Monday, October 31, 2016

NPR News: How A Theory of Crime And Policing Was Born, And Went Terribly Wrong

How A Theory of Crime And Policing Was Born, And Went Terribly Wrong
Decades ago, researchers introduced a new theory of policing. It's called Broken Windows, and is seen by many as a cure-all for crime. But the idea is often used in ways its creators never intended.

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Ghost Aurora over Canada


What does this aurora look like to you? While braving the cold to watch the skies above northern Canada early one morning in 2013, a most unusual aurora appeared. The aurora definitely appeared to be shaped like something , but what? Two ghostly possibilities recorded by the astrophotographer were "witch" and "goddess of dawn", but please feel free to suggest your own Halloween-enhanced impressions. Regardless of fantastical pareidolic interpretations, the pictured aurora had a typical green color and was surely caused by the scientifically commonplace action of high energy particles from space interacting with oxygen in Earth's upper atmosphere. In the image foreground, at the bottom, is a frozen Alexandra Falls, while evergreen trees cross the middle. via NASA http://ift.tt/2f4lSIh

NPR News: Early 20th Century Earthquakes May Have Been Caused By Calif. Oil Boom

Early 20th Century Earthquakes May Have Been Caused By Calif. Oil Boom
A new study suggests a handful of earthquakes in the 1920s and 1930s were associated with increasingly deep and frequent drilling for oil near Los Angeles. Since then, drilling practices have changed.

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NPR News: Early 20th Century Earthquakes May Have Been Caused By Calif. Oil Boom

Early 20th Century Earthquakes May Have Been Caused By Calif. Oil Boom
A new study suggests a handful of earthquakes in the 1920s and 1930s were associated with increasingly deep and frequent drilling for oil near Los Angeles. Since then, drilling practices have changed.

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NASA Sets GOES-R/Atlas V Launch Events Coverage

The first spacecraft in a new series of NASA-built advanced geostationary weather satellites is set to launch into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket Wednesday, Nov. 16. The two-hour launch window opens at 4:42 p.m. EST. Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

October 31, 2016
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NPR News: 300 Million Children Are Breathing 'Extremely Toxic' Air, UNICEF Says

300 Million Children Are Breathing 'Extremely Toxic' Air, UNICEF Says
Altogether, some 2 billion children worldwide are breathing air that has been deemed a "long term hazard," a report finds. Pollution contributes to around 600,000 deaths annually of kids under age 5.

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula


Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day, a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With a modern calendar however, even though Halloween occurs tomorrow, the real cross-quarter day will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is Groundhog Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains historic roots in dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting tribute to this ancient holiday is this view of the Ghost Head Nebula taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Similar to the icon of a fictional ghost, NGC 2080 is actually a star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The Ghost Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years and is shown in representative colors. via NASA http://ift.tt/2fjzIda

NPR News: PHOTOS: Astronauts Touch Down After 115 Days In Space

PHOTOS: Astronauts Touch Down After 115 Days In Space
A Russian Soyuz space capsule touched down in Kazakhstan on Sunday morning local time, delivering Kate Rubins, Anatoly Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi safely back to Earth.

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NPR News: NASA's New 'Intruder Alert' System Spots An Incoming Asteroid

NASA's New 'Intruder Alert' System Spots An Incoming Asteroid
A space rock zips by earth Sunday night. Astronomers know it doesn't pose a threat, in part thanks to a new automated warning program called Scout.

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Saturday, October 29, 2016

NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins, Crewmates Safely Return From the Space Station

NASA astronaut and Expedition 49 crew member Kate Rubins, who became the first person to sequence DNA in space, returned to Earth Saturday after a successful mission aboard the International Space Station.

October 30, 2016
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Friday, October 28, 2016

NPR News: Technology May Rescue Male Baby Chicks From The Grinder

Technology May Rescue Male Baby Chicks From The Grinder
The egg industry may soon eliminate a wasteful – and to some, horrifying – practice: Slaughtering male chicks. New technology can identify male embryos in eggs before they enter incubation chambers.

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NPR News: Discovering The Science Secrets Of Sourdough (You Can Help)

Discovering The Science Secrets Of Sourdough (You Can Help)
Many bakers treat their sourdough starters like a family heirloom. Some starters date back decades, even centuries. Now researchers want to analyze your starters to unlock their flavor secrets.

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NASA TV to Broadcast Agency Innovation Mission Day Keynote

NASA will host an agencywide event Tuesday, Nov. 1, highlighting innovation by NASA employees. NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman will discuss the importance of encouraging collaboration across the agency, and this keynote presentation will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at noon EDT.

October 28, 2016
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NPR News: Nations Establish World's Largest Marine Reserve In Antarctica

Nations Establish World's Largest Marine Reserve In Antarctica
At 600,000 square miles, the sanctuary covers an area twice the size of Texas and is known as polar 'Garden of Eden.' This unanimous agreement is the result of years of negotiations.

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NPR News: The Social Science Research Behind Political Campaign Ads

The Social Science Research Behind Political Campaign Ads
U.S. presidential candidates advertise in battleground states to increase voter turnout. But a new study says ads also have a big impact on campaign contributions.

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NPR News: The Social Science Research Behind Political Campaign Ads

The Social Science Research Behind Political Campaign Ads
U.S. presidential candidates advertise in battleground states to increase voter turnout. But a new study says ads also have a big impact on campaign contributions.

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NPR News: Do Parents Invade Children's Privacy When They Post Photos Online?

Do Parents Invade Children's Privacy When They Post Photos Online?
The kids look so darned cute in that photo, it's hard not to post it online for all too see. But there are privacy risks to sharing children's images, and children often don't want the exposure.

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Thursday, October 27, 2016

A Giant Squid in the Flying Bat


Very faint but also very large on planet Earth's sky, a giant Squid Nebula cataloged as Ou4, and Sh2-129 also known as the Flying Bat Nebula, are both caught in this cosmic scene toward the royal constellation Cepheus. Composed with almost 17 hours of narrowband image data, the telescopic field of view is 4 degrees or 8 Full Moons across. Discovered in 2011 by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters, the Squid Nebula's alluring bipolar shape is distinguished here by the telltale blue-green emission from doubly ionized oxygen atoms. Though apparently completely surrounded by the reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129, the true distance and nature of the Squid Nebula have been difficult to determine. Still, a recent investigation suggests Ou4 really does lie within Sh2-129 some 2,300 light-years away. Consistent with that scenario, Ou4 would represent a spectacular outflow driven by HR8119, a triple system of hot, massive stars seen near the center of the nebula. The truly giant Squid Nebula would physically be nearly 50 light-years across. via NASA http://ift.tt/2dLyK8d

NPR News: This Bird Can Remain Airborne For 10 Months Straight

This Bird Can Remain Airborne For 10 Months Straight
These birds fly from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa, but they don't touch down on the continent. The researchers say new findings raise questions about "when and to what extent swifts need to sleep."

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NPR News: This Bird Can Remain Airborne For 10 Months Straight

This Bird Can Remain Airborne For 10 Months Straight
These birds fly from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa, but they don't touch down on the continent. The researchers say new findings raise questions about "when and to what extent swifts need to sleep."

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NPR News: Report Declares Global Wildlife Populations Are Plunging. But It's Complicated

Report Declares Global Wildlife Populations Are Plunging. But It's Complicated
The WWF report asserts that wildlife populations have dropped by a startling percentage since 1970. The details and extent of that decline, however, are more complex than any one number can capture.

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NPR News: How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?

How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?
Four years of too little water is killing millions of trees in the Sierra, yet some giant sequoias still thrive. Tree-climbing scientists are exploring sequoias branch by branch to find their secret.

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NPR News: How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?

How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?
Four years of too little water is killing millions of trees in the Sierra, yet some giant sequoias still thrive. Tree-climbing scientists are exploring sequoias branch by branch to find their secret.

