and reproduce at space station

(NEWSER) - If humans ever manage to colonize Mars or some other far-flung planet, a tiny roundworm may show the way. Scientists sent 4,000 worms (C. elegans for the science-minded) up to the International Space Station, where they managed to not only survive but produce 12 new generations over three months, reports Discovery News . The worms share genetic traits with humans, and the experiment could shed light on how multiple generations of people might survive the rigors of life in space—specifically the ill effects of weightlessness on muscles and the heart, notes the BBC . More»