Neurotransmitter Defect May Trigger Autoimmune Disease

A potentially blinding neurological disorder, often confused with multiple sclerosis, has now become a little less mysterious. A new study may have uncovered the cause of Devic's disease. The research could result in new treatment options for this devastating disease.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Atomic-resolution Views Suggest Function Of Enzyme That Regulates Light-detecting Signals In Eye

An atomic resolution view of an enzyme found only in the eye is providing clues about how the enzyme is activated. The enzyme, PDE6, is critical to the way light entering the retina is converted into signals to the brain.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

New Fake-Proof Personality Test Created

Psychologists have developed a personality inventory that can predict who will excel in academic and creative domains, even when respondents are trying hard to fake their answers.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Anti-cancer Drug Prevents, Reverses Cardiovascular Damage In Mouse Model Of Premature Aging Disorder

An experimental anti-cancer drug can prevent -- and even reverse -- potentially fatal cardiovascular damage in a mouse model of progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes the most dramatic form of human premature aging researchers have reported.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

New Material Could Speed Development Of Hydrogen Powered Vehicles

Researchers in Greece report design of a new material that almost meets the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2010 goals for hydrogen storage and could help eliminate a key roadblock to practical hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Even Occasional Smoking Can Impair Arteries

Even occasional cigarette smoking can impair the functioning of your arteries, according to a new University of Georgia study that used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of young, healthy adults respond to changes in blood flow.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

New Diagnostic Test For Rare Leukemia Appears To Give Faster Results, Study Finds

A new twist on a well-known cell sorting technique may allow physicians to diagnose rare leukemias in hours instead of weeks, according to new study. The clinical promise of the Stanford-developed approach, which eavesdrops on individual cells to decipher potentially dangerous molecular conversations, is likely to extend to many other disorders in which cell-signaling pathways are disrupted.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 12:00 pm

Bird Diversity Lessens Human Exposure To West Nile Virus

This one's for the birds. A study by biologists shows that the more diverse a bird population is in an area, the less chance humans have of exposure to West Nile Virus.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 12:00 pm

Deepest-living Fishes Caught On Camera For First Time

Scientists filming in one of the world's deepest ocean trenches have found groups of highly sociable snailfish swarming over their bait, nearly five miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time cameras have been sent to this depth.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 12:00 pm

Genetic Variant Plays Role In Cleft Lip, Study Finds

Researchers have found, in a previously identified gene, a variation that likely contributes to one in five cases of isolated cleft lip. It's the first time a genetic variant has been associated with cleft lip alone, rather than both cleft lip and palate. The study provides insight on a previously unknown genetic mechanism and could eventually help with diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cleft lip, which affects more than five million people worldwide.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 12:00 pm

Scientists meet for alien summit

The search for alien life outside our solar system will be at the forefront of discussions by scientists.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:56 am

1 Japanese, 2 Americans win Nobel chemistry prize (AP)

AP - Two Americans and one Japanese won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for the discovery and development of a brightly glowing protein first seen in jellyfish, work that has helped scientists study how cancer cells spread.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:46 am

Trio wins chemistry Nobel for protein breakthrough

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two Americans and a Japanese researcher won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Wednesday for the discovery of a glowing protein in jellyfish that helps scientists spot the onset of illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:29 am

New Flying Dinosaur Drone to Resemble Pterodactyl (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Pterodactyls may have gone extinct millions of years ago, but a newly designed spy plane could bring the flying reptiles to life, albeit replacing blood and guts with carbon fiber and batteries.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:21 am

Frozen Death Looms for Phoenix Mars Lander

Setting sun, freezing temperatures will likely spell the end for Phoenix mission.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:13 am

Checkmate: Astronaut Battles Earth in Chess

It's the ultimate showdown in space....
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:13 am

New Flying Dinosaur Drone to Resemble Pterodactyl

Engineers are designing a pterodactyl-inspired spy plane.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:10 am

Frozen Death Looms for Phoenix Mars Lander (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - After more than four months on the arctic plains of the red planet, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's days are finally numbered.As the sun begins to set for the frigid Martian winter, the spacecraft will lose its energy supply, freeze and eventually fall into a mechanical coma from which it will likely never wake up.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:01 am

Hurricane Norbert becomes Category 3 storm (AP)