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Washington Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station

Students will gather at National Geographic’s headquarters in Washington for an opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working aboard the International Space Station. at noon EDT Thursday, Nov. 3. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

October 27, 2016
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NPR News: Researchers Say They've Found A Bit Of Fossilized Dinosaur Brain

Researchers Say They've Found A Bit Of Fossilized Dinosaur Brain
A small rock may contain tissue from a 130 million-year-old dinosaur brain. If confirmed, it would be the first bit of fossilized dino gray matter ever found.

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NPR News: Is It Still A Placebo When It Works And You Know It's A Placebo?

Is It Still A Placebo When It Works And You Know It's A Placebo?
Most research on placebos involves people who think they're getting an active treatment, but aren't. But they may also work when people know full well they're getting a sham treatment.

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NPR News: Is It Still A Placebo When It Works And You Know It's A Placebo?

Is It Still A Placebo When It Works And You Know It's A Placebo?
Most research on placebos involves people who think they're getting an active treatment, but aren't. But they may also work when people know full well they're getting a sham treatment.

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NPR News: National Science Test Scores Are Out, But What Do They Really Tell Us?

National Science Test Scores Are Out, But What Do They Really Tell Us?
The results are mixed for fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders. More than that, though, experts say the nation's report card may be out of step with the latest goals for science learning.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Propeller Shadows on Saturn's Rings


What created these unusually long shadows on Saturn's rings? The dark shadows -- visible near the middle of the image -- extend opposite the Sun and, given their length, stem from objects having heights up to a few kilometers. The long shadows were unexpected given that the usual thickness of Saturn's A and B rings is only about 10 meters. After considering the choppy but elongated shapes apparent near the B-ring edge, however, a leading theory has emerged that some kilometer-sized moonlets exist there that have enough gravity to create even larger vertical deflections of nearby small ring particles. The resulting ring waves are called propellers, named for how they appear individually. It is these coherent groups of smaller ring particles that are hypothesized to be casting the long shadows. The featured image was taken by the robotic Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn. The image was captured in 2009, near Saturn's equinox, when sunlight streamed directly over the ring plane and caused the longest shadows to be cast. via NASA http://ift.tt/2eFVy6g

NPR News: After A Long Day Of Fighting Climate Change, This Grain Is Ready For A Beer

After A Long Day Of Fighting Climate Change, This Grain Is Ready For A Beer
Kernza is a kind of grassy wheat that traps more carbon in the soil than crops like wheat and rice. Now, a West Coast brewery is using the grain in its new beer called Long Root Ale.

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NPR News: Zika May Be Here To Stay, Say U.S. Health Officials

Zika May Be Here To Stay, Say U.S. Health Officials
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now urges pregnant women to "consider postponing travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County." Zika is on the way to becoming an endemic disease in the U.S.

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NPR News: Zika May Be Here To Stay, Say U.S. Health Officials

Zika May Be Here To Stay, Say U.S. Health Officials
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now urges pregnant women to "consider postponing travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County." Zika is on the way to becoming an endemic disease in the U.S.

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NPR News: Settlement Deal Reached In 2014 West Virginia Chemical Spill

Settlement Deal Reached In 2014 West Virginia Chemical Spill
Residents affected by a leak of coal-washing chemical into the Elk River reached a deal with a chemical company. A class action suit against a water company was set to move forward in federal court.

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NPR News: Mystery Solved: How HIV Came To The U.S.

Mystery Solved: How HIV Came To The U.S.
The virus that causes AIDS came to the U.S. from Haiti in the early 1970s, a genetic analysis finds. HIV spread in New York City for years before doctors became aware of it.

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NPR News: Mystery Solved: How HIV Came To The U.S.

Mystery Solved: How HIV Came To The U.S.
The virus that causes AIDS came to the U.S. from Haiti in the early 1970s, a genetic analysis finds. HIV spread in New York City for years before doctors became aware of it.

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NASA Invites Media to Meet New Science Directorate Chief

Media are invited to meet Thomas Zurbuchen, recently named the associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and ask questions in person or via phone during an informal brown bag lunch at noon EDT Monday, Oct. 31. The event will be held at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, Washington.

October 26, 2016
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NPR News: 'Double Bind' Explains The Dearth Of Women In Top Leadership Positions

'Double Bind' Explains The Dearth Of Women In Top Leadership Positions
Women in power often have to choose between being seen as likeable but incompetent, or competent but cold. We explore what's known as "double bind" — assumptions about men, women and leadership.

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NPR News: 'Double Bind' Explains The Dearth Of Women In Top Leadership Positions

'Double Bind' Explains The Dearth Of Women In Top Leadership Positions
Women in power often have to choose between being seen as likeable but incompetent, or competent but cold. We explore what's known as "double bind" — assumptions about men, women and leadership.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Clouds Near Jupiters South Pole from Juno


What's happening near the south pole of Jupiter? Recent images sent back by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft are showing an interesting conglomeration of swirling clouds and what appear to be white ovals. Juno arrived at Jupiter in July and is being placed into a wide, looping orbit that will bring it near the gas giant -- and over its poles -- about twice a month. The featured image is a composite taken by JunoCam and post-processed by a digitally savvy citizen scientist. White ovals have been observed elsewhere on Jupiter and are thought to be giant storm systems. They have been observed to last for years, while typically showing Category 5 wind speeds of around 350 kilometers per hour. Unlike Earthly cyclones and hurricanes where high winds circle regions of low pressure, white ovals on Jupiter show rotational directions indicating that they are anticylones -- vortices centered on high pressure regions. Juno will continue to orbit Jupiter over thirty more times while recording optical, spectral, and gravitational data meant to help determine Jupiter's structure and evolution. via NASA http://ift.tt/2eHnAz7

NASA Awards Contract for Sustainable Land Imaging Spacecraft

NASA has awarded a delivery order under the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition III (Rapid III) contract to Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia, known publicly as Orbital ATK, for the Landsat 9 spacecraft.

October 25, 2016
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NPR News: Volkswagen Agrees To $14.7 Billion Settlement In Emissions Cheating Scandal

Volkswagen Agrees To $14.7 Billion Settlement In Emissions Cheating Scandal
Nearly 500,000 dirty diesel vehicles could be taken off the roads under a settlement approved by a judge in the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal. VW has agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion to resolve claims from consumers and the U.S. government. Customers will be compensated under a VW buyback program, and the company will also pay to offset the pollution caused by the rigged diesel vehicles.

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NPR News: Applying A Silicon Valley Approach To Jumpstart Medical Research

Applying A Silicon Valley Approach To Jumpstart Medical Research
Neuroscientist Cori Bargmann is leading the new Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's $3 billion effort to cure or prevent "all diseases" by the end of this century. She talks about that daunting task.

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NPR News: Applying A Silicon Valley Approach To Jumpstart Medical Research

Applying A Silicon Valley Approach To Jumpstart Medical Research
Neuroscientist Cori Bargmann is leading the new Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's $3 billion effort to cure or prevent "all diseases" by the end of this century. She talks about that daunting task.

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NASA Television to Air Return of Three Space Station Crew Members

Three crew members on the International Space Station are scheduled to depart the orbital outpost Saturday, Oct. 29, with coverage of activities beginning the day before on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

October 25, 2016
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NPR News: Dental Detectives: What Fossil Teeth Reveal About Ancestral Human Diets

Dental Detectives: What Fossil Teeth Reveal About Ancestral Human Diets
From the thickness of tooth enamel to the molecular signatures on a tooth left behind by foods eaten by a human, fossil teeth hold many clues to the diets of our ancestors.

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NPR News: Antarctica's Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster — And From Beneath

Antarctica's Ice Sheets Are Melting Faster — And From Beneath
Researchers say the ice is melting more quickly than they've ever seen. They think it's because warm water is circulating under the ice shelf, and that the melting process appears to be irreversible.

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NPR News: What's In It For The Corpse Flower To Smell Like Death?

What's In It For The Corpse Flower To Smell Like Death?
The corpse flower is a botanical rock star — prized by botanic gardens around the globe. In a new video, NPR's Skunk Bear explores the biology of the stinky giant, which thrives by playing dead.

