Wednesday, January 31, 2018

NPR News: Whale Hello: Orcas Can Imitate Human Speech, Researchers Find

Whale Hello: Orcas Can Imitate Human Speech, Researchers Find
A killer whale attempting to say "hello" or "Amy" did not sound as clear as, say, a parrot. But scientists found that the whales could repeat human vocalizations with some success.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Discovery In India Suggests An Early Global Spread Of Stone Age Technology

Discovery In India Suggests An Early Global Spread Of Stone Age Technology
Scientists have found stone tools in India dating back to 385,000 years ago. The sharp tools were made with a Stone Age technique thought to have originated in Africa and Europe.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Discovery In India Suggests An Early Global Spread Of Stone Age Technology

Discovery In India Suggests An Early Global Spread Of Stone Age Technology
Scientists have found stone tools in India dating back to 385,000 years ago. The sharp tools were made with a Stone Age technique thought to have originated in Africa and Europe.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans

Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans
New tests reveal humans have long raised the birds, and not just for food. Ancient Mesoamericans were buried with turkeys, perhaps as snacks, companions or status symbols. There was even a turkey god.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans

Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans
New tests reveal humans have long raised the birds, and not just for food. Ancient Mesoamericans were buried with turkeys, perhaps as snacks, companions or status symbols. There was even a turkey god.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain

Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain
Scientists who identified specific brain cells in mice that control anxiety say the discovery could provide insights that might eventually help people with panic disorder and social phobia.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain

Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain
Scientists who identified specific brain cells in mice that control anxiety say the discovery could provide insights that might eventually help people with panic disorder and social phobia.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: How To Drive Down Smoking In Groups That Still Light Up

How To Drive Down Smoking In Groups That Still Light Up
Only around 15 percent of adults in America smoke — but that still leaves 40 million people who smoke cigarettes, and many of them belong to the most vulnerable population groups.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: The Microbial Eve: Our Oldest Ancestors Were Single-Celled Organisms

The Microbial Eve: Our Oldest Ancestors Were Single-Celled Organisms
Consider this: Evidence points to a microbial Eve as our first ancestor — a tough, underwater organism withstanding extremes that became every other creature to ever live, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Read more on NPR

The First Explorer


Sixty years ago, on January 31, 1958, the First Explorer was successfully launched by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency on a Jupiter-C rocket. Inaugurating the era of space exploration for the United States, Explorer I was a thirty pound satellite that carried instruments to measure temperatures, and micrometeorite impacts, along with an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen to measure the density of electrons and ions in space. The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an unexpected and then startling discovery of two earth-encircling belts of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere. Now known as the Van Allen Radiation belts, the regions are located in the inner magnetosphere, beyond low Earth orbit. Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28, 1958, but remained in orbit until March of 1970. via NASA http://ift.tt/2Gxjab3

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

NPR News: Wednesday's Rare Super Blue Blood Moon: How To See It And What We Can Learn

Wednesday's Rare Super Blue Blood Moon: How To See It And What We Can Learn
Early Wednesday morning, there's a lunar event that hasn't been seen since 1866. And scientists say data gathered during the event could help them figure out where to land a rover on the moon.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: EPA Chief Worried Trump Would Be 'Abusive To The Constitution'

EPA Chief Worried Trump Would Be 'Abusive To The Constitution'
In comments to a Tulsa radio host in February 2016, then Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he feared President Trump would use executive orders unconstitutionally if he were elected.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Why Males Are Biology's Riskier Sex

Why Males Are Biology's Riskier Sex
New data have confirmed major differences in mutations rate between the sexes — showing that children inherit more mutations from their dads than from their moms, says guest commentator Robert Martin.

Read more on NPR

NASA TV to Air Russian Spacewalk at the International Space Station

Two veteran Russian cosmonaut spacewalkers will venture outside the International Space Station on Friday, Feb. 2, for a planned 6.5-hour station servicing session. Live coverage of the spacewalk will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at 9:45 a.m. EST.

January 30, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2DOJ1h0
via IFTTT

NPR News: A Century-Old Dairy Ditches Cows For High-Tech Plant Milk

A Century-Old Dairy Ditches Cows For High-Tech Plant Milk
American aren't drinking as much milk. One long-established dairy is spurring business by replacing cows with nuts and grains, and using new technology to make alternative "milk" sources.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Given Up For Dead, NASA Satellite Found Operating By Amateur Astronomer

Given Up For Dead, NASA Satellite Found Operating By Amateur Astronomer
Scott Tilley was searching for a secret U.S. spy satellite when he found the "The odds are extremely good that it's alive," said a mission a co-investigator.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale

Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale
Why do dogs look different from wolves? The question bedeviled Charles Darwin. Now scientists have a fascinating theory that links droopy ears and splotchy coats with domestication.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Can Seaweed Save Shellfish From Climate Change?

Can Seaweed Save Shellfish From Climate Change?
Warming oceans are hurting the shellfish industry. Scientists are hoping that seagrasses, like seaweed, can help soak up extra carbon in the water.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale

Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale
Why do dogs look different from wolves? The question bedeviled Charles Darwin. Now scientists have a fascinating theory that links droopy ears and splotchy coats with domestication.