AP - Hurricane Norbert strengthened Wednesday to a Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean and was forecast to hit Mexico's Baja California peninsula by the weekend.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 11:00 am

'Glowing' jellyfish grabs Nobel

A clever trick borrowed from jellyfish earns two Americans and one Japanese scientist a share of the chemistry Nobel Prize.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Oct 2008 | 10:58 am

Nobel prize for chemistry illuminates disease

Three winners awarded for work on green fluorescent protein and its use in tracking down illnesses
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 8 Oct 2008 | 10:29 am

Fertile women raise their voice pitch

Study links voice changes to ovulation and suggests human behaviour is similar to other animals in displaying signs of fertility
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 8 Oct 2008 | 9:21 am

Simon Underdown: Human evolution won't stop just because the gene pool is limited

Simon Underdown: I disagree with Johnjoe McFadden's criticisms of Steve Jones, but genetics are not the only factor in our species' survival
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 8 Oct 2008 | 9:00 am

GAO opens probe into gas, oil drilling in Utah (AP)

AP - Congressional investigators are looking at a federal government agency's quick approvals for oil and gas drilling in Utah, a development applauded by environmental groups but condemned by industry executives as political posturing.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 8:38 am

Hundreds of new marine species discovered: Australian scientists (AFP)

AFP - Hundreds of new marine species and previously uncharted undersea mountains and canyons have been discovered in the depths of the Southern Ocean, Australian scientists said Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 8:37 am

DNA fingerprinting could reveal your surname

LONDON (Reuters) - Police could one day predict the surname of male suspects or victims of crime from DNA alone, British researchers said on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 8:24 am

University: Stem-cell study used falsified data (AP)

AP - The University of Minnesota has concluded that falsified data were used in a 2001 article published by one of its researchers on adult stem cells. The school is asking that the article be retracted.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 5:59 am

Future of flagship Mars mission up in the air (AP)

AP - Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Oct 2008 | 4:47 am

CO2 Monitoring Satellite, Virgin Galactic Team Up

NASA is getting ready to launch a first-of-its-kind satellite that can measure the sources and sinks for carbon dioxide around the planet, in January 2009.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is an incredible new tool in the global effort to understand climate change that will fill in the gaps left by ground measuring stations in parts of North America, Europe and Asia. The new satellite mission dovetails with a newly-announced plan by Virgin Galactic and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to measure carbon dioxide concentrations in the upper stratosphere, mesosphere and lower thermosphere with Virgin's high altitude carrier aircraft, White Knight Two, and its spacefaring companion, SpaceShipTwo. 

The Economist just published a great article on the two new systems that explains how together they might finally offer us the high resolution map of carbon sources and sinks that scientists need to more accurately understand how, where and why carbon dioxide is entering and exiting the atmosphere.

The NASA satellite will measure sunlight reflecting off the planet and calculate what gases are present in a 6-mile-wide column of gas to an accuracy of one part per million. Inserted into a polar orbit, the satellite will fly over the polar cap every 16 days, like a string being wrapped around the planet in 6-mile swaths.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is called the "front of the A-train" because it is joining a group of Earth observing satellites that are already flying close together in the same orbit, minutes behind each other.  Their shared track means that their measurements can be more easily correlated.  The other satellites, which are measuring water, clouds, aerosols and other characteristics of our planet, are "sun-synchronous" and fly over each part of the earth at the same hour. The "A" in A-train is for afternoon because the satellite out in front of the series crosses the equator on every orbit at 1:30 p.m. local time.

NOAA's CO2 measurements via Virgin Galactic's vehicles will help provide calibration and "air-truthing" of the satellite measurements.  By flying high, over 50,000 feet with the White Knight Two and perhaps over 370,000 feet with the spaceship, NOAA will be able to take measurements of the entire column of atmospheric gas that can be well-matched against satellite data. The vehicles will also yield more data at high and intermediate altitudes, always useful for the NOAA scientists trying to build global models of carbon emissions and transport.  As George T. Whitesides of Virgin Galactic told Wired.com, "When it comes to climate change research, the more data the better."

Indeed, this is still only the opening phase in the challenge to track and study CO2 on our planet. The climate change community first recommended satellite CO2 measurements back in 1990's, and now is finally getting the first global on-orbit systems. Now the challenge is to make sure that when its nominal mission completes in two years time, the next generation of carbon dioxide monitoring missions is ready to go.