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NPR News: What's In It For The Corpse Flower To Smell Like Death?

What's In It For The Corpse Flower To Smell Like Death?
The corpse flower is a botanical rock star — prized by botanic gardens around the globe. In a new video, NPR's Skunk Bear explores the biology of the stinky giant, which thrives by playing dead.

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Monday, October 24, 2016

NPR News: Pediatricians Release New Guidance For Preventing Sudden Infant Deaths

Pediatricians Release New Guidance For Preventing Sudden Infant Deaths
Infants should sleep in the same room as their parents for the first six months of their lives, and ideally, the entire first year. That's a key recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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NPR News: Pediatricians Release New Guidance For Preventing Sudden Infant Deaths

Pediatricians Release New Guidance For Preventing Sudden Infant Deaths
Infants should sleep in the same room as their parents for the first six months of their lives, and ideally, the entire first year. That's a key recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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NPR News: How Small Fibs Lead To Big Lies

How Small Fibs Lead To Big Lies
A new study finds evidence of "a gradual escalation of self-serving dishonesty," in which small lies pave the way for larger deceptions.

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NPR News: How Small Fibs Lead To Big Lies

How Small Fibs Lead To Big Lies
A new study finds evidence of "a gradual escalation of self-serving dishonesty," in which small lies pave the way for larger deceptions.

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NPR News: 2,500 Years Ago, This Brew Was Buried With The Dead. A Brewery Has Revived It

2,500 Years Ago, This Brew Was Buried With The Dead. A Brewery Has Revived It
In an ancient burial plot in what is now Germany, scientists uncovered a cauldron with remnants of an alcoholic beverage. So they teamed up with a Milwaukee brewery to re-create the recipe.

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NPR News: Out Of This World: How Artists Imagine Planets Yet Unseen

Out Of This World: How Artists Imagine Planets Yet Unseen
When astronomers spot a new planet that's too far away to be seen in detail, they work with artists to depict it. Space artists say they have a lot of freedom, but have to be careful, too.

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Sunday, October 23, 2016

Eagle Aurora over Norway


What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass ejection occurred on our Sun five days before this 2012 image was taken, throwing a cloud of fast moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Although most of this cloud passed above the Earth, some of it impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at high northern latitudes. Featured here is a particularly photogenic auroral corona captured above Grotfjord, Norway. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen might appear as a large eagle, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. Although now past Solar Maximum, our Sun continues to show occasional activity creating impressive auroras on Earth visible only last week. via NASA http://ift.tt/2eu9S4j

NPR News: Why Does This Election Have Us So Down? Social Science May Have An Answer

Why Does This Election Have Us So Down? Social Science May Have An Answer
U.S. politics have long been marked by disagreement and even rancor. But 2016 feels worse than usual. NPR's Hidden Brain podcast offers one explanation why, from deep in our psychological frameworks.

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NPR News: Gotcha: Space Station Grabs Onto NASA's 5,100-Pound Cargo Craft

Gotcha: Space Station Grabs Onto NASA's 5,100-Pound Cargo Craft
It's been a busy weekend for the space station. On Friday, three astronauts — two Russians and one American — docked at the ISS.

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Cerro Tololo Trails


Early one moonlit evening car lights left a wandering trail along the road to the Chilean Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Setting stars left the wandering trails in the sky. The serene view toward the mountainous horizon was captured in a telephoto timelapse image and video taken from nearby Cerro Pachon, home to Gemini South. Afforded by the mountaintop vantage point, the clear, long sight-line passes through layers of atmosphere. The changing atmospheric refraction shifts and distorts the otherwise steady apparent paths of the stars as they set. That effect also causes the distorted appearance of Sun and Moon as they rise or set near a distant horizon. via NASA http://ift.tt/2eaaudK

NPR News: Wrecked Haiti Still Reeling From Deadly Hurricane Matthew

Wrecked Haiti Still Reeling From Deadly Hurricane Matthew
Haiti is still recovering from a Category 4 storm that ravaged its southern coast two weeks ago. Scott Simon speaks with Chief Medical Officer Joanna Cherry of Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-Au-Prince.

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NPR News: Can Mental Illness Be Prevented In The Womb?

Can Mental Illness Be Prevented In The Womb?
Researchers are exploring changes in prenatal nutrition to lower risks for future mental disorders. The work is preliminary, but there is ample precedent for maternal diet affecting children's health.

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NPR News: Can Mental Illness Be Prevented In The Womb?

Can Mental Illness Be Prevented In The Womb?
Researchers are exploring changes in prenatal nutrition to lower risks for future mental disorders. The work is preliminary, but there is ample precedent for maternal diet affecting children's health.

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Friday, October 21, 2016

Full Moon in Mountain Shadow


On October 15, standing near the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea and looking away from a gorgeous sunset produced this magnificent snapshot of a Full Moon rising within the volcanic mountain's shadow. An alignment across the Solar System is captured in the stunning scene and seeming contradiction of bright Moon in dark shadow. The triangular appearance of a shadow cast by a mountain's irregular profile is normal. It's created by the perspective of the distant mountaintop view through the dense atmosphere. Rising as the Sun sets, the antisolar point or the point opposite the Sun is close to the perspective's vanishing point near the mountain shadow's peak. But extending in the antisolar direction, Earth's conical shadow is only a few lunar diameters wide at the distance of the Moon. So October's Full Hunters Moon is still reflecting sunlight, seen through the mountain's atmospheric shadow but found too far from the antisolar point and the Earth's extended shadow to be eclipsed. via NASA http://ift.tt/2e7dLdF

NPR News: Schiaparelli Mars Lander May Have Exploded On Impact, European Agency Says

Schiaparelli Mars Lander May Have Exploded On Impact, European Agency Says
Instead of drifting gently onto Mars' surface, the Schiaparelli Mars lander hit the planet hard — and possibly exploded, the European Space Agency says.

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NASA, Citizen Scientists Discover Potential New Hunting Ground for Exoplanets

Via a NASA-led citizen science project, eight people with no formal training in astrophysics helped discover what could be a fruitful new place to search for planets outside our solar system – a large disk of gas and dust encircling a star known as a circumstellar disk.

October 21, 2016
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NPR News: Can A Place Still Be Home Even After Becoming Toxic?

Can A Place Still Be Home Even After Becoming Toxic?
Even thirty years after the devastating nuclear accident in Chernobyl, there are still people who call the place home. Filmmaker Holly Morris tells the stories of the mostly elderly women who stayed.

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NPR News: How Does Our Brain Get Rid Of Toxins?

How Does Our Brain Get Rid Of Toxins?
Neuroscientist Jeff Iliff talks about his research, which explores how the brain naturally flushes out toxins during sleep.

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NPR News: How Can Your Home Make You Sick?

How Can Your Home Make You Sick?
When Dr. Rishi Manchanda worked in a clinic in South Central Los Angeles, he saw that patients were getting sick because of toxic living conditions — so he tried a unique treatment approach.

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NPR News: How Do Toxins From Plastics Find Their Way Into Our Food?

How Do Toxins From Plastics Find Their Way Into Our Food?
Ocean advocate Emily Penn has seen first hand how much plastic ends up in the oceans. She explains how the toxins from plastic makes their way into our food chain and how we might be able to stop it.

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NPR News: How Do Common Chemicals Affect Frogs, Rats — And Maybe Us?

How Do Common Chemicals Affect Frogs, Rats — And Maybe Us?
Biologist Tyrone Hayes talks about the concerning effects of the herbicide atrazine, which is part of a group of chemicals that are found in everyday food and household products.

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NPR News: What Can We Learn From One of the World's Most Toxic Accidents?

What Can We Learn From One of the World's Most Toxic Accidents?
Filmmaker Holly Morris talks about her time with the "Babushkas of Chernobyl" — the elderly women who decided to stay in Chernobyl, Ukraine, after the worst nuclear accident in history.