Read more on NPR

Venus at Night in Infrared from Akatsuki


Why is Venus so different from Earth? To help find out, Japan launched the robotic Akatsuki spacecraft which entered orbit around Venus late in 2015 after an unplanned five-year adventure around the inner Solar System. Even though Akatsuki was past its original planned lifetime, the spacecraft and instruments were operating so well that much of its original mission was reinstated. Also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki's instruments investigated unknowns about Earth's sister planet, including whether volcanoes are still active, whether lightning occurs in the dense atmosphere, and why wind speeds greatly exceed the planet's rotation speed. In the featured image taken by Akatsuki's IR2 camera, Venus's night side shows a jagged-edged equatorial band of high dark clouds absorbing infrared light from hotter layers deeper in Venus' atmosphere. The bright orange and black stripe on the upper right is a false digital artifact that covers part of the much brighter day side of Venus. Analyses of Akatsuki images and data has shown that Venus has equatorial jet similar to Earth's jet stream. via NASA http://ift.tt/2DKlFVr

Monday, January 29, 2018

NASA Television to Air Live Coverage of Upcoming Rare Lunar Eclipse

Sky-gazers are in for a rare treat Wednesday, Jan. 31, when three celestial events combine to create a super blue blood moon. NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of the celestial spectacle beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST.

January 29, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2Gserra
via IFTTT

NASA Invites Media to Upcoming NOAA GOES-S Satellite Launch

Media accreditation is open for the launch Thursday, March 1, of the second in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) series of next-generation geostationary weather satellites.

January 29, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2njRMp5
via IFTTT

Space Exploration Educators to Speak with NASA Astronaut Aboard Space Station

Teachers from across the nation will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 9:35 a.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 1.

January 29, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2GrVGUM
via IFTTT

NPR News: IKEA — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies

IKEA — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies
What can Swedish furniture teach us about getting kids to eat their veggies? Cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo considers new research on the "IKEA effect."

Read more on NPR

NPR News: The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind

The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind
Cheese rinds may seem simple, even discardable, but the microbial world they contain is complex. Among their inhabitants: bacterial swimmers that hop on highways of fungal tendrils to get around.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind

The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind
Cheese rinds may seem simple, even discardable, but the microbial world they contain is complex. Among their inhabitants: bacterial swimmers that hop on highways of fungal tendrils to get around.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Is Smoking Pot While Pregnant Safe For The Baby?

Is Smoking Pot While Pregnant Safe For The Baby?
Adults in a growing number of states and D.C. can now legally buy marijuana without a doctor's prescription. But obstetricians worry pregnant women don't realize the drug could hurt their kids.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Got Your Flu Shot Yet? Consider This A Reminder

Got Your Flu Shot Yet? Consider This A Reminder
A research review suggests reminding people when their vaccinations are due or overdue increases the number of people who get immunized.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Is Smoking Pot While Pregnant Safe For The Baby?

Is Smoking Pot While Pregnant Safe For The Baby?
Adults in a growing number of states and D.C. can now legally buy marijuana without a doctor's prescription. But obstetricians worry pregnant women don't realize the drug could hurt their kids.

Read more on NPR

Sunday, January 28, 2018

The Spider and The Fly


Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga). The spider-shaped gas cloud on the left is actually an emission nebula labelled IC 417, while the smaller fly-shaped cloud on the right is dubbed NGC 1931 and is both an emission nebula and a reflection nebula. About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulas harbor young, open star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10 light-years across. via NASA http://ift.tt/2DHUQS2

NPR News: 'Super Blue Blood Moon' Coming Wednesday

'Super Blue Blood Moon' Coming Wednesday
Wednesday morning brings an astronomical trifecta: a supermoon, a blue moon and a blood moon.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Business And Wildlife Groups Skip The Fight, Work Together To Save A Species

Business And Wildlife Groups Skip The Fight, Work Together To Save A Species
When an animal is listed as endangered that can be bad news for nearby businesses. That's why Georgia's biggest utility is helping to protect the slow-breeding gopher tortoise.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: At One NASA Lab, Art And Science Share The Same Orbit

At One NASA Lab, Art And Science Share The Same Orbit
The artists of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories have made travel posters for distant planets, simulated Jupiter's churning atmosphere and translated satellite movements into sound.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Children Who Survive Congenital Heart Defects Can Face New Problems As Adults

Children Who Survive Congenital Heart Defects Can Face New Problems As Adults
It was a medical miracle: Surgery that made it possible for babies born with heart defects to live to adulthood. But for some, those mended hearts start to falter decades later.

Read more on NPR

Saturday, January 27, 2018

NPR News: Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don't Help The Environment

Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don't Help The Environment
Maybe honeybees get too much attention. They are agricultural animals, like sheep or cattle, and they sometimes make life harder for wild bees. In fact, the bees in true peril are the wild ones.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don't Help The Environment

Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don't Help The Environment
Maybe honeybees get too much attention. They are agricultural animals, like sheep or cattle, and they sometimes make life harder for wild bees. In fact, the bees in true peril are the wild ones.