A is for earth: the world will soon know more about about carbon dioxide [The Economist]
NOAA and Virgin Galactic to explore collaboration for study of climate change [Virgin Galactic]

Graphic: NASA
Full disclosure: George T. Whitesides is my husband.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 8 Oct 2008 | 1:34 am

Canal plan to power 45,000 homes

Turbines along British canals and rivers could power 45,000 homes within five years under new plans.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Oct 2008 | 12:02 am

Circumcision HIV impact doubted

There is no hard evidence that circumcision protects gay men from contracting HIV, research shows.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:33 pm

Nobel physics prize goes to 2 Japanese, 1 American (AP)

AP - Two Japanese scientists and an American won the 2008 Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for theoretical advances that help explain the behavior of the smallest particles of matter.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:32 pm

Conservation: Kew project aims to cultivate healing value of plants

Conservation is as much about protecting people's lives as plant diversity, according to a new global strategy at Kew Gardens says Juliette Jowit
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:06 pm

Tim Dowling: Why the halt of evolution is a good thing

Tim Dowling: Now we know we'll get to stay just exactly as we are until we've finished reducing this planet to a smouldering cinder
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:04 pm

Speaking up - women's voices rise in tune with fertility

Pitch of female voices found to be roughly a semitone higher at most fertile time in cycle
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:04 pm

Digital-Age Guru Signs on as Backup Space Tourist

Digital-Age guru Esther Dyson has paid $3 million to be a backup space tourist.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:06 pm

Despite Waiver, NASA To Stop Using Russian Cargo Vehicle

NASA doesn't intend to pay Russia to deliver supplies to ISS beyond 2011.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:06 pm

Don't Blame Biofuels for Food Crisis

Biofuels have contributed far less to rising food prices than previously estimated, a new United Nations report's data suggests.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2008 projects that biofuels production only adds 15 percent to world food prices, and that despite rising ethanol capacity, overall food prices are headed down. The slowing world economy combined with increased agricultural production, are cutting the prices of staples like wheat, sugar and vegetable oil.

"Food prices have dropped significantly and will continue to drop," said Per Pinstrup-Andersen, a food economist at Cornell University, who was not an author of the U.N. report. "The reason for that is that farmers respond to these higher prices and you'll get more food produced than ever before."

After a period of optimism earlier this decade that biofuels could help the world wean itself off crude oil, scientific and public sentiment have turned against the current generation of fuels made from crops. First, the carbon dioxide reduction benefits of corn-based ethanol were questioned and then, with food prices on the rise, food security advocates began to ratchet up the heat. Late last year, one U.N. official called converting food crop land to biofuel farming use a "crime against humanity." Earlier this summer, the Guardian reported that a World Bank researcher had found that biofuels had been responsible for 75 percent of the rise in food prices and "caused [the] food crisis." Even the new report

But all the rhetoric didn't square with the relative amount of food being diverted to fuel production. Close to 2,500 million metric tons of grain and oilseeds are produced each year.  U.S. ethanol production, which has received a big chunk of the blame, uses about 79 million metric tons of corn, according to a USDA report.

In fact, the food system has been remarkably resistant to the general run-up in commodity prices that has occurred since about 2000. Commodities have risen hundreds of percent, largely driven by higher energy prices, but food prices have risen far less than that, as seen in the USDA chart to the right.

Even the FAO authors themselves admit that "it is important to keep in mind that biofuels are only one of many drivers of high food prices."

In particular, placing the blame on biofuels obscures the role that long-held European and American agricultural subsidies played in creating the food crisis. 

"One of the reasons we had this crisis with the very high food prices is that very little was invested in developing countries." Pinstrup-Andersen said. "Governments could import food at prices below the cost of production because of the heavy subsidies we had in the U.S. and E.U. Surplus production was dumped on the international market."

While that drove food prices to historic lows, it also created a more centralized food system that left developing countries with less domestic agriculture to pick up the slack when the world food supply dwindles.

Still, Pinstrup-Andersen argues that biofuels subsidies have still contributed substantially to the rise in food prices, especially in the wake of weather-related yield shortfalls in wheat producing regions over the past few years.