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Thursday, October 20, 2016

NPR News: American Academy Of Pediatrics Lifts "No Screens Under 2" Rule

American Academy Of Pediatrics Lifts "No Screens Under 2" Rule
A new policy statement says kids as young as 15 months can learn from media when a caregiver is present and involved.

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NPR News: No Snapchat In The Bedroom? An Online Tool To Manage Kids' Media Use

No Snapchat In The Bedroom? An Online Tool To Manage Kids' Media Use
The American Academy of Pediatrics has launched more liberal guidelines on children's media use. They're offering parents an online tool to help manage the what, where and when of family screen time.

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NPR News: No Snapchat In The Bedroom? An Online Tool To Manage Kids' Media Use

No Snapchat In The Bedroom? An Online Tool To Manage Kids' Media Use
The American Academy of Pediatrics has launched more liberal guidelines on children's media use. They're offering parents an online tool to help manage the what, where and when of family screen time.

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The Tulip in the Swan


Framing a bright emission region this telescopic view looks out along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy toward the nebula rich constellation Cygnus the Swan. Popularly called the Tulip Nebula, the glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dust is also found in the 1959 catalog by astronomer Stewart Sharpless as Sh2-101. About 8,000 light-years distant and 70 light-years across the complex and beautiful nebula blossoms at the center of the composite image. Red, green, and blue hues map emission from ionized sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Ultraviolet radiation from young, energetic stars at the edge of the Cygnus OB3 association, including O star HDE 227018, ionizes the atoms and powers the visible light emission from the Tulip Nebula. HDE 227018 is the bright star very near the blue arc at the center of the cosmic tulip. via NASA http://ift.tt/2dCMLmV

NPR News: 'Last Gasp' To Save The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow From Extinction

'Last Gasp' To Save The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow From Extinction
A tiny bird called the Florida grasshopper sparrow is on the brink of extinction. Fewer than 150 are believed to remain in the wild.

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NPR News: Dinosaurs Down Under May Help Explain Prehistoric Migrations

Dinosaurs Down Under May Help Explain Prehistoric Migrations
The remains of two titanosaur species discovered in Australia provide clues about how ancient plant-eaters proliferated.

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NPR News: Mars Lander May Be Missing, But A Second Spacecraft Is Still Humming Along

Mars Lander May Be Missing, But A Second Spacecraft Is Still Humming Along
As scientists try to figure out what happened to the Schiaparelli lander, which may have crash-landed, a craft known as the Trace Gas Orbiter is orbiting the red planet in search of signs of life.

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NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson Available for Interviews Before Space Station Launch

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will be available for live satellite interviews from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, on Thursday, Oct. 27, before her launch to the International Space Station. She will answer questions about her upcoming mission aboard the world-class orbiting laboratory from 7-8 a.m. EDT.

October 20, 2016
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Media Invited to Rare View of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Mirrors

Media are invited to join NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Wednesday, Nov. 2, for an update about what’s in store for NASA’s next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, and a rare glimpse of the telescope’s mirrors.

October 20, 2016
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NPR News: How Snakes Lost Their Legs

How Snakes Lost Their Legs
Scientists in Florida say they've pinpointed the genetic process that caused snakes to lose their legs, and found that embryonic pythons still form "cryptic leg skeletons," millions of years later.

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NPR News: How Snakes Lost Their Legs

How Snakes Lost Their Legs
Scientists in Florida say they've pinpointed the genetic process that caused snakes to lose their legs, and found that embryonic pythons still form "cryptic leg skeletons," millions of years later.

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NPR News: Breathing Less Oxygen Reduces Jet Lag, At Least In Mice

Breathing Less Oxygen Reduces Jet Lag, At Least In Mice
Jet lag and shift work impose painful changes on the body's circadian rhythms. Adjusting oxygen consumption might help, researchers say. But don't hold your breath; it's only been tested in mice.

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NPR News: Breathing Less Oxygen Reduces Jet Lag, At Least In Mice

Breathing Less Oxygen Reduces Jet Lag, At Least In Mice
Jet lag and shift work impose painful changes on the body's circadian rhythms. Adjusting oxygen consumption might help, researchers say. But don't hold your breath; it's only been tested in mice.

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NPR News: Bye Bye, Bao Bao: Popular Giant Panda Heads To China This Winter

Bye Bye, Bao Bao: Popular Giant Panda Heads To China This Winter
The National Zoo's giant pandas are on loan from China, and the agreement requires any pandas born in D.C. be returned to China before they turn 4. It'll soon be time for Bao Bao to make the journey.

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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

M45: The Pleiades Star Cluster


Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you have, you probably have never seen it as dusty as this. Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars even from the heart of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The featured image was a long duration exposure taken last month from Namibia and covers a sky area many times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of visible Pleiades stars, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer's eyesight. via NASA http://ift.tt/2el3RF8

NPR News: Emergency Room Use Stays High In Oregon Medicaid Study

Emergency Room Use Stays High In Oregon Medicaid Study
Health officials hoped giving more people health insurance would curtail their use of expensive emergency rooms for routine medical care. But data from Oregon suggest their overall ER use didn't drop.

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NPR News: Emergency Room Use Stays High In Oregon Medicaid Study

Emergency Room Use Stays High In Oregon Medicaid Study
Health officials hoped giving more people health insurance would curtail their use of expensive emergency rooms for routine medical care. But data from Oregon suggest their overall ER use didn't drop.

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NPR News: Scientists Await Word From Probe As It Descends Toward Mars

Scientists Await Word From Probe As It Descends Toward Mars
A joint European-Russian mission is attempting to land a probe on the red planet. If successful, it would be the first time a non-U.S. spacecraft has successfully operated from the surface of Mars.

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NPR News: Scientists Study Species Of Turtles Presumed To Abundant

Scientists Study Species Of Turtles Presumed To Abundant
Scientists and environmentalists work hard to save animals from becoming extinct. But there's another effort underway to study a species perceived to be abundant: turtles.

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NASA, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Host Discussion on Solar Hazards in Exploration

Understanding the hazards of space weather on crewed and robotic missions is vital to informing plans for NASA’s Journey to Mars and other missions into our solar system, and beyond. Veteran NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld and solar experts will discuss that and more during a panel discussion at 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Oct. 25.

October 19, 2016
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NPR News: Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?

Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?
Capuchin monkeys in Brazil have been seen making sharp stone flakes. It was previously thought that only humans and their ancestors had flaking skills.

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NPR News: Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?

Those Ancient Stone Tools — Did Humans Make Them, Or Was It Really Monkeys?
Capuchin monkeys in Brazil have been seen making sharp stone flakes. It was previously thought that only humans and their ancestors had flaking skills.

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NPR News: Don't Look Now! How Your Devices Hurt Your Productivity

Don't Look Now! How Your Devices Hurt Your Productivity
Our tendency to respond immediately to email and texts gets in the way of high-level thinking, a neuroscientist says. Want to be more productive at work? Turn off most tech, at least part of the day.

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NPR News: Don't Look Now! How Your Devices Hurt Your Productivity

Don't Look Now! How Your Devices Hurt Your Productivity
Our tendency to respond immediately to email and texts gets in the way of high-level thinking, a neuroscientist says. Want to be more productive at work? Turn off most tech, at least part of the day.

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NPR News: WATCH: European Probe Will Attempt To Land On Mars

WATCH: European Probe Will Attempt To Land On Mars
The Schiaparelli probe is set to make a 6-minute descent through the red planet's atmosphere and make a controlled landing on the surface.

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NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough, Crewmates Launch to Space Station to Continue Research

Three crew members representing the United States and Russia are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday (2:05 p.m. Baikonur time).

