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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: science

science stories: 170 news summaries

1 - 20 of 170 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 ... 9 Next >>

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ANALYSIS

 Fewer Americans 
 Believe in Global Warming 

Those seeing evidence of it dropped from 71%-57% in 18 months

Oct 22, 09 8:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - The percentage of Americans who think there’s serious evidence of global warming has dropped precipitously in the past 18 months—from 71% to 57%, the Pew Research Center finds. Numbers were down across the political spectrum—Democrat, independent, Republican—but the drop was most pronounced among independents, to 53%... More »

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climate change • global warming • cap and trade • science • Pew Center • opinion polls

 'Ig Nobels' Laud Goofy Science 

Bra gas masks and the benefits of naming cows among the discoveries honored

Oct 2, 09 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - The scientific world’s best and brightest gathered last night to honor the silliest. Eight Nobel laureates showed up to hand out the “Ig Nobels,” which honor funny, weird, and downright silly discoveries. The winners included:
  • Public health: Dr. Elena Bodnar, who invented a bra
... More »

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Poland • science • Ireland • Nobel Prize • Ig Nobel Prizes • Elena Bodnar

 Craft Find Traces 
 of Water on Moon 

Widespread, but still unclear how much

Sep 23, 09 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - There is indeed some water on the moon, with three different spacecraft seemingly putting to rest the scientific school of thought that the orb is bone-dry. Friday’s issue of the journal Science cites “unambiguous evidence” of either water (two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen) or hydroxyl (one of... More »

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water • science • moon • spacecraft • hydroxyl

Leftover Fat From Lipos Is 'Liquid Gold' for Stem Cells

Siphoned off fat better than skin for producing embyo-free stem cells

Sep 8, 09 3:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Blubber may be the next big thing in stem cell research. Stanford scientists have found that leftover liposuction fat contains cells that can be changed into induced pluripotent stem cells—a type that doesn't require the use of an embryo, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Until now, scientists... More »

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stem cell research • stem cells • science • fat • liposuction • embryonic stem cells

(Newser) - The meticulous attention a pro tennis player gives to choosing balls ahead of a serve is a little bit of science with a healthy dose of superstition—or even stalling. Players say balls that have seen more play are fluffier and therefore have more drag, though the consensus is that... More »

MORE ABOUT:
science • ritual • Novak Djokovic • US Open Tennis • OCD • superstition • Jo Wilfried Tsonga • Caroline Wozniacki • tennis players • tennis ball • serve

 Stress Keeps Mosquitoes Away 

Scientists near bug spray derived from body chemicals

Sep 2, 09 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mosquito magnets, take note: British scientists have identified which bodily chemical odors make some people less attractive to mosquitoes, and they may be ones related to stress, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s thought that the insects avoid anxious people in favor of healthier prey, a finding that could... More »

MORE ABOUT:
science • stress • mosquito • chemical • DEET • insect repellent

World's First
Cloned Wolf Dies

Cause of death a mystery

Sep 1, 09 3:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of  of the world's first two cloned wolves has died due to unknown causes, reports the Korea Times. Snuwolf, 4, was found dead at South Korea's national zoo. Her identical sister, Snuwolffy, remains healthy. "Snuwolf had been in good condition," said Prof. Shin Nam-sik, a leader of... More »

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South Korea • Seoul • science • zoo • cloning • Seoul National University • clone • animal cloning • wolves • lone wolf • Shin Nam-sik

Scientists Capture Detailed Image of Molecule

Technique could help improve electronics, drugs

Aug 28, 09 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - In a scientific first, IBM researchers have produced a detailed image of a molecule’s structure, the BBC reports. The stunning image, made with an atomic force microscope that vibrates like a tuning fork, is so finely detailed that it shows chemical bonds. Such intricate familiarity with the molecule opens... More »

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drugs • science • electronics • IBM • image • microscopic • atom • scientific research • molecules

(Newser) - Facing broad new US regulations on emissions, big business wants to put the science behind global warming before a judge, the Los Angeles Times reports. “It would be evolution versus creationism,” says an executive for the US Chamber of Commerce, which is pushing the idea of a public... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • evolution • global warming • science • creationism • Environmental Protection Agency • emissions standards • big business • carbon emissions • Scopes monkey trial • US Chamber of Commerce

