Science News Headline and Article Archive

Astronomers led by the University of Colorado and Carnegie Observatories have shown that a miniature galaxy less than one-hundredth the size of the Milky Way is ejecting large quantities of gas and energy into huge regions of intergalactic space.

The rich diversity of wildlife in southern Mexico and Central America is in peril. Local governments are using satellites to get a grip on a vast "corridor" system of protected lands. In an area of rich biodiversity, where 7% of our planet's terrestrial species are packed onto less than 1% of the planet's land, a rapidly growing human population is struggling with widespread poverty that affects more than 20 million people.

3-Dimensional Pictures of ALS Mutant Proteins Support Two Major Theories About How the Disease is Caused. A new study reveals for the first time how gene mutations lead to the inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The study suggests that the two most prominent theories of how familial ALS (FALS) and other related diseases develop are both right in part.

Patterns from Nowhere

Natural forces bring order to untouched ground. In remote regions of the Arctic, Antarctica, and the Australian outback, an explorer can trek across bleak, uninhabited landscapes only to suddenly stumble upon ground decorated with weird patterns. These lonely sites feature ankle-high and meter-wide donuts of gravel; mazes, stripes, and polygonal networks of pebbles, sand, or ice; and sometimes ice crevasses in perfect geometric patterns. The enigmatic configurations, seemingly created without human influence, call to mind the mysterious phenomenon of crop circles, except that the puzzling structures are made of rocks or ice instead of trampled corn or wheat.

Week of 11 May 2003

Brighter Neptune Suggests a Planetary Change of Seasons
- Springtime is blooming on Neptune! This might sound like an oxymoron because Neptune is the farthest and coldest of the major planets. But NASA Hubble Space Telescope observations are revealing an increase in Neptune's brightness in the southern hemisphere, which is considered a harbinger of seasonal change, say astronomers.
Plumbing the Earth's depths
- A US scientist has described an ambitious plan using a nuclear weapon and millions of tonnes of molten iron to send a grapefruit-sized probe to the centre of the Earth. Professor Stevenson's plan involves creating a crack in the Earth's crust either by detonating a nuclear warhead or by using something which would release a similar amount of energy. "You fill that crack quickly with liquid iron and with a small, solid probe immersed in that liquid iron. The probe would be perhaps the size of a grapefruit.
Total Eclipse of the Moon on Thursday
- A total eclipse of the full moon happens on Thursday evening, May 15th, when the sun, earth, and moon align. Anyone in North America will be able to see the eclipse, weather permitting. It happens during the early evening viewing time for California observers. An eclipse of the moon happens when the moon moves through the shadow of the earth and grows dark for a few hours. This eclipse is total, and the moon will darken substantially. It will also turn reddish in color (the color comes from sunlight scattered around the edge of the earth and onto the moon).
Electricity extracted from grape
- Scientists have extracted electrical power from a grape. The set-up is called a biofuel cell. It harnesses metabolic energy and does not generate any toxic by-product. Made by Adam Heller and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin, the cell produces only about 2.4 microwatts - several million wired-up grapes would be needed to power a lightbulb.