October 19, 2016
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Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Antlia Cluster of Galaxies


Galaxies dot the sky in this impressively wide and deep image of the Antlia Cluster. The third closest cluster of galaxies to Earth after Virgo and Fornax, the Antlia cluster is known for its compactness and its high fraction of elliptical galaxies over (spirals. Antlia, cataloged as Abell S0636, spans about 2 million light years and lies about 130 million light years away toward the constellation of the Air Pump (Antlia). The cluster has two prominent galaxy groups - bottom center and upper left -- among its over 200 galactic members, but no single central dominant galaxy. The vertical red ribbon of gas on the left is thought related to the foreground Antlia supernova remnant and not associated with the cluster. The featured image composite, taken from New Zealand, resulted from 150+ hours of exposures taken over six months. via NASA http://ift.tt/2egQ4iQ

NPR News: Cut Down On Bee-Killing Pesticides? Ontario Finds It's Easier Said Than Done

Cut Down On Bee-Killing Pesticides? Ontario Finds It's Easier Said Than Done
Pesticides called "neonics" are popular among farmers, but also have been blamed for killing bees. In Canada, the province of Ontario is trying to crack down on neonics, with mixed results.

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NPR News: White House Report Calls For Safer Natural Gas Storage

White House Report Calls For Safer Natural Gas Storage
The October 2015 leak at the Aliso Canyon plant in Los Angeles, which displaced 8,000 families, shows that U.S. gas storage infrastructure is old and requires improvement, say federal officials.

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NPR News: Ontario Cracks Down On Widely Used Pesticides Toxic To Bees

Ontario Cracks Down On Widely Used Pesticides Toxic To Bees
The Canadian province of Ontario is clamping down on the use of some widely used insecticides that are blamed for killing bees. Environmental advocates hope the the U.S. will follow Ontario's lead.

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NPR News: Why Worries About Paperless Voting Loom Larger This Year

Why Worries About Paperless Voting Loom Larger This Year
In tight elections, the loser often calls for a recount. But recounting ballots might not be easy in states that use paperless machines — including the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania.

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NPR News: 'Higgs Bison' Is The Missing Link In European Bison Ancestral Tree

'Higgs Bison' Is The Missing Link In European Bison Ancestral Tree
A new study examines why European cave art includes drawings of two distinct types of bison. One of the types is a newly discovered ancestor of modern bison.

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NPR News: 'Higgs Bison' Is The Missing Link In European Bison Ancestral Tree

'Higgs Bison' Is The Missing Link In European Bison Ancestral Tree
A new study examines why European cave art includes drawings of two distinct types of bison. One of the types is a newly discovered ancestor of modern bison.

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NPR News: Study: Immigrants Face Backlash But Do The Same To The Next Group

Study: Immigrants Face Backlash But Do The Same To The Next Group
Many immigrant groups faced prejudice and suspicion when they first arrived in the U.S. quickly turn around and exhibit the same kinds of prejudice and suspicions toward those who come after them.

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NPR News: Study: Immigrants Face Backlash But Do The Same To The Next Group

Study: Immigrants Face Backlash But Do The Same To The Next Group
Many immigrant groups faced prejudice and suspicion when they first arrived in the U.S. quickly turn around and exhibit the same kinds of prejudice and suspicions toward those who come after them.

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Monday, October 17, 2016

NPR News: Too Sweet, Or Too Shrill? The Double Bind For Women

Too Sweet, Or Too Shrill? The Double Bind For Women
A century after women won the vote in the US, we still see very few of them in leadership roles. Researchers say women are trapped in a catch-22 known as "the double bind."

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NASA Space Station Cargo Launches from Virginia on Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

The crew of the International Space Station soon will be equipped to perform dozens of new scientific investigations with cargo launched Monday aboard NASA’s latest commercial resupply services mission from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

October 18, 2016
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NPR News: How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms

How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms
Psychiatric patients have longer ER stays than patients with physical problems, research shows, and have trouble finding inpatient care and follow-up treatment. Kids can be among the hardest hit.

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NPR News: How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms

How Gaps In Mental Health Care Play Out In Emergency Rooms
Psychiatric patients have longer ER stays than patients with physical problems, research shows, and have trouble finding inpatient care and follow-up treatment. Kids can be among the hardest hit.

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NASA’s Juno Team to Discuss Jupiter Mission Status, Latest Science Results

Team members of NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter will discuss the latest science results, an amateur imaging processing campaign, and the recent decision to postpone a scheduled burn of its main engine, during a media briefing at 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 19. The briefing will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency’s website.

October 17, 2016
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NPR News: Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated?

Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated?
In the great household debate about refrigerating tomatoes, there's some new scientific evidence on the no-fridge side. But some taste testers are not convinced.

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NPR News: Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated?

Forget Tomayto/Tomahto: The Real Debate Is, Should It Be Refrigerated?
In the great household debate about refrigerating tomatoes, there's some new scientific evidence on the no-fridge side. But some taste testers are not convinced.

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NPR News: Peruvian Farmers, Chefs (Yes, Chefs) Cash In On Guinea Pig Craze

Peruvian Farmers, Chefs (Yes, Chefs) Cash In On Guinea Pig Craze
There's a growing demand for the guinea pig as a source of meat in Peru's restaurants. The new craze for the rodent's crispy skin and fatty flesh is helping improve the lives of small farmers in Peru.

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NPR News: European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface Of Mars

European Space Agency Probe Approaches Surface Of Mars
The Schiaparelli lander detached from its mothership, the Trace Gas Orbiter, on Sunday. It's expected to make a controlled landing on the Red Planet on Wednesday.

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NPR News: How The Concept Of Implicit Bias Came Into Being

How The Concept Of Implicit Bias Came Into Being
Implicit bias has become a key part of the national dialogue on race in America. To learn more about the history of the term, we turn to Mahzarin Banaji, one of the researchers who founded the theory.

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NPR News: Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?

Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?
A generation of young men missed out on the HPV vaccine. Now, 29-year-old journalist Jake Harper wonders if that's putting him and other men at risk.

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NPR News: Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?

Is 20-Something Too Late For A Guy To Get The HPV Vaccine?
A generation of young men missed out on the HPV vaccine. Now, 29-year-old journalist Jake Harper wonders if that's putting him and other men at risk.

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NPR News: Skeptics Question The Value OF Intravenous Fluids For The Healthy

Skeptics Question The Value OF Intravenous Fluids For The Healthy
Some spa-like clinics will inject an expensive mix of water and vitamins into your bloodstream, ostensibly to ward off illness and boost energy. But can't drinking fluids offer the same benefit?

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Sunday, October 16, 2016

NPR News: Storm Leaves Thousands Without Power In Pacific Northwest

Storm Leaves Thousands Without Power In Pacific Northwest
More rain is expected for Washington state and Oregon on Sunday, after a storm downed trees and flooded roads across the region.

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Saturday, October 15, 2016

NPR News: West Virginia Grapples With High Drug Costs

West Virginia Grapples With High Drug Costs
Climbing drug prices are taking a toll on West Virginia's budget, some state legislators say. Expensive drugs fuel an increase in Medicaid spending, which leaves less money for schools and roads.

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NPR News: In Fight Against Food Waste, Brits Find A Worthy Battlefield: The Home

In Fight Against Food Waste, Brits Find A Worthy Battlefield: The Home
Reducing food waste is complicated, but the clearest success story may be the United Kingdom, where households cut the amount of food they wasted by about 20 percent.

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Herschel s Orion


This dramatic image peers within M42, the Orion Nebula, the closest large star-forming region. Using data at infrared wavelengths from the Herschel Space Observatory, the false-color composite explores the natal cosmic cloud a mere 1,500 light-years distant. Cold, dense filaments of dust that would otherwise be dark at visible wavelengths are shown in reddish hues. Light-years long, the filaments weave together bright spots that correspond to regions of collapsing protostars. The brightest bluish area near the top of the frame is warmer dust heated by the hot Trapezium cluster stars that also power the nebula's visible glow. Herschel data has recently indicated ultraviolet starlight from the hot newborn stars likely contributes to the creation of carbon-hydrogen molecules, basic building blocks of life. This Herschel image spans about 3 degrees on the sky. That's about 80 light-years at the distance of the Orion Nebula. via NASA http://ift.tt/2efmMkj

NPR News: The Universe Has Almost 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought

The Universe Has Almost 10 Times More Galaxies Than We Thought
A new study finds there are about 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe, up from about 200 billion. It's the first major revision to that number since the 1990s.

