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Alien Planets Could Shed Light on Earth's Climate Future

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:25:41 -0400

A Comparative Climatology Symposium held at NASA Headquarters on May 7 focused on new approaches to climate research by highlighting the similarities and contrasts between the environments of the rocky worlds Venus, Earth, Mars and Saturn’s smoggy moon Titan.

Spotted: 1st Evidence of Leopard Eating Chimp

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:25:31 -0400

Only rarely have people seen what happens when chimpanzees and leopards come into close quarters in the wilds of Africa. On these occasions, chimpanzees have made loud, fearful calls, or played the aggressor: In one case, chimps even surrounded a leopard den and killed a cub.

Astronaut Packs Crafts for Creative Space Station Trip

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:24:12 -0400

An American astronaut is about to get seriously crafty in space.

4 Best Stargazing Sights and How to See Them

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:24:07 -0400

Of all the great and wondrous things that we can view in our sky, in my opinion the top four are (in descending order of merit) a total eclipse of the sun, a beautiful manifestation of the northern lights, a real "shower" of shooting stars and a great comet with a long tail.

Slow Earthquakes: Slippery Clays at Fault

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:22:31 -0400

Slow earthquakes don't kill anyone, but they're certainly suspicious characters. Recent great earthquakes, such as massive temblors in Japan and Chile, were foreshadowed by slow quakes shuffling through the regions in the months before the deadly shaking struck.

UK Beach Quality Plummets

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:15:44 -0400

As Memorial Day weekend sees people in the United States celebrating the opening of beach season, data from a European Environment Agency (EEA) report serves as a warning of how wild weather can affect water safety.

The Emotion Men Should Hide in Job Interviews

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:12:52 -0400

Attention nervous nellies — especially men — you need to get your emotions in check if you want to land a job, new research shows.

New frontiers, new risks: group gathers to discuss safety of space tourism

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:00:17 -0400

MONTREAL - Space-industry watchers expressed concern this week that the emerging space tourism sector is not being candid enough about the safety risks for travellers.

Rocket lifts off with U.S. military communications satellite

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:47:26 -0400

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned Delta 4 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday to put a multi-use, broadband communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. military. The 217-foot (66-meter) tall rocket lifted off at 8:27 p.m. EDT (0027 Saturday GMT), soaring southeast over the Atlantic Ocean as it headed into orbit. Perched on top of the rocket was the fifth member of the Wideband Global SATCOM, or WGS, satellite network, which provides the U.S. military, national leaders and allies with high-capacity broadband communications. ...

Memorial Day Planet Parade: See Jupiter, Mercury & Venus

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:59:07 -0400

A trio of bright planets is shining together in the sunset sky, a must-see night sky sight for stargazers this Memorial Day weekend.

3D Printer Launching to Space Station in 2014

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:57:19 -0400

A 3D printer is slated to arrive at the International Space Station next year, where it will crank out the first parts ever manufactured off planet Earth.

Storm Clouds Ahead: Budget Cuts Threaten Severe Weather Forecasts

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:05:49 -0400

The tornado that hit Moore, Okla., on Monday (May 23) killed an estimated two dozen people and caused devastating property damage. Residents had advance warning of the storm, thanks to weather forecasts. But with forced budget cuts in effect, forecasters may not be adequately prepared for future natural disasters.

Planetary alignment peaks with celestial show this weekend

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:22:44 -0400

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets in the sky this month, will be joined by tiny Mercury for a rare celestial show this weekend. Typically, Venus, the second-closest planet to the sun, and Jupiter, which orbits beyond Mars, are tens of millions of miles apart. But they have been cycling together while moving ever closer to each other this month, joined by the innermost planet Mercury. The celestial show peaks on Sunday when the trio will appear as a bright triangle of light in the western sky beginning about 30 minutes after sunset. ...

'The bull's-eye for awful tornadoes': Oklahoma gets an outsized share of natural disasters

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:03:27 -0400

WASHINGTON - Many states get hit frequently with tornadoes and other natural catastrophes, but Oklahoma is Disaster Central.

25 Worst Gadget Flops of All Time

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:28:31 -0400

There are gadgets that change everything (the iPhone, the first Intel Centrino laptops, Bose's noise-canceling headphones), and then there are devices that are so spectacularly bad that they should be immortalized in their own way. The last few decades have seen all kinds of flops, from a not-so-world-changing scooter to Nokia's attempt to beat Nintendo and Sony at their own game.

Pow! Mars Hit By Space Rocks 200 Times a Year

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:46:49 -0400

Small space rocks are carving fresh craters into the Martian surface more often than previously thought, researchers say. A new study finds that there are more than 200 asteroid impacts on the Red Planet every year.

Private Spaceships for Space Tourists to Launch Big Test Flights

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:46:21 -0400

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Private suborbital space planes built by two space tourism companies will likely launch some major test flights before this year is out, their builders say.

Minor Lunar Eclipse Tonight: How to Watch It Online

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:46:00 -0400

The moon will take the smallest of dips through the Earth's shadow in a minor eclipse tonight (May 24) and you can watch the lunar event live online via a webcast.

Can a Floating Robot Save a Polluted Canal?

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:37:00 -0400

Pity the Gowanus Canal. A forgotten relic of Brooklyn's industrial past, the garbage-choked waterway is now home to a putrid stew of toxic waste.

Brood II Cicadas Now Bugging New Yorkers

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:29:19 -0400

The 17-year-old sex-crazed cicadas of Brood II have started to stir in Staten Island.