sábado, 28 de julio de 2012

Science. NYT


In the Nine Mile Canyon area, which is known for petroglyphs, a natural gas company is installing a pipeline despite concerns of archaeologists.
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
In the Nine Mile Canyon area, which is known for petroglyphs, a natural gas company is installing a pipeline despite concerns of archaeologists.
An obscure branch of the Bureau of Land Management wields great influence on local land-use decisions in the state, usually to the benefit of the energy industry.
Matthew Olearczyk with a drone his institute is evaluating for helping to assess storm damage.

In Blackouts, Drones and iPads May Come to Rescue

Utility companies are experimenting with iPad apps and aerial robots to help get the lights back on faster after storms by providing information and logistical support.

Genetic Data and Fossil Evidence Tell Differing Tales of Human Origins

Geneticists’ new finding that a previously unknown archaic species of human mingled with early modern humans in Africa has been met with skepticism because no fossil evidence exists.

Storms Threaten Ozone Layer Over U.S., Study Says

The risk of damage may increase as the climate warms and storms grow more intense and more frequent, the study said.
SCIENTIST AT WORK BLOG
Sponges protruding from the reef.

Leaving the Reefs of Carrie Bow

As scientists prepare to leave Belize, they discuss reasons for the disappearance of eusocial shrimp in Caribbean reefs.
OBSERVATORY

Aging Termites That Go Out With a Bang

In one species of termites, aging workers develop a unique defense mechanism: external structures on their backs that are toxic to an attacker.
Mr. Kukielski has removed rose varieties that fail a 10-point test for toughness.

Leading the Search for a Self-Reliant Bloom

Peter E. Kukielski, of the New York Botanical Garden, is part of a movement to identify and promote rose varieties that will thrive without chemical intervention.
Restoring power in Bethesda. Md., after a wave of powerful storms on June 29.

Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling

From highways to power plants, the concrete, steel and engineering that undergird the nation’s infrastructure are being dangerously taxed by heat, drought and storms.

Rare Burst of Melting Seen in Greenland’s Ice Sheet

The extent expanded from about 40 percent to 97 percent over four days, a first in 30 years of satellite observations but in line with a historical pattern.
SALLY RIDE | 1951-2012
Sally Ride communicating with ground controllers during the six-day space mission of the Challenger in 1983.

American Woman Who Shattered Space Ceiling

Dr. Ride was the first American woman in space, flying on two missions on the shuttle Challenger.
Science Times: July 24, 2012
NOT SO PERMANENT A pool of permafrost meltwater has formed along the Alaska Highway near Beaver Creek, Yukon.
Guy Dore/Laval University
NOT SO PERMANENT A pool of permafrost meltwater has formed along the Alaska Highway near Beaver Creek, Yukon.
The Alaska Highway, built in haste during World War II, is facing big challenges, including the effects of climate change on the underlying permafrost.
SIDE EFFECTS
ANCIENT A new study extends the origin of polar bears back to 5 million years instead of 600,000.

How Brown and Polar Bears Split Up, but Continued Coupling

Comparing the DNA of related species can work as a kind of microscope to see how the species separated — events that are otherwise lost in deep time.
SPAWNING An Acropora tenuis coral releasing sperm, an annual event. Scientists are freezing coral eggs and sperm that may be used to restore reefs.

Frozen Sperm Offer a Lifeline for Coral

Scientists hope that building what is essentially a coral sperm bank will someday help restore damaged reefs.
OUT THERE

Mystery Tug on Spacecraft Is Einstein’s ‘I Told You So’

A new explanation for the mysterious force that slowed down the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes in the 1980s indicates that the old sage was doubly right.
Health News
THE AGENDA: HEALTH

Too Much Medical Care?

The United States spends an estimated $210 billion annually on unnecessary medical services. For patients, this often means getting pulled into a cycle of repeated lab work, scans and other medical tests.
Robert S. Ledley, who invented the whole-body CT scanner, with the first such device, at Georgetown University in 1974.

Robert S. Ledley, Who Revolutionized Radiology, Is Dead at 86

A dentist turned biomedical researcher, Dr. Ledley invented the first CT scanner capable of producing cross-sectional images of any part of the human body.
SCIENTIST AT WORK BLOG
Young elephants playing in the mud.

The Darker Side of Elephant Country

Scientists find that elephants, normally known for their gentle nature, sometimes turn against members of their own family in times of limited resources and duress.
THE AGENDA

A Climate and Energy Stalemate

Attuned to the public’s ambivalence, both political parties and their presidential candidates are playing down the climate issue.
Science Columns
OBSERVATORY
A new study shows that bats eavesdrop on fly sex to find their prey.

Mating Leaves Flies Most Vulnerable to Bats

Bats depend on flies for much of their diet, and a new study of a European bat suggests that the flies betray themselves while they mate.
OBSERVATORY
Mosses produce a scent to attract arthropods known as springtails.

Tiny Outsider Seems to Help Mosses Reproduce

A new study shows that mosses appear to emit smelly compounds to attract tiny arthropods that carry sperm from plant to plant.
OBSERVATORY

Birds Switch Gears to Stay on Course

A new study suggests that hummingbird keep flying through a downpour by adjusting their posture and increasing the frequency of their wing beats.
Q & A

Vaccine vs. Virus

Why didn’t viruses like polio and other diseases mutate to become immune to vaccines?
Science Times

Podcast: Science Times

The permafrost challenge; diving the coral reefs; and treatment options for prostate cancer.
  Science Times Podcast
Health Columns
PERSONAL HEALTH
The Ideal and the Real of Breast-Feeding

The Ideal and the Real of Breast-Feeding

Some dispute the message that "breast is best" and cite concerns for the pressure and guilt it heaps on working mothers.
REALLY?
The Claim: In a Heat Wave, an Electric Fan Can Cool You Off

The Claim: In a Heat Wave, an Electric Fan Can Cool You Off

Some experts have questioned whether electric fans might actually hamper efforts to cool down.
Opinion
DOT EARTH BLOG

Can Universities Credibly Probe Gas Impacts When Industry Foots the Bill?

A foe of fracking sees big problems if hidden conflicts of interest in energy analysis become the norm.
WORDPLAY BLOG

Numberplay: Three Containers

How can you pour water between three glasses to end up with two equal amounts?

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