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NPR News: Spin To Survive: How 'Saturn on Steroids' Keeps From Self-Destructing

Spin To Survive: How 'Saturn on Steroids' Keeps From Self-Destructing
A distant planet has rings so large it makes Saturn look like a child's toy. But, until now, scientists have been baffled about how the enormous rings keep from self-destructing. The answer: spin.

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NPR News: In Other News: This Photo Of An Elephant Snuggling An Ostrich

In Other News: This Photo Of An Elephant Snuggling An Ostrich
It can be hard for different animals to get along, but Pea and Jotto have figured it out.

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NPR News: Spin To Survive: How 'Saturn on Steroids' Keeps From Self-Destructing

Spin To Survive: How 'Saturn on Steroids' Keeps From Self-Destructing
A distant planet has rings so large it makes Saturn look like a child's toy. But, until now, scientists have been baffled about how the enormous rings keep from self-destructing. The answer: spin.

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NPR News: A Spider Across The Room Can 'Hear' You, Study Finds

A Spider Across The Room Can 'Hear' You, Study Finds
"Based on what we know, this shouldn't be happening, but it definitely is," Harvard fellow Paul Shamble says. The researchers' finding changes what we know about how spiders experience the world.

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NPR News: A Spider Across The Room Can 'Hear' You, Study Finds

A Spider Across The Room Can 'Hear' You, Study Finds
"Based on what we know, this shouldn't be happening, but it definitely is," Harvard fellow Paul Shamble says. The researchers' finding changes what we know about how spiders experience the world.

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NPR News: Organ Donations Spike In The Wake Of The Opioid Epidemic

Organ Donations Spike In The Wake Of The Opioid Epidemic
So far this year, more than 1 in 4 donations in New England are from people who died after a drug overdose — a much higher rate than in the U.S. overall, though it's not clear why.

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NPR News: Apes May Be More Like Us Than We Thought

Apes May Be More Like Us Than We Thought
Blogger Alva Noë looks at new research showing apes understand what we think: They are able to differentiate how someone thinks something to be from how it actually is.

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Thursday, October 13, 2016

NPR News: Brain Implant Restores Sense of Touch To Paralyzed Man

Brain Implant Restores Sense of Touch To Paralyzed Man
A mind-controlled robotic arm has pressure sensors in each fingertip that send signals directly to a paralyzed man's brain. It's still experimental, but could eventually help thousands, engineers say.

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NPR News: Brain Implant Restores Sense of Touch To Paralyzed Man

Brain Implant Restores Sense of Touch To Paralyzed Man
A mind-controlled robotic arm has pressure sensors in each fingertip that send signals directly to a paralyzed man's brain. It's still experimental, but could eventually help thousands, engineers say.

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Media Invited to First Test of Multiple Drones Flying Beyond Line-of-Sight

Media are invited to watch the first test of NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) research platform from noon to 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Reno-Stead Airport in Reno, Nevada.

October 13, 2016
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NPR News: Hurricane Nicole Bears Down On Bermuda

Hurricane Nicole Bears Down On Bermuda
The Category 3 storm has maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center calls it "extremely dangerous."

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NPR News: Research Explores The Effects Of Trade And Economic Disruption

Research Explores The Effects Of Trade And Economic Disruption
Economic disruption has been a big part of the political conversation. Free trade might be a net benefit to the U.S., but there are large areas of the country that bear the brunt of negative effects.

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NPR News: Research Explores The Effects Of Trade And Economic Disruption

Research Explores The Effects Of Trade And Economic Disruption
Economic disruption has been a big part of the political conversation. Free trade might be a net benefit to the U.S., but there are large areas of the country that bear the brunt of negative effects.

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NPR News: We Pay Billions For Greener Farms, So What Does That Buy Us?

We Pay Billions For Greener Farms, So What Does That Buy Us?
American farmers receive billions of dollars each year in "conservation payments" that are intended to protect the environment. Some environmentalists think the payments deserve scrutiny - and reform.

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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

NPR News: Protests Disrupt Pipelines Across The West

Protests Disrupt Pipelines Across The West
On Tuesday, activists targeted five pipelines carrying crude oil into the U.S. from Canada, as construction resumed on a North Dakota pipeline. Twenty-seven protesters were arrested.

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NPR News: Obama Declares Humans Should Go To Mars By The 2030s

Obama Declares Humans Should Go To Mars By The 2030s
President Obama has once again declared that humans should go to Mars by the 2030s. NPR looks back on his eight years in office to see whether he's put NASA on track to get there.

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NPR News: Coffee And Climate Change: In Brazil, A Disaster Is Brewing

Coffee And Climate Change: In Brazil, A Disaster Is Brewing
Climate change is threatening the world's coffee, a new report says. In the biggest coffee supplier on the planet, Brazil, rising temperatures are being felt to devastating effect.

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NPR News: How The 'Cannabis Catch-22' Keeps Marijuana Classified As A Harmful Drug

How The 'Cannabis Catch-22' Keeps Marijuana Classified As A Harmful Drug
Author John Hudak says federal law makes it hard to prove the medicinal value of marijuana. "As a Schedule 1 drug, it is very difficult to do research on the plant," he explains.

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NPR News: Reviews Of Medical Studies May Be Tainted By Funders' Influence

Reviews Of Medical Studies May Be Tainted By Funders' Influence
Researchers often combine the results of many medical studies to evaluate treatments. But when the combiners have a financial interest, the results might be inaccurate, a scientist says.

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NPR News: Reviews Of Medical Studies May Be Tainted By Funders' Influence

Reviews Of Medical Studies May Be Tainted By Funders' Influence
Researchers often combine the results of many medical studies to evaluate treatments. But when the combiners have a financial interest, the results might be inaccurate, a scientist says.

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Next Space Station Crew Set for Launch, Live on NASA TV

Three crew members of Expedition 49/50 are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station at 4:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 19 (2:05 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Live launch coverage will begin at 3:15 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

October 12, 2016
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NPR News: Nobel Prize Winners Demonstrate Importance Of Contracts

Nobel Prize Winners Demonstrate Importance Of Contracts
Two economists who figured out the underlying patterns to make better contracts won this year's Nobel Prize in economics. Steve Inskeep talks to Bengt Holmstrom of MIT, who was one of the winners.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

The Cygnus Wall of Star Formation


Sometimes, stars form in walls -- bright walls of interstellar gas. In this vivid skyscape, stars are forming in the W-shaped ridge of emission known as the Cygnus Wall. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive outline popularly called The North America Nebula, the cosmic ridge spans about 20 light-years. Constructed using narrowband data to highlight the telltale reddish glow from ionized hydrogen atoms recombining with electrons, the image mosaic follows an ionization front with fine details of dark, dusty forms in silhouette. Sculpted by energetic radiation from the region's young, hot, massive stars, the dark shapes inhabiting the view are clouds of cool gas and dust with stars likely forming within. The North America Nebula itself, NGC 7000, is about 1,500 light-years away. via NASA http://ift.tt/2d4Liaw

Atlantic Storm System Delays NASA Resupply Launch to Space Station

NASA and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, as the agency prepares for Tropical Storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda.

October 11, 2016
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NPR News: President Obama Really Wants People To Live On Mars

President Obama Really Wants People To Live On Mars
In an op-ed for CNN, the president wrote that he hopes to one day look at the night sky with his grandchildren and tell them that humans are living on Mars.

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NPR News: Trace The Remarkable History Of The Humble Pencil

Trace The Remarkable History Of The Humble Pencil
The humble writing implement has its roots in exploding stars, the French Revolution, the crown jewels of England and Walden pond.