Read more on NPR

Laguna Starry Sky


Staring toward the heavens, one of the many lagunas in the Atacama Desert salt flat calmly reflects a starry night sky near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, planet Earth. Cosmic rifts of dust, star clouds, and nebulae of the central Milky Way galaxy are rising in the east, beyond a volcanic horizon. Caught in the six frame panorama serenely recorded in the early morning hours of January 15, planets Jupiter and Mars are close. Near the ecliptic, the bright planets are immersed in the Solar System's visible band of Zodiacal light extending up and left from the galactic center. Above the horizon to the south (right) are the Large and Small clouds of Magellan, satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. via NASA http://ift.tt/2BxKAtz

Friday, January 26, 2018

NPR News: One Of The World's Rarest Fish Is A Little Less Rare Than We Thought

One Of The World's Rarest Fish Is A Little Less Rare Than We Thought
The red handfish, named for hand-shaped fins on the sides of its body, doesn't really swim — it walks slowly along the sea floor. A new population of the striking creature has been found off Tasmania.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Viral Video From A Somali Comic Conquers The Internet

Viral Video From A Somali Comic Conquers The Internet
Millions are watching Barbar, a music video from Somali-born comedian Oomaar. Fans are making their own versions. What's it all about?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: 'The Marvelous Ms. Maisel': Science, Comedy And Genius

'The Marvelous Ms. Maisel': Science, Comedy And Genius
In addition to its beautiful costumes and sweet homage to the New York City of the 1950s, the show offers an opportunity to reflect on the nature of genius, says commentator Adam Frank.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: An Uncle's Overdose Spurs Medicaid Official To Change Course

An Uncle's Overdose Spurs Medicaid Official To Change Course
Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, until recently chief medical officer for Medicaid, quit his job to more directly fight the stigma of addiction — a stigma that made his beloved uncle afraid to ask for help.

Read more on NPR

Selfie at Vera Rubin Ridge


On sol 1943 of its journey of exploration across the surface of Mars, the Curiosity Rover recorded this selfie at the south rim of Vera Rubin Ridge. Of course a sol is a Martian solar day, about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. Curiosity's sol 1943 corresponds to Earth date January 23, 2018. Also composed as an interactive 360 degree VR, the mosaicked panorama combines 61 exposures taken by the car-sized rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). Frames containing the imager's arm have been edited out while the extended background used was taken by the rover's Mastcam on sol 1903. At the top of the rover's mast, sitting above the Mastcam, the laser-firing ChemCam housing blocks out the distant peak of Mount Sharp. via NASA http://ift.tt/2EbPy23

Thursday, January 25, 2018

NPR News: New Fossil Found In Israel Suggests A Much Earlier Human Migration Out of Africa

New Fossil Found In Israel Suggests A Much Earlier Human Migration Out of Africa
Scientists have discovered a part of a fossilized human skull that's around 180,000 years old. It is now the oldest human fossil outside of Africa.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Rebellious Cow Finds Winter Home Among Polish Bison

Rebellious Cow Finds Winter Home Among Polish Bison
She has been spotted twice on the outskirts of Poland's Bialowieza Forest. She appears to be healthy, but she'll need to be removed from the herd before mating season.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: How To Teach Mosquitoes To Leave You Alone

How To Teach Mosquitoes To Leave You Alone
Mosquitoes find some people way more delicious than others. Now scientists have found a way to make you less attractive, no chemicals needed.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: This Mummified Woman Now Has A Name — And A Famous Relative: Boris Johnson

This Mummified Woman Now Has A Name — And A Famous Relative: Boris Johnson
Meet Anna Catharina Bischoff, an 18th-century syphilitic woman found in 1975. Researchers announced her name Thursday. And the U.K. foreign secretary says he's "very proud" to have the new family tie.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: This Mummified Woman Now Has A Name — And A Famous Relative: Boris Johnson

This Mummified Woman Now Has A Name — And A Famous Relative: Boris Johnson
Meet Anna Catharina Bischoff, an 18th-century syphilitic woman found in 1975. Researchers announced her name Thursday. And the U.K. foreign secretary says he's "very proud" to have the new family tie.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Listen And Guess: Can You Tell A Lullaby From A Dance Song?

Listen And Guess: Can You Tell A Lullaby From A Dance Song?
To see if music really is a universal language, researchers gave people 14 second samples of songs from around the world and asked them to say what kind of song it is.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Listen And Guess: Can You Tell A Lullaby From A Dance Song?

Listen And Guess: Can You Tell A Lullaby From A Dance Song?
To see if music really is a universal language, researchers gave people 14 second samples of songs from around the world and asked them to say what kind of song it is.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Plastic Pollution Is Killing Coral Reefs, 4-Year Study Finds

Plastic Pollution Is Killing Coral Reefs, 4-Year Study Finds
A study in the Pacific Ocean finds that bags and bottles are sickening and killing reefs from Thailand to Australia. Coral reefs already are susceptible to disease due to unusually warm water.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Helping Farmed Animals: High-Impact Rescue

Helping Farmed Animals: High-Impact Rescue
Following the example of an elephant caught on video that apparently thanked human rescuers, anthropologist Barbara King gives a shout-out to new campaigns that help farmed animals.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Grumpy Cat Awarded $710,000 In Copyright Infringement Suit

Grumpy Cat Awarded $710,000 In Copyright Infringement Suit
A jury said that Grenade Beverages illegally used the social media star's likeness on a line of coffee grounds and t-shirts promoting its "Grumppuccino" brand iced coffee.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Hidden Brain: Researchers Delve Into Improving Concentration

Hidden Brain: Researchers Delve Into Improving Concentration
Can we improve concentration when our attention is constantly being diverted? Researchers found running electrical current through someone's head helps — but it isn't the most practical solution.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Will State Voters Continue To Pour Money Into Stem Cell Research?