Perhaps more importantly, the report illustrates that the current generation of biofuels can be produced profitably, without subsidizing farmers. Ethanol producers are caught in a Catch-22. As the price of oil rises, they can presumably sell ethanol for more money, but higher oil prices drive up the cost of corn as a feedstock for ethanol. The FAO argues that these links between oil and corn prices mean that a profitable and clean ethanol industry isn't possible.

"The analysis suggests that, given current technology, United States maize ethanol can rarely and only briefly achieve market viability before the price of maize is bid up to the point that it again becomes uncompetitive as a feedstock," the authors write.

With their environmental bonafides in question and without a profitable business model, it's possible that current biofuels could be a bad idea, regardless of their impact on the world's food system.

"What is very clear, I think, is that the U.S. subsidies for production of biofuel from corn and soybeans was a wonderful idea at the absolute worst time," said Andersen. "It would have been a wonderful idea six or seven years ago when prices were low, but the last couple of years, it has been very, very unfortunate."

Image: 1. World Bank via flickr. Grain sacks in a Kabul, Afghanistan store. 2. IMF report via the USDA report referenced in the article.

WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 9:30 pm

Two Japanese, American win 2008 physics Nobel

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two Japanese scientists and a Tokyo-born American shared the 2008 Nobel Prize for physics for helping to explain the behavior of subatomic particles, work that has helped shape modern physics theory, the prize committee said on Tuesday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 8:49 pm

Narcissists Tend to Become Leaders

Narcissists are the most likely leaders.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 8:48 pm

Climate change seen aiding spread of deadly diseases

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - A "deadly dozen" diseases ranging from avian flu to yellow fever are likely to spread more because of climate change, the Wildlife Conservation Society said on Tuesday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 7:23 pm

Nobel Winners Saw Universe's Broken Symmetry

Without the mysterious victory of matter over antimatter, we wouldn't exist.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 7:07 pm

Spacecraft Reveals Stunning New Views of Mercury

A NASA spacecraft has begun beaming home new views of planet Mercury.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:59 pm

Bad Soldering Job Behind Atom-Smasher Breakdown

Poor soldering in one of CERN's connections likely led to its malfunction.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:25 pm

Too Little, Too Late for Yangtze Giant Turtle

In a sad coda for a magnificent species, the last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle has failed to mate with one of three remaining males.

The New York Times reports on the breeding attempt today, under the headline "Future of Giant Turtle Still Uncertain."

But make no mistake: had the turtles bred, it would still require Panglossian optimism to think of the species' future in anything but the bleakest terms. When a population is reduced to single digits, the gene pool is so diminished that the possibility of their recovery in the wild is practically nil.

The would-be breeders of the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle are doing the right thing. With the species driven to likely extinction by humans, we owed them this effort. But we also owed to the turtle -- and still owe every other threatened and endangered species -- a level of care and protection that gives them a chance to survive in something more than long-term, species-level life support.

In related news, scientists recently reported that one in four mammal species are threatened with extinction.

Image: Turtle Survival Alliance

WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:14 pm

Farmers will grow drought resistant crops 'in four years'

GM oilseed rape and maize that tolerate water shortages are in field tests - opponents remain sceptical
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:07 pm

Deep ocean video reveals swarming fishes

Video taken under the Pacific ocean shows for the first time fish thriving at 7,700m, the deepest cameras have gone
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:07 pm

Gene discovery may help hunt for blindness cure

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered a gene mutation linked to the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, holding out the prospect of better treatments and perhaps eventually a cure.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 4:50 pm

Vote for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Leading the candidates for the next Nobel Prize in chemistry are three scientists whose basic work makes as much sense to me as a Latin Bible.

There, I've admitted it: my deepest, darkest secret as a science writer. Chemistry and me are like oil and water -- and don't expect me to explain why oil and water don't mix.

When interviewing chemists, I joke about the (cough) strategems I used to barely pass high school chemistry, and warn that explaining their work will require a level of patience normally accorded to adults who have trouble tying their shoes. They chuckle. It's the last laugh either of us have for the next hour.

Fortunately, Nobel Prizes tend to go to scientists whose work is important enough to be explicable in general, mass-market terms: the underlying ions and chargers and what-all reactions can be conveniently glossed over (in much the same way, perhaps, as the apparent order of matter hides its broken symmetries.)

