Science Scanner: Russian Space Agency Blamed for Recent Accidents
The Russian Prosecutor General’s office is pressing for disciplinary measures and fines after finding the state-run Roskosmos space agency to blame for two recent high-profile – and highly embarrassing – incidents. One was the August crash of the Progress spacecraft, an unmanned cargo ship used to supply the International Space Station, while the second incident […]
Science Scanner: Chemistry Nobel Prize Winner Announced
The winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry was announced this morning in Stockholm. Daniel Shechtman of Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, in Haifa, Israel, won for his 1982 discovery of quasicrystals. Quasicrystals are unusual materials which have some of the properties of a regular crystal, but have a more elaborate and complex structure […]
Science Scanner: 50 New Planets, Some Earth-like, Discovered
Astronomers in Chile have discovered more than 50 new planets outside the Solar System, including some with potential Earth-like qualities. The astronomers say the discovery is the largest number of such planets ever announced at one time. They presented their findings at the Extreme Solar Systems II conference this week in Wyoming. The new planets […]
Science Scanner: Impact of Russian Spacecraft Crash on the ISS
Last week’s failure of the Russian spacecraft Progress sparked questions about how the International Space Station will be affected. Although Progress was carrying supplies to the ISS, NASA officials say the space station is well stocked and can continue operating at a higher orbit (which consumes less fuel) for several more months without a visit […]
Science Scanner: Humanoid Robot Wakes Up in Space
After snoozing for a couple of months in a storage bag aboard the International Space Station, Robonaut 2 (R2) finally woke up in space for the first time this past Monday. Back in February, when the space shuttle Discovery took off on its final mission, we had a piece on our radio show about some […]
Science Scanner: New Tool Jumpstarts Search for Parallel Universe
Cosmologists in London say they’ve developed a new computer algorithm which could help them find proof of a parallel universe. The concept of multiple universes is not new. The multiverse – also called the meta-universe or metaverse – is a theory that suggests the universe is actually a series of multiple or alternative universes, […]
US Founding Father Cleared of Importing Invasive Species
American founding father Benjamin Franklin was – among many things – a highly regarded scientist. So it seems appropriate that it was science which proved him blameless in importing an invasive species of tree which has overrun thousands of acres of U.S. coastal prairie from Florida to East Texas. While in London in the late […]
Does It Rain or Snow More Around Airports?
Do you live near an airport? Does it seem like you get more rain and snow than folks who live further away? There just might be a scientific reason for that. A new study finds that areas around airports are more likely to experience increased rain or snow when aircraft are landing or taking off. […]
Science Scanner: Hundreds of Newly Discovered Species at Risk
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the discovery of more than 300 new species in the Philippines. Two of them appear to be garnering the most attention: the Inflatable Shark and the Laughing Cicada. The find was the result of a survey – by researchers from the California Academy of Sciences – to […]
Why Antarctica is Melting so Fast
Scientists believe they’ve discovered why Antarctica’s ice is melting so fast. They say stronger ocean currents beneath West Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf are eroding the ice from below. Last week, we told you about a recent study noting that sea levels have risen at the fastest rate in more than two millennia. Among […]