Wild dolphins tail-walk on water

In what is thought to be a world first, a wild dolphin is apparently teaching others to tail-walk.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 11:57 am

Flood waters in South Texas recede after torrent (AP)

AP - The Rio Grande Valley's main highway was reopened and flood waters receded Tuesday after up to 13 inches of rain swamped southern Texas.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 11:36 am

Algeria bombing kills 43 (Reuters)

Reuters - A bomb attack east of Algiers killed 43 people and wounded 38 on Tuesday, the Algerian interior ministry said, in one of the bloodiest incidents in years in the OPEC member state.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 11:34 am

The Storied History of the Word 'Planet'

The word "planet" has meant many different things over the millennia and even still its definition is evolving.
Source: Livescience.com | 19 Aug 2008 | 10:50 am

China jumps Olympics air hurdle

Despite fears in the run-up to the Olympic Games, the skies above Beijing have met clean-air standards, officials say.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 10:43 am

Clinton: US should demonstrate energy solutions (AP)

AP - The United States can capture the world's imagination by creating an energy independent state, territory or nation, former President Bill Clinton told an energy summit.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 10:24 am

Storm Fay washes wetly ashore in southwest Florida

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Fay moved ashore over southwest Florida on Tuesday without strengthening into a hurricane, bringing heavy rains to the south of the peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 10:08 am

Peru moves to end Amazon protests

Peru declares a state of emergency as indigenous Amazon tribes block pipelines in a row over a land law.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 10:03 am

Confused sea turtles march into Italian restaurant

ROME (Reuters) - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 9:10 am

Confused sea turtles march into Italian restaurant (Reuters)

Reuters - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said on Monday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 8:58 am

Perfect return flight for Proton

A Russian Proton rocket successfully launches one of the biggest commercial satellites ever built - the Inmarsat-4 (I4-F3).
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 8:40 am

Dr William Brown on why symmetry is sexy

Symmetrical faces are more sexually attractive, scientists have found. Dr William Brown of Brunel University explains
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 19 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am

Australian PM urges more US climate change action (AP)

AP - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urged the United States on Tuesday to take more action on climate change and become more involved in the global debate on the issue.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 7:04 am

For mosquitoes, DEET just plain stinks: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - DEET, the widely used mosquito repellent, does not block the insects' sense of smell but simply stinks to them, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 5:48 am

Whale calf lost in Sydney waters, bonds with yacht (AP)

AP - A lost humpback whale calf that bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother will likely die within days if it doesn't find another mother to adopt it, a wildlife official said Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 5:41 am

Why a history of inbreeding spells trouble for pedigree dogs

Pedigree dogs suffer from debilitating genetic diseases due to inbreeding, a BBC inquiry concludes.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 3:15 am

Flat-panel fridge

New approach may make fridges more efficient and quieter
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 2:22 am

Magpies are no bird-brains, mirror test shows

LONDON (Reuters) - Magpies can recognize themselves in a mirror, highlighting the mental skills of some birds and confounding the notion that self-awareness is the exclusive preserve of humans and a few higher mammals.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:47 am

Brain's counting skill 'built-in'

Humans have an innate ability to do maths even if they do not have the language to express it, research suggests.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:21 am

Synthetic Molecules Could Add Spice To Fight Against Cancer

Seeking to improve on nature, scientists used a spice-based compound as a starting point and developed synthetic molecules that, in lab settings, are able to kill cancer cells and stop the cells from spreading. The researchers are combining organic chemistry, computer-aided design and molecular biology techniques in developing and testing pharmaceutical compounds that can fight breast and prostate cancer cells. The synthetic molecules are derived from curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the spice turmeric.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Call For Better Protection Of Older People From Climate Change Impact

A new report calls on government and public authorities to take action to better protect older people from the future effects of climate change.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Leishmaniasis Parasites Evade Death By Exploiting Immune Response To Sand Fly Bites

Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease characterized by painful skin ulcers, occurs when the parasite Leishmania major, or a related species, is transmitted to a mammalian host by the bite of an infected sand fly. In a new study, scientists have discovered L. major does its damage by not only evading but also by exploiting the body's wound-healing response to sand fly bites.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Toxoplasmosis Found More Severe In Brazil Compared To Europe

Newborns in Brazil are more susceptible to toxoplasmosis than those in Europe, according to a recent study. Researchers based in Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom studied the disease's ocular effects in children from birth to four years of age.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Extinction Most Likely For Rare Trees In Amazon Rainforest

Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent, predict scientists in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

New Robot Scouts Best Locations For Components Of Undersea Lab

Like a deep-sea bloodhound, Sentry -- the newest in an elite group of unmanned submersibles able to operate on their own in demanding and rugged environments -- has helped scientists pinpoint locations for two observation sites of a pioneering seafloor laboratory being planned off Washington and Oregon. Successful selection of the two sites is a crucial step in developing an extensive sensor network above and below the seafloor on the Juan de Fuca Plate.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 19 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Obituary: John Dore

Archaeologist expert in ancient pottery from Africa to Britain
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 18 Aug 2008 | 11:03 pm