Leading the chemistry candidate pack, according to business intelligence company Thomson Reuters, are Charles Lieber, whose molecular-scale circuits won a Science Breakthrough of the Year in 2001; Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, who developed a powerful and inexpensive method of synthesizing space-age molecules; and Roger Tsien, who pioneered the use of fluorescent protein probes that allow researchers to track cellular activity at a molecular level.

What do you think, Wired Science readers? Who deserves to win?

Image: Alfred Nobel, from WikiMedia Commons

WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 4:37 pm

Disease warning on climate change

Climate change may hasten the spread of diseases that can move from wild animals to humans, researchers warn.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 4:08 pm

Seeds of hope

Why Malawi is enjoying bumper maize harvests
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:42 pm

Johnjoe McFadden: Dipping into our gene pool

Johnjoe McFadden: Steve Jones paints a gloomy picture of human evolution at the end of the line – but you could argue that it's only at the beginning
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:30 pm

Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded: Fair or Foul?

The Nobel Prize committee went off the board yesterday, awarding -- despite Wired Science readers' clear preference for graphene's discoverers -- the prize in physics to three theoretical physicists whose work has illuminated the nature of matter.

Yochiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa -- of, respectively, the Enrico Fermi Laboratory, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization and Kyoto University -- study what are known as broken symmetries: the ways in which, at the level of quarks, the standard laws of physics necessarily break down.

Nobody's actually seen this, but physicists say it must be true, as broken symmetries unify three of the four fundamental forces of nature (gravity being the pesky outlier) and appear to explain why the universe was not annihilated shortly after the Big Bang by the mutual antagonism of matter and antimatter.

So in the same way that Steve Reich is a more important artist than M.I.A., I guess broken symmetries are a bigger deal than graphene, the basic structural element of graphite, whose understanding could lead to better electrodes, circuits, solar cells and batteries.

Then again: who would you rather listen to on a Friday night: Steve Reich or M.I.A.? 

Graphene was the clear favorite in yesterday's Wired Science readers poll, with Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov -- its discoverers -- beating out dark matter explorer Vera Rubin and quasicrystal pioneers Roger Penrose Dan Shechtman. But as broken symmetries were overlooked by the Nobel Prize candidate predictors at Thomson Reuters, readers never had a chance to choose.

What do you think, Wired Science readers: did the Nobel Prize committee get it right, or should the award in physics have gone to Geim and Novoselov? Vote away.

Images: NASA / University of California, Riverside

WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:11 pm

Penguins Ride Air Force Jet to South Atlantic

After washing up on Brazilian shores, hundreds of penguins get an emergency airlift.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:07 pm

Three share Nobel prize for physics

Physicists honoured for work on understanding the building blocks of the universe
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 2:52 pm

NASA Grapples With Budget-Busting Mars Rover

The next Mars rover encounters problems and may be delayed or canceled.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 2:38 pm

In Ancient Greece, Soil Was Sacred

The ancient Greeks chose their sacred sites with care -- and an eye for geology.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 2:00 pm

Cosmic imperfections celebrated

The Nobel Prize for physics this year lauds three individuals who described tiny flaws in the fabric of the Universe.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:54 pm

Arctic Ice Thinner Than Ever Despite Cold Winter

Measurements show ice volume in the Arctic may be thinner than ever.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:42 pm

Asteroid to burn up before hitting Earth

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tiny asteroid discovered earlier Monday by an Arizona observatory will hit Earth's atmosphere over Sudan in a few hours but will burn up before it can hit the ground or endanger aircraft, astronomers said.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:27 pm

3 Win Physics Nobel for Subatomic Particle Research

Japanese and American win Nobel in physics for work on behavior of quarks.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:24 pm

Penguins ride air force jet to South Atlantic (AP)

AP - More than 370 penguins that mysteriously washed up on Brazil's equatorial beaches were flown south on a huge air force cargo plane and released closer to the frigid waters they call home, animal advocates said Monday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:18 pm

Silver lining

Why climate change is good news for conservationists
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:02 pm

Seeing red

Richard Black on the bleak outlook for mammals
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:57 pm

Turn Your Cubicle into a Gym

This kit provides a full range of arm, leg and back exercises.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:44 pm

Common Dietary Supplements Don't Help Arthritis

The natural supplement combo of glucosamine and chondroitin, taken to relieve arthritis pain, has struck out again.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:28 pm

'Deepest ever' living fish filmed

The "deepest ever" living fish are discovered 7.5km down, scientists say.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:57 am