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NPR News: A Friend For Pluto: Astronomers Find New Dwarf Planet In Our Solar System

A Friend For Pluto: Astronomers Find New Dwarf Planet In Our Solar System
The object known for now as 2014 QZ224 is only about 330 miles across and takes 1,100 years to orbit the sun. But one of the most interesting things about it is the way researchers found it.

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Monday, October 10, 2016

National School Lunch Week

My Schools Campaign Instructions


http://seventhsci.blogspot.com/2016/10/national-school-lunch-week.html

NPR News: A Pediatrician's View Of Paid Parental Leave

A Pediatrician's View Of Paid Parental Leave
Paternity leave can make a big difference in a dad's long-term engagement with the child, doctors find. Paid family leave also fosters breastfeeding and reduces the incidence of maternal depression.

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NPR News: Why Parents Don't Get Their Children Vaccinated For The Flu

Why Parents Don't Get Their Children Vaccinated For The Flu
Parents decline to vaccinate kids against the flu because they don't think they need it. Influenza leads to more hospitalizations and deaths among children than any other vaccine preventable disease.

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Sunday, October 9, 2016

NPR News: State Laws Build Momentum For First National Paid Family Leave Program

State Laws Build Momentum For First National Paid Family Leave Program
Since California passed a statewide paid parental leave law, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have followed suit. Some think the state laws could be a model for a national paid leave policy.

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Friday, October 7, 2016

NPR News: Matthew Set To End U.S. Hurricane Drought After 10 Years

Matthew Set To End U.S. Hurricane Drought After 10 Years
For the past decade, no major hurricanes have come ashore along the East Coast or Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Matthew is ending that lucky streak.

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NPR News: Perdue Goes (Almost) Antibiotic-Free

Perdue Goes (Almost) Antibiotic-Free
The giant poultry producer says that it is now raising all of its chickens without routine antibiotics. Only those flocks that get sick, about 5 percent of all birds, will be treated.

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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Trifid, Lagoon, and Mars


Bright nebulae and star clusters along this 5 degree wide field of view are popular stops on telescopic tours of the constellation Sagittarius and the crowded starfields of the central Milky Way. Cataloged by 18th century French astronomer Charles Messier, M20, the colorful Trifid Nebula, and M8, the expansive Lagoon Nebula, are at upper left and center. Both are well-known star forming regions about 5,000 light-years distant. Just passing through the same field of view on September 29, the yellowish star lined up with M8 and M20 at the lower right is actually Mars, close to 8.8 light-minutes from Earth on that date. That distance is nearly equivalent to 1 astronomical unit or the distance from Earth to Sun. Mars is overexposed in the image, with visible diffraction spikes created by the telescope mirror supports. Of course, Mars has long been known to wander through planet Earth's night skies. via NASA http://ift.tt/2dOpssR

NPR News: Teens' Penchant For Risk-Taking May Help Them Learn Faster

Teens' Penchant For Risk-Taking May Help Them Learn Faster
The impulsivity and risk-taking that are common among teenagers may be a side effect of having a brain tuned to learn a lot of new stuff fast, researchers say. So it could be good in the long run.

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NPR News: Teens' Penchant For Risk-Taking May Help Them Learn Faster

Teens' Penchant For Risk-Taking May Help Them Learn Faster
The impulsivity and risk-taking that are common among teenagers may be a side effect of having a brain tuned to learn a lot of new stuff fast, researchers say. So it could be good in the long run.

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NPR News: Rhino Horn: The Most Valuable Appendage In Illegal Wildlife Trade

Rhino Horn: The Most Valuable Appendage In Illegal Wildlife Trade
Journalist Bryan Christy estimates the wholesale market for rhino horn is a quarter of a billion dollars. Customers think the horn has healing powers. Criminal syndicates take the money.

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NPR News: Trove Of Cannabis Plants Found In Ancient Tomb In China

Trove Of Cannabis Plants Found In Ancient Tomb In China
"Medicinal and possibly spiritual or at least ritualistic Cannabis use was a widespread custom among Central Eurasian peoples during the first millennium before the Christian era," the scientists say.

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NPR News: Trove Of Cannabis Plants Found In Ancient Tomb In China

Trove Of Cannabis Plants Found In Ancient Tomb In China
"Medicinal and possibly spiritual or at least ritualistic Cannabis use was a widespread custom among Central Eurasian peoples during the first millennium before the Christian era," the scientists say.

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NPR News: Public Health Labs Hope Federal Funds Will Speed Zika Test Results

Public Health Labs Hope Federal Funds Will Speed Zika Test Results
But they'll have to wait a while. The portion of the $394 million Congress allocated to help pregnant women find out more quickly if they have Zika isn't expected to get to strained labs until 2017.

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NPR News: In Haiti, Slow Revelations About The Scale Of Hurricane Destruction

In Haiti, Slow Revelations About The Scale Of Hurricane Destruction
Hurricane Matthew drowned and battered the island nation on Tuesday. At least 23 people died and, more than 48 hours after the storm made landfall, many of the worst hit areas are still inaccessible.

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NPR News: Theranos Is Shutting Its Blood-Test Facilities, Shedding 40 Percent Of Workers

Theranos Is Shutting Its Blood-Test Facilities, Shedding 40 Percent Of Workers
The company has been under scrutiny from federal regulators over its blood-testing technology. Theranos says it will focus on a testing product called miniLab.

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NPR News: New Research Zeroes In On Sources Of Methane-Emissions Uptick

New Research Zeroes In On Sources Of Methane-Emissions Uptick
New research reveals that the amount of methane from oil and gas operations is much larger than previously thought. But the recent uptick in methane emissions seems to be from agriculture.

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NPR News: Long-term, Reversible Contraception Gains Traction With Carolina Teens

Long-term, Reversible Contraception Gains Traction With Carolina Teens
Implants and intrauterine devices are endorsed by pediatricians, OB-GYNs and health officials as a way to help women space their pregnancies and reduce the risk of delivering a premature baby.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

A Crumbling Layered Butte on Mars


What is this unusual mound on Mars? NASA's Curiosity rover rolling across Mars has come across a group of these mounds that NASA has labelled Murray Buttes. Pictured is a recently assembled mosaic image of one of the last of the buttes passed by Curiosity on its way up Mt. Sharp -- but also one of the most visually spectacular. Ancient water-deposited layers in relatively dense -- but now dried-out and crumbling -- windblown sandstone tops the 15-meter tall structure. The rim of Gale crater is visible in the distance. Curiosity continues to accumulate clues about how Mars changed from a planet with areas wet and hospitable to microbial life to the dry, barren, rusted landscape seen today. via NASA http://ift.tt/2cSWFNv

NPR News: Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?

Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?
An analysis of global demographics indicates the maximum human lifespan may have peaked at around 115 years. That's despite medical advances and the occasional person who lives a few years longer.

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NPR News: Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?

Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?
An analysis of global demographics indicates the maximum human lifespan may have peaked at around 115 years. That's despite medical advances and the occasional person who lives a few years longer.

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NPR News: 'We Were Already In A Cholera Crisis'; Hurricane Drowns Haiti, Heads North

'We Were Already In A Cholera Crisis'; Hurricane Drowns Haiti, Heads North
Hurricane Matthew killed at least 11 people in Haiti before it barreled north toward the Bahamas. Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas all declared states of emergency as they prepared for the storm.

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NPR News: This Scientist Is Trying To Unravel What Sugar Does To The Brain

This Scientist Is Trying To Unravel What Sugar Does To The Brain
Molecular biologist Monica Dus is studying fruit flies to understand how a high sugar diet affects the brain and leads to overeating and obesity. And she just won a big grant to dig deeper.

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NPR News: 3 Chemists Share Nobel Prize For Work On 'Molecular Machines'

3 Chemists Share Nobel Prize For Work On 'Molecular Machines'
The 2016 Nobel for chemistry goes to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa. The chemists are French, Scottish and Dutch, respectively.