Will State Voters Continue To Pour Money Into Stem Cell Research?
California alone has spent billions in state funds over the last 14 years to support stem cell research. Scientists want another round of cash. So, what exactly did voters get for their money so far?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Hidden Brain: Researchers Delve Into Improving Concentration

Hidden Brain: Researchers Delve Into Improving Concentration
Can we improve concentration when our attention is constantly being diverted? Researchers found running electrical current through someone's head helps — but it isn't the most practical solution.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Will State Voters Continue To Pour Money Into Stem Cell Research?

Will State Voters Continue To Pour Money Into Stem Cell Research?
California alone has spent billions in state funds over the last 14 years to support stem cell research. Scientists want another round of cash. So, what exactly did voters get for their money so far?

Read more on NPR

Cartwheel of Fortune


By chance, a collision of two galaxies has created a surprisingly recognizable shape on a cosmic scale, The Cartwheel Galaxy. The Cartwheel is part of a group of galaxies about 500 million light years away in the constellation Sculptor. Two smaller galaxies in the group are visible on the right. The Cartwheel Galaxy's rim is an immense ring-like structure 150,000 light years in diameter composed of newly formed, extremely bright, massive stars. When galaxies collide they pass through each other, their individual stars rarely coming into contact. Still, the galaxies' gravitational fields are seriously distorted by the collision. In fact, the ring-like shape is the result of the gravitational disruption caused by a small intruder galaxy passing through a large one, compressing the interstellar gas and dust and causing a a star formation wave to move out from the impact point like a ripple across the surface of a pond. In this case the large galaxy may have originally been a spiral, not unlike our own Milky Way, transformed into the wheel shape by the collision. But ... what happened to the small intruder galaxy? via NASA http://ift.tt/2DB4lGF

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

NPR News: Are There Zombie Viruses In The Thawing Permafrost?

Are There Zombie Viruses In The Thawing Permafrost?
There's a new fear from climate change: Bacteria and viruses buried in frozen ground coming back to life as the Arctic warms up. We went digging in permafrost to find out how worried we should be.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Aw, Seriously? The Flu Can Trigger A Heart Attack, Too

Aw, Seriously? The Flu Can Trigger A Heart Attack, Too
The rate of hospitalizations due to influenza is continuing to rise. Now, a study finds the risk of having a heart attack also spikes in the days after a confirmed diagnosis of flu.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Aw, Seriously? The Flu Can Trigger A Heart Attack, Too

Aw, Seriously? The Flu Can Trigger A Heart Attack, Too
The rate of hospitalizations due to influenza is continuing to rise. Now, a study finds the risk of having a heart attack also spikes in the days after a confirmed diagnosis of flu.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Chinese Scientists Clone Monkeys Using Method That Created Dolly The Sheep

Chinese Scientists Clone Monkeys Using Method That Created Dolly The Sheep
In a first for primates, a team of researchers has produced two macaque monkey clones using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. The advance could hasten research into human diseases.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Chinese Scientists Clone Monkeys Using Method That Created Dolly The Sheep

Chinese Scientists Clone Monkeys Using Method That Created Dolly The Sheep
In a first for primates, a team of researchers has produced two macaque monkey clones using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. The advance could hasten research into human diseases.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: New Report Shows Weather Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billion

New Report Shows Weather Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billion
Hurricanes, fires and even hail contributed to billions of dollars in damages. The government study also finds that it was among the warmest years on record.

Read more on NPR

Spinoff 2018 Highlights Space Technology Improving Life on Earth

The 2018 edition of NASA’s annual Spinoff publication, released Tuesday, features 49 technologies the agency helped create that are used in almost every facet of modern life. These include innovations that help find disaster survivors trapped under rubble, purify air and surfaces to stop the spread of germs, and test new materials for everything fr

January 24, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2E4fJI1
via IFTTT

NPR News: Google's Space Race To The Moon Ends, And Nobody Wins Lunar X Prize

Google's Space Race To The Moon Ends, And Nobody Wins Lunar X Prize
When it was announced in 2007, the prize's organizers said they expected it to be claimed before the original deadline of Dec. 31, 2014. One team raised more than $90 million.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic?

Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic?
Just what exactly is permafrost? And what is happening now that it's warming up? To find out, we enter the Arctic circle's secret world of ice and frozen history.

Read more on NPR

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

NPR News: The Power Hour

The Power Hour
This week on Hidden Brain's radio show, we tackled a big topic: power. From our conflicted feelings toward the powerful, to the ways we gain and lose power ourselves, and how power really can corrupt.

Read more on NPR

NASA Media Call Previews Upcoming Mission to Explore Atmospheric Border

NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 24, to discuss the upcoming launch of the agency’s mission to study where Earth’s atmosphere meets space.