(Newser) - On August 25, 1609—400 years ago today—Galileo Galilei introduced Venice to the telescope, and the discoveries it enabled were every bit as revolutionary as Darwinism, writes Peter Walker of the Guardian. With his telescope, a brown stick weaker than today's store-bought models, Galileo detected moon-like phases of Venus,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
astronomy • science • telescope • Philadelphia • Galileo • anniversary

 High-Tech Mug Keeps 
 Coffee Just Right 

Mug absorbs heat, then releases it to maintain perfect temperature

Aug 20, 09 11:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - German scientists have developed a coffee mug that gets your joe to the right temperature and keeps it there, Der Spiegel reports. The secret is phase-change material, waxy stuff used in home-building to maintain temperatures indoors. It's also stuffed inside winter jackets, and if these scientists have their way, it... More »

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coffee • science • temperature • beverages

(Newser) - We may have Erik Satie to blame for hold music—the composer “developed a very cynical attitude” toward a distracted listening public and decided modern music would be more like a chair than an intellectual pursuit—but the science behind it is state-of-the-art, Newsweek reports. Studies on the... More »

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music • science • business • composer • telephone • scientific study • hold • Erik Satie

(Newser) - With NASA hoping to set up a lunar outpost by 2020, an unlikely nuisance has become a hot commodity: moon dust. With only 227 pounds of the equipment-clogging stuff available for tests, NASA is pouring $19 million into faking it, the Wall Street Journal reports. "So many people need... More »

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NASA • science • moon • moon landings • rock

(Newser) - The Senate will soon debate the climate bill passed by the House, but “even if we do get a global-warming law for the first time in 2009, in a sense we’ve already failed,” write Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum on BuzzFlash. The issue’s 20 years old,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • Congress • global warming • science • GOP • Republican Party • scientists • Waxman-Markey

Why Cancer Researchers Are Playing it Safe

Long-shots are risky to fund, so grants go to less ambitious studies

Jun 28, 09 12:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - If you're a cancer researcher, it's harder to get money to investigate a potentially field-changing question than to find out whether a food's tastiness affects dieting. The reason is simple but problematic: With limited funding available and lots of research to do, grant-givers don't want to lose money on a... More »

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breast cancer • science • cancer research • funding • cancer drug • scientific funding • women's issues

(Newser) - The owner of hero 9/11 sniffer dog Trakr has been presented with four new bouncing baby ... Trakrs, reports TMZ. The four black puppies with piercing blue eyes are all clones of their hero pop. Just in time, too—the original Trakr died in April at the age of 15. He... More »

MORE ABOUT:
science • rescue dogs • German shepherd • Man's best friend • dog • cloned pets • clone • 9/11 attacks • BioArts International • Trakr

 Forecast: 
 'Astonishing' 
 New Cloud Type 

If recognized, new variety would be first since 1951

Jun 15, 09 3:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - A photo taken by an Iowa paralegal may help secure the recognition of a new cloud type, USA Today reports. Meteorologists are analyzing the cloud's characteristics to determine whether it's an example of an unrecognized type. If the move to recognize the cloud type succeeds, undulus asperatus, whose Latin name... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • environment • science • clouds • climate

 New Element 
 Joins Periodic Table 

Experiments confirm existence of super-heavy Element 112

Jun 11, 09 3:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - The periodic table of elements will soon gain a new—and the heaviest known—element, the BBC reports. Element 112 was first discovered over a decade ago and its existence has now been confirmed after extensive experiments. Authorities have temporarily named it "ununbium," and its German discoverers have... More »

MORE ABOUT:
science • particle accelerator • chemistry

 Revolted? 
 You May Be 
 Conservative 

Studies suggest those on right have weaker stomachs

Jun 5, 09 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Those easily repulsed by a creepy bug or bloody scene may lean to the right, new studies suggest. People who are easily grossed out are particularly likely to take conservative stances on homosexuality, LiveScience reports. Surveys using scales for “Disgust Sensitivity” and political ideology helped researchers draw the conclusions;... More »

MORE ABOUT:
study • science • research • Cornell University • conservatism

 Scientists  
 Name Beetle 
 After Colbert 

Researchers honor comedian on his birthday

May 8, 09 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists who bestowed names of Bush administration officials on a trio of bugs have named a new Venezuelan beetle after Stephen Colbert, the Washington Times reports. "Last year, Stephen shamelessly asked the science community to name something cooler than a spider to honor him," said one of the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • science • bug • late night talk show • Stephen Colbert • The Colbert Report • name • comedian • beetle

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