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NPR News: Nobel Prize In Chemistry Shared By 3 Designers Of Molecular Machines

Nobel Prize In Chemistry Shared By 3 Designers Of Molecular Machines
Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa each made significant progress in the miniaturization of machines — designing a chain, an axle and a rotor blade, respectively.

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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

NPR News: European Parliament Approves Paris Climate Agreement

European Parliament Approves Paris Climate Agreement
Nearly 200 nations agreed last December to the most ambitious deal to slow climate change ever. It looks very likely that the requisite number of countries will actually ratify the deal this week to make it official. That will set in motion the difficult process of making sure both rich and poor countries deliver on their promises to cut emissions of greenhouse gases.

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NPR News: With EU Vote, Paris Climate Agreement Is Poised To Become Binding

With EU Vote, Paris Climate Agreement Is Poised To Become Binding
The European vote to ratify it effectively ends debate over the climate deal. Once the EU turns over paperwork to the U.N. later this week, the plan will officially come into force.

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NPR News: This Scientist Is Trying To Unravel What Sugar Does To The Brain

This Scientist Is Trying To Unravel What Sugar Does To The Brain
Molecular biologist Monica Dus is studying fruit flies to understand how a high sugar diet affects the brain and leads to overeating and obesity. And she just won a big grant to dig deeper.

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NPR News: From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell

From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell
Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses.

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NPR News: 'The Situation ... Is Truly Catastrophic'; Hurricane Matthew Slams Into Haiti

'The Situation ... Is Truly Catastrophic'; Hurricane Matthew Slams Into Haiti
The Category 4 storm dumped rain on southwestern Haiti on Tuesday morning and lashed the island with maximum sustained winds of up to 145 mph. The hurricane is continuing north toward Cuba.

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NASA TV Coverage Set for Orbital ATK Resupply Mission to Space Station

NASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK is scheduled to launch its sixth mission to the International Space Station at 9:13 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 13. Live launch coverage will begin at 8:15 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

October 04, 2016
from NASA http://ift.tt/2dGVLFy
via IFTTT

NPR News: Physics Nobel Goes To 3 Scientists For Insights Into Matter's Behavior

Physics Nobel Goes To 3 Scientists For Insights Into Matter's Behavior
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to David Thouless, who gets half the prize, and Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz, who share the other half.

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NPR News: 3 Scientists Win Nobel Prize In Physics For Research On Unusual Phases Of Matter

3 Scientists Win Nobel Prize In Physics For Research On Unusual Phases Of Matter
One half of the prize went to David J Thouless; the other half was shared by F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz. All three used math to explain the odd behavior of some states of matter.

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Monday, October 3, 2016

NPR News: Bee Species Added To U.S. Endangered Species List For 1st Time

Bee Species Added To U.S. Endangered Species List For 1st Time
Seven species of the yellow-faced bee, which is the only bee native to Hawaii, have been designated as endangered. They're known for their yellow-to-white facial markings.

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NPR News: A Revolution That Didn't Happen: Personal Rapid Transit

A Revolution That Didn't Happen: Personal Rapid Transit
In 1975, the Personal Rapid Transit in Morgantown, W. Va., was expected to usher in a new age of public transit nationally. It didn't. Still, the aging system is getting a $100-million upgrade.

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NPR News: Snap, Crackle, Kale: The Science Of Why Veggies Spark In The Microwave

Snap, Crackle, Kale: The Science Of Why Veggies Spark In The Microwave
Online sources suggest cooking vegetables in the microwave for a quick and easy dinner. But microwaving veggies can get a little bit explosive. Who knew kale chips could offer a lesson in physics?

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NPR News: Caribbean Nations Brace For Hurricane Matthew's Lash

Caribbean Nations Brace For Hurricane Matthew's Lash
Authorities warn of "life-threatening" wind and flooding in Haiti, and issued warnings for parts of Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. The U.S. Navy evacuated families from its base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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NPR News: How To Spark Learning Everywhere Kids Go — Starting With The Grocery Store

How To Spark Learning Everywhere Kids Go — Starting With The Grocery Store
A $20 intervention caused a big boost in conversations between parents and kids. Researchers say there are lots of untapped opportunities like these to help kids learn out of school.

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NPR News: Nobel Prize in Medicine Or Physiology Awarded

Nobel Prize in Medicine Or Physiology Awarded
The Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology goes to a Japanese scientist who studies how cells degenerate and are recycled by organisms. The process is important in understanding how diseases work.

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NPR News: Nobel Prize in Medicine Or Physiology Awarded

Nobel Prize in Medicine Or Physiology Awarded
The Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology goes to a Japanese scientist who studies how cells degenerate and are recycled by organisms. The process is important in understanding how diseases work.

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Sunday, October 2, 2016

NPR News: Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test

Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test
When a team of researchers evaluated the scientific literature on brain games, they found little evidence that the products improve memory or thinking in real-world tasks.

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NPR News: Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test

Brain Game Claims Fail A Big Scientific Test
When a team of researchers evaluated the scientific literature on brain games, they found little evidence that the products improve memory or thinking in real-world tasks.

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Aurora Over White Dome Geyser


Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. Colorful aurorae erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of red aurora blooming high overhead. A bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene, while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance. With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of White Dome Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in the western USA. Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome erupted -- spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air. Geyser water is heated to steam by scalding magma several kilometers below, and rises through rock cracks to the surface. About half of all known geysers occur in Yellowstone National Park. Although the geomagnetic storm that created these aurorae has since subsided, eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes. via NASA http://ift.tt/2dmTiBm

NPR News: India Ratifies Paris Climate Change Agreement

India Ratifies Paris Climate Change Agreement
Sixty-two countries have now joined the plan. Together, they account for about 52 percent of global emissions, which is a little short of the 55 percent threshold to make the agreement binding.

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NPR News: After Record Heat, California Fires Burn Into The Fall

After Record Heat, California Fires Burn Into The Fall
A wildfire near San Jose, Calif. has destroyed a dozen homes, and threatens more than 150 structures. Meanwhile, the massive Soberanes fire is still burning two months after it began.

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Saturday, October 1, 2016

Rosetta s Farewell


After closely following comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for 786 days as it rounded the Sun, the Rosetta spacecraft's controlled impact with the comet's surface was confirmed by the loss of signal from the spacecraft on September 30, 2016. One the images taken during its final descent, this high resolution view looks across the comet's stark landscape. The scene spans just over 600 meters (2,000 feet), captured when Rosetta was about 16 kilometers from the comet's surface. Rosetta's descent to the comet brought to an end the operational phase of an inspirational mission of space exploration. Rosetta deployed a lander to the surface of one of the Solar System's most primordial worlds and witnessed first hand how a comet changes when subject to the increasing intensity of the Sun's radiation. The decision to end the mission on the surface is a result of the comet's orbit now taking it to the dim reaches beyond Jupiter where there would be a lack of power to operate the spacecraft. Mission operators also faced an approaching period where the Sun would be close to line-of-sight between Earth and Rosetta, making radio communications increasingly difficult. via NASA http://ift.tt/2cIZosW

NPR News: 'Power Poses' Co-Author: 'I Do Not Believe The Effects Are Real'

'Power Poses' Co-Author: 'I Do Not Believe The Effects Are Real'
NPR's Scott Simon talks to behavioral scientist Uri Simonsohn about how one of the scientists behind 2010 research on 'power poses' is distancing herself from that work.

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NPR News: 'Power Poses' Co-Author: 'I Do Not Believe The Effects Are Real'

'Power Poses' Co-Author: 'I Do Not Believe The Effects Are Real'
NPR's Scott Simon talks to behavioral scientist Uri Simonsohn about how one of the scientists behind 2010 research on 'power poses' is distancing herself from that work.

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NPR News: Hurricane Matthew Strengthens Into Category 5 In Caribbean

Hurricane Matthew Strengthens Into Category 5 In Caribbean
With wind speeds of 160 mph, the storm is expected to make landfall on Jamaica on Monday, and remains a threat to Haiti and Cuba. Forecasters say it's the strongest in the Atlantic since 2007.

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