January 23, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2GbvEET
via IFTTT

Celebrating 60 Years of America in Space on Jan. 31

Late in the evening of Jan. 31, 1958, the United States took its first step into space with the launch of the Explorer 1 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The slender, 30-pound satellite would yield a major scientific discovery -- the Van Allen radiation belts circling our planet -- and ushered in six decades of U.S. space science.

January 23, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2Gax0Qg
via IFTTT

NASA Honors Its Fallen Heroes, Marks 15th Anniversary of Columbia Accident

NASA will pay will tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 25.

January 23, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2Bn8Dvm
via IFTTT

NPR News: Philippine Volcano Erupts, Causing 56,000 To Flee

Philippine Volcano Erupts, Causing 56,000 To Flee
Authorities raised Mount Mayon's alert level to 4 out of a possible 5, indicating "intense unrest" and the possibility of a particularly violent, hazardous eruption within days.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Drought-Stricken Cape Town Braces For Water To Run Out In April

Drought-Stricken Cape Town Braces For Water To Run Out In April
Officials in the South African city of 3.7 million are restricting water usage amid fears it will run out of water by April 21. Experts say the crisis has been exacerbated by rapid population growth.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Welcome To The Age Of Digital Transcendence

Welcome To The Age Of Digital Transcendence
Smartphones have become an extension of the owner; it is the closest we've ever become to being omnipresent and omniscient and — in a metaphorical sense, at least — divine, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Powerful Quake Strikes Off Alaska, Triggering Tsunami Warning For Coast

Powerful Quake Strikes Off Alaska, Triggering Tsunami Warning For Coast
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck about 175 southeast of Kodiak, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. Tsunami Warning System has issued a tsunami warning for coastal regions.

Read more on NPR

Ribbons and Pearls of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1398


Why do some spiral galaxies have a ring around the center? Spiral galaxy NGC 1398 not only has a ring of pearly stars, gas and dust around its center, but a bar of stars and gas across its center, and spiral arms that appear like ribbons farther out. The featured image was taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile and resolves this grand spiral in impressive detail. NGC 1398 lies about 65 million light years distant, meaning the light we see today left this galaxy when dinosaurs were disappearing from the Earth. The photogenic galaxy is visible with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Furnace (Fornax). The ring near the center is likely an expanding density wave of star formation, caused either by a gravitational encounter with another galaxy, or by the galaxy's own gravitational asymmetries. via NASA http://ift.tt/2G3GXiy

Monday, January 22, 2018

NPR News: Several Injured After Volcanic Eruption At Japanese Ski Resort

Several Injured After Volcanic Eruption At Japanese Ski Resort
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane suddenly erupted Tuesday morning, spewing volcanic rocks and belching a curtain of black smoke. An avalanche that followed injured at least 10 people.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Scientific Theory And The Multiverse Madness

Scientific Theory And The Multiverse Madness
An increasing number of theoretical physicist think that our universe is only one among infinitely many — but this speculation is not based on sound logic, says guest commentator Sabine Hossenfelder.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?

My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?
Popular DNA ancestry tests don't always find what people expect. That's due to how DNA rearranges itself when egg meets sperm, and also the quirks of genetic databases.

Read more on NPR

Sunday, January 21, 2018

An Immersive Visualization of the Galactic Center


What if you could look out from the center of our Galaxy -- what might you see? Two scientifically-determined possibilities are shown in the featured video, an immersive 360-degree view which allows you to look around in every direction. The pictured computer simulation is based on infrared data from ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile and X-ray data from NASA's orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory. As the video starts, you quickly approach Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center. Then looking out, this 500-year time-lapse simulation shows glowing gas and many points of light orbiting all around you. Many of these points are young Wolf-Rayet stars that have visible hot winds blowing out into surrounding nebulas. Clouds approaching close become elongated, while objects approaching too close fall in. Toward the video's end the simulation repeats, but this time with the dynamic region surrounding Sgr A* expelling hot gas that pushes back against approaching material. via NASA http://ift.tt/2BhIheh

NPR News: Living Well Now: What Does It Take?

Living Well Now: What Does It Take?
Shaping our lives around fulfilling social, intellectual and creative potential — keys to happiness — is more compatible with sustainability than pursuing unlimited wealth, says author Randall Curren.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: When A Tattoo Means Life Or Death. Literally.

When A Tattoo Means Life Or Death. Literally.
A gravely ill man arrives at the hospital, alone and unconscious, with a tattoo across his chest: "Do NOT Resuscitate." That sparks deep conversation about end-of-life care in America.

Read more on NPR

Saturday, January 20, 2018

The Upper Michigan Blizzard of 1938


Yes, but can your blizzard do this? In Upper Michigan's Storm of the Century in 1938, some snow drifts reached the level of utility poles. Nearly a meter of new and unexpected snow fell over two days in a storm that started 80 years ago this week. As snow fell and gale-force winds piled snow to surreal heights; many roads became not only impassable but unplowable; people became stranded; cars, school buses and a train became mired; and even a dangerous fire raged. Fortunately only two people were killed, although some students were forced to spend several consecutive days at school. The featured image was taken by a local resident soon after the storm. Although all of this snow eventually melted, repeated snow storms like this help build lasting glaciers in snowy regions of our planet Earth. via NASA http://ift.tt/2rqTSYA

NPR News: Saunas Are A Hot Trend, And They Might Even Help Your Health

Saunas Are A Hot Trend, And They Might Even Help Your Health
Sweating in a sauna feels good, and it's associated with health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease. But is that because of the heat, or because you're able to kick back and relax?

Read more on NPR

Friday, January 19, 2018

NPR News: U.S. Set To Decide In Trade Dispute Threatening Booming Solar Industry

U.S. Set To Decide In Trade Dispute Threatening Booming Solar Industry
President Trump is facing a Jan. 26 deadline to decide whether to impose tariffs on solar imports. While tariffs could help level the playing field for U.S. manfacturers, they could also raise prices.

Read more on NPR

Clouds in the LMC


An alluring sight in southern skies, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is seen in this deep and detailed telescopic mosaic. Recorded with broadband and narrowband filters, the scene spans some 5 degrees or 10 full moons. The narrowband filters are designed to transmit only light emitted by hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Ionized by energetic starlight, the atoms emit their characteristic light as electrons are recaptured and the atoms transition to a lower energy state. As a result, in this image the LMC seems covered with its own clouds of ionized gas surrounding its massive, young stars. Sculpted by the strong stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation, the glowing clouds, dominated by emission from hydrogen, are known as H II (ionized hydrogen) regions. Itself composed of many overlapping H II regions, the Tarantula Nebula is the large star forming region at the left. The largest satellite of our Milky Way Galaxy, the LMC is about 15,000 light-years across and lies a mere 160,000 light-years away toward the constellation Dorado. via NASA http://ift.tt/2Dm6ENt

NPR News: Iowa Boys Charged In Connection With Death Of Half Million Honey Bees

Iowa Boys Charged In Connection With Death Of Half Million Honey Bees
The unidentified juveniles, aged 12 and 13, allegedly ransacked a Sioux City honey farm, knocking over hives and exposing the bees to frigid winter temperatures.

Read more on NPR

Thursday, January 18, 2018

NPR News: Scientists Peek Inside The 'Black Box' Of Soil Microbes To Learn Their Secrets

Scientists Peek Inside The 'Black Box' Of Soil Microbes To Learn Their Secrets
Microorganisms play a vital role in growing food and sustaining the planet, but they do it anonymously. Scientists haven't identified most soil microbes, but they are learning which are most common.

Read more on NPR

NASA Announces Updated Crew Assignments for Space Station Missions

NASA is announcing an addition to the NASA lineup for upcoming launches, and making changes to some assignments for International Space Station missions in 2018.

January 18, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2FP4Mum
via IFTTT

NPR News: Scientists Peek Inside The 'Black Box' Of Soil Microbes To Learn Their Secrets

Scientists Peek Inside The 'Black Box' Of Soil Microbes To Learn Their Secrets
Microorganisms play a vital role in growing food and sustaining the planet, but they do it anonymously. Scientists haven't identified most soil microbes, but they are learning which are most common.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Moscow Sees Only 6 Minutes Of Sunlight During All Of December

Moscow Sees Only 6 Minutes Of Sunlight During All Of December
Moscow experienced the darkest month in its recorded history in December. There was a total of six minutes of sunlight. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with reporter Charles Maynes, who lived through this dark month.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Scientists Edge Closer To A Blood Test To Detect Cancers

Scientists Edge Closer To A Blood Test To Detect Cancers
This blood test detected signs of cancer in 70 percent of people with eight common forms of the disease. But it was much less good at identifying cancer in people in the early stages.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Scientists Edge Closer To A Blood Test To Detect Cancers

Scientists Edge Closer To A Blood Test To Detect Cancers
This blood test detected signs of cancer in 70 percent of people with eight common forms of the disease. But it was much less good at identifying cancer in people in the early stages.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: That Smells Like ... Um, I Can't Think Of A Word For It!

That Smells Like ... Um, I Can't Think Of A Word For It!
A new study looks at the way we identify smells. English speakers kind of stink at it. But that's not the case in every language.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: That Smells Like ... Um, I Can't Think Of A Word For It!

That Smells Like ... Um, I Can't Think Of A Word For It!
A new study looks at the way we identify smells. English speakers kind of stink at it. But that's not the case in every language.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Sugar And Sleep: More Rest May Dull Your Sweet Tooth

Sugar And Sleep: More Rest May Dull Your Sweet Tooth
When study participants who routinely got less than seven hours of sleep were coached to extend their sleep time, they also changed their diets, without being asked — taking in less sugar each day.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Sugar And Sleep: More Rest May Dull Your Sweet Tooth

Sugar And Sleep: More Rest May Dull Your Sweet Tooth
When study participants who routinely got less than seven hours of sleep were coached to extend their sleep time, they also changed their diets, without being asked — taking in less sugar each day.

Read more on NPR

Long-Term Warming Trend Continued in 2017: NASA, NOAA

Earth’s global surface temperatures in 2017 ranked as the second warmest since 1880, according to an analysis by NASA.

January 18, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2DlFR3Y
via IFTTT

NPR News: 2017 Among Warmest Years On Record

2017 Among Warmest Years On Record
The planet's global surface temperature last year was second warmest since 1980, NASA says. And scientists say the five warmest years on record have been since 1980.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: 2017 Among Warmest Years On Record

2017 Among Warmest Years On Record
The planet's global surface temperature last year was second warmest since 1980, NASA says. And scientists say the five warmest years on record have been since 1980.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Repeated Head Hits, Not Concussions, May Be Behind A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage

Repeated Head Hits, Not Concussions, May Be Behind A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage
Scientists believe they have solid evidence that it's repeated, direct hits to the head that cause the degenerative brain disease seen in some athletes, even if there are no signs of concussion.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Repeated Head Hits, Not Concussions, May Be Behind A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage

Repeated Head Hits, Not Concussions, May Be Behind A Type Of Chronic Brain Damage
Scientists believe they have solid evidence that it's repeated, direct hits to the head that cause the degenerative brain disease seen in some athletes, even if there are no signs of concussion.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Cat Lovers: Is Your Cat Right- Or Left-Pawed?

Cat Lovers: Is Your Cat Right- Or Left-Pawed?
Do you know which paw your cat uses first when coming down the stairs? Anthropologist and cat lover Barbara J. King discusses with researchers why a new finding of paw preference matters for our pets.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Photographer Says He Lost His Job After Leaking Pictures Of Rick Perry And Coal CEO

Photographer Says He Lost His Job After Leaking Pictures Of Rick Perry And Coal CEO
The former Department of Energy photographer Simon Edelman is filing a federal whistleblower suit after he leaked the photos of a private meeting between the energy secretary and Robert Murray.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Photographer Says He Lost His Job After Leaking Pictures Of Rick Perry And Coal CEO

Photographer Says He Lost His Job After Leaking Pictures Of Rick Perry And Coal CEO
The former Department of Energy photographer, Simon Edelman is filing a federal whistleblower suit after he leaked the photos of a private meeting between the energy secretary and Robert Murray.

Read more on NPR

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

NPR News: Pioneering HIV Researcher Mathilde Krim Remembered For Her Activism

Pioneering HIV Researcher Mathilde Krim Remembered For Her Activism
Mathilde Krim, who died this week, was a vocal pioneer in HIV treatment and research at a time when discrimination against people with AIDS in the U.S. was rampant, even in medical care.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Pioneering HIV Researcher Mathilde Krim Remembered For Her Activism

Pioneering HIV Researcher Mathilde Krim Remembered For Her Activism
Mathilde Krim, who died this week, was a vocal pioneer in HIV treatment and research at a time when discrimination against people with AIDS in the U.S. was rampant, even in medical care.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: U.K. Lawmakers Want To Battle Waste With A 'Latte Levy' On Disposable Cups

U.K. Lawmakers Want To Battle Waste With A 'Latte Levy' On Disposable Cups
The British Parliament is considering a 34-cent tax on to-go cups to encourage diners to bring their own reusable containers. The goal is to replicate the success of Britain's tax on plastic bags.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Aetna Agrees To Pay $17 Million In HIV Privacy Breach

Aetna Agrees To Pay $17 Million In HIV Privacy Breach
Health insurer Aetna has reached a settlement with people whose privacy was compromised when their HIV status was visible through the clear address windows on envelopes sent to them.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Review Of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Paints A Picture Of A More Dangerous Nuclear World

Review Of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Paints A Picture Of A More Dangerous Nuclear World
The Trump administration appears close to finalizing a review of the nation's nuclear posture. It calls for the U.S. to develop new nuclear systems and capabilities at a time of heightened tensions between America and other world powers.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Night Became Day In Detroit As Meteor Lit Up Sky

Night Became Day In Detroit As Meteor Lit Up Sky
A meteor streaked over southeast Michigan Tuesday night, creating a sonic boom so loud it shook houses. After seeing the spectacle in the night sky, thousands of people took to social media to share what they witnessed.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Strange Weather Triggered Bacteria That Killed 200,000 Endangered Antelope

Strange Weather Triggered Bacteria That Killed 200,000 Endangered Antelope
Over a three-week span in 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelope suddenly died in Kazakhstan. The animals would be grazing normally, then dead in three hours. A new study points to heat and humidity.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Strange Weather Triggered Bacteria That Killed 200,000 Endangered Antelope

Strange Weather Triggered Bacteria That Killed 200,000 Endangered Antelope
Over a three-week span in 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelope suddenly died in Kazakhstan. The animals would be grazing normally, then dead in three hours. A new study points to heat and humidity.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Black Holes: Where Reality Beats Fiction

Black Holes: Where Reality Beats Fiction
We still have a lot to learn about gravity, including how it relates to black holes; it's ironic that the most familiar of forces is also the most mysterious, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Bright Light, Sonic Boom As Likely Meteor Streaks Across Southern Michigan

Bright Light, Sonic Boom As Likely Meteor Streaks Across Southern Michigan
The suspected space rock punched through the clouds near Detroit just after 8 p.m. with a boom that shook houses and registered magnitude 2.0 on U.S. Geological Survey instruments.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Majority Of National Park Service Board Resigns Citing Administration Indifference

Majority Of National Park Service Board Resigns Citing Administration Indifference
The chairman of the board, former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, said in a letter that the Department of the Interior showed no interest in engaging with its members.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Home Care Agencies Often Wrongly Deny Medicare Help To The Chronically Ill

Home Care Agencies Often Wrongly Deny Medicare Help To The Chronically Ill
Home health firms sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries who have chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won't pay their for their services, say advocates for patients.

Read more on NPR

In the Valley of Orion


This exciting and unfamiliar view of the Orion Nebula is a visualization based on astronomical data and movie rendering techniques. Up close and personal with a famous stellar nursery normally seen from 1,500 light-years away, the digitally modeled frame transitions from a visible light representation based on Hubble data on the left to infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope on the right. The perspective at the center looks along a valley over a light-year wide, in the wall of the region's giant molecular cloud. Orion's valley ends in a cavity carved by the energetic winds and radiation of the massive central stars of the Trapezium star cluster. The single frame is part of a multiwavelength, three-dimensional video that lets the viewer experience an immersive, three minute flight through the Great Nebula of Orion. via NASA http://ift.tt/2B5EHUd

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

NPR News: Turning Soybeans Into Diesel Fuel Is Costing Us Billions

Turning Soybeans Into Diesel Fuel Is Costing Us Billions
The law that requires America to turn some of its soybeans into diesel fuel for trucks has created a new industry. But it's costing American consumers about $5 billion each year.

Read more on NPR

NASA Briefing Thursday Will Preview Upcoming US Spacewalks

American and Japanese astronauts aboard the International Space Station will embark on a pair of spacewalks Jan. 23 and 29 to service the station’s robotic arm. Experts from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will preview this work in a briefing at 2 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 18, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

January 16, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2DE9H0w
via IFTTT

Massachusetts Students to Speak with Astronauts on Space Station

Students at Framingham State University (FSU) in Massachusetts will speak with astronauts living, working, and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 12:15 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 19. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

January 16, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2EPbRtM
via IFTTT

NPR News: Food Stamp Program Makes Fresh Produce More Affordable

Food Stamp Program Makes Fresh Produce More Affordable
A federally funded experimental program is partnering with a Latino grocery chain to reward people who use their food stamps to put more fresh produce on their tables.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Food Stamp Program Makes Fresh Produce More Affordable

Food Stamp Program Makes Fresh Produce More Affordable
A federally funded experimental program is partnering with a Latino grocery chain to reward people who use their food stamps to put more fresh produce on their tables.

Read more on NPR

An Elephant s Trunk in Cepheus


With image data from telescopes large and small, this close-up features the dusty Elephant's Trunk Nebula. It winds through the emission nebula and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Also known as vdB 142, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. The colorful view highlights bright, swept-back ridges that outline the region's pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas. Such embedded, dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. This dramatic scene spans a 1 degree wide field, about the size of 2 Full Moons. via NASA http://ift.tt/2Db580z

Monday, January 15, 2018

NPR News: Altering A Species: Darwin's Shopping List

Altering A Species: Darwin's Shopping List
Few scientific discoveries have caused as much excitement as that of editing our genes; yet we owe some of the most stunning wonders around us to old-fashioned breeding practices, says Jimena Canales.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Salmonella May Have Caused Massive Aztec Epidemic, Study Finds

Salmonella May Have Caused Massive Aztec Epidemic, Study Finds
The 16th century epidemic, likely set off or exacerbated by European invaders, was one of the most deadly in human history. New evidence traces it to a type of salmonella that causes a deadly fever.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Salmonella May Have Caused Massive Aztec Epidemic, Study Finds

Salmonella May Have Caused Massive Aztec Epidemic, Study Finds
The 16th century epidemic, likely set off or exacerbated by European invaders, was one of the most deadly in human history. New evidence traces it to a type of salmonella that causes a deadly fever.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Oregon Artist Turns Dead Creatures Into Beautiful Compositions

Oregon Artist Turns Dead Creatures Into Beautiful Compositions
Christopher Marley only uses specimens that have died from natural causes or been caught as fishing bycatch. Then he freeze-dries them, which is why they seem so alive in his artwork.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: For Now, Sequencing Cancer Tumors Holds More Promise Than Proof

For Now, Sequencing Cancer Tumors Holds More Promise Than Proof
Sequencing the DNA of cancer tumors to help pinpoint treatment is an emerging element of precision medicine. While patients and doctors alike want these tests, they often don't benefit patients.

Read more on NPR

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula


By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark, a crooked profile evoking its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula. In fact, this entrancing telescopic portrait gives the impression that the witch has fixed her gaze on Orion's bright supergiant star Rigel. More formally known as IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years and is composed of interstellar dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight. The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and of the dust surrounding Rigel is caused not only by Rigel's intense blue starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. Rigel, the Witch Head Nebula, and gas and dust that surrounds them lie about 800 light-years away. via NASA http://ift.tt/2DdfY5t

NPR News: Making The Case That Discrimination Is Bad For Your Health

Making The Case That Discrimination Is Bad For Your Health
The researcher who coined the term "weathering" talks with Gene