Quiet revolution

Can Brazil's farms help to feed the world?
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 18 Aug 2008 | 10:28 pm

Researchers say numbers aren't needed to count (AP)

AP - Answer this without counting: Are there more X's here XXXXXX, or here XXXXX? That's a problem facing people whose languages don't include words for more than one or two. Yet researchers say children who speak those languages are still able to compare quantities.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 10:22 pm

Coal's toxic legacy to the Arctic

Data from a Greenland ice core indicates that coal burning is the prime source of heavy metal pollution in the Arctic.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:52 pm

Video - Cell Phones and Microscopes Get Together

Diagnosing disease in developing nations is made easier with this $99 innovation that snaps a filed microscope onto a cell phone.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:46 pm

How Hot Are The Planets in Our Solar System?

In general, the surface temperature of the planets decreases with increasing distance from the sun.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:10 pm

Why An Exciting Book Is Just As Thrilling As A Hair-raising Movie

Sharing of emotions in movies has been shown to depend on the fact that the same brain regions are activated in the observers when they feel an emotion and when they see someone else experience a similar emotion. We all know, however, that reading a book describing the same scene can be similarly gripping. A new study shows us why.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Prediction Markets Strong At Forecasting US Presidential Elections, Says New Management Insights

A case study of the 2004 US Presidential election by researchers at Yale shows that prediction markets are proving to be a strong forecasting tool, one that may have an impact in calling the current presidential contest between Democrat Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Key Photosynthesis Step Replicated: Scientists Learn From Nature To Split Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen

Chemists have used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Light Finds A Way -- Even Through White Paint: Specially-prepared Light Moves Through 'Open Channels'

Materials such as milk, paper, white paint and tissue are opaque because they scatter light, not because they absorb it. But no matter how great the scattering, light is always able to get through the material in question. At least, according to the theory. Researchers have now confirmed this with experiments. By shaping the waveform of light, they have succeeded in finding the predicted 'open channels' in material along which the light is able to move.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Tropical Storm Delays Space Shuttle's Move (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will have to wait a few more days before leaving its Florida spaceport hangar in order to avoid severe weather expected from Tropical Storm Fay.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 7:46 pm

Third of U.S. Schools in 'Air Pollution Danger Zone' (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - As summer vacation ends and children head back to class, they might need a new school supply: face masks. About one third of American schools are within an "air pollution danger zone" near major highways and the pollutants that stream from cars and trucks, a new study finds. Previous research, including the UC Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS), has shown that exposure of school-age children to traffic pollutants near main roads is associated with a greater risk of developing asthma and other respiratory problems later in life. ...

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 7:35 pm

One-Third of U.S. Schools in 'Air Pollution Danger Zone'

One in three U.S. schools located in pollution zones of major roads.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 7:24 pm

Science May Banish Bad Hair Days

Super close-up views of how strands interact could be key, researchers say
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 6:23 pm

Newly Discovered Air Pollutants May Cause Lung Problems

Cancer, cardiopulmonary diseases might be tied to persistent free radicals, study says
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 6:22 pm

Humpback Whale Calf Bonds With Yacht

A lost, confused humpback whale calf attempts to suckle the side of a yacht.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 18 Aug 2008 | 6:02 pm

'Water wars'

Severe drought heightens Spain's environmental fears
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 18 Aug 2008 | 5:58 pm

Symmetrical bodies wow the opposite sex

We may subconsciously gauge a person's reproductive fitness from the symmetry of their bodies
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 18 Aug 2008 | 4:20 pm

In Multi-Pet Homes, Cats Are Top Dogs

Cats and dogs can get along, so long as the cat has full run of the house first.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 18 Aug 2008 | 4:00 pm

Baby Whale Seems To Think Yacht Is Its Mother

Australian media say a lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 3:34 pm

New minor planet helps explain comets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A newly discovered "minor planet" with an elongated orbit around the Sun may help explain the origin of comets, researchers said on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 18 Aug 2008 | 3:18 pm

Huge Comet Discovered

Astronomers have discovered a comet-like object lurking near Neptune's orbit.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 3:04 pm

Monsters, Ghosts and Gods: Why We Believe

People want to believe, and most simply can't help it.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 3:00 pm

Iran Launches Rocket to Space

Iranian officials claim their rocket launch was a test to send a satellite to space.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 18 Aug 2008 | 2:58 pm

Acid Rain Molecule Tells All

A mysterious molecule that transforms acid into other pollutants is caught in the act.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 18 Aug 2008 | 2:14 pm

Mark Vernon: Not so highly evolved

Mark Vernon: Richard Dawkins' TV show on Darwin ignores compelling new science such as evolutionary convergence: it's a chance missed
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 18 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm

Palm Vein ID Scan Makes U.S. Debut

U.S. business school applicants will soon submit hand vein scans to verify their identities.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 18 Aug 2008 | 1:35 pm

Dam Burst Forces Evacuations of Grand Canyon

Floods burst dam in Grand Canyon, force evacuations of tourists and Native American tribe members.
Source: Livescience.com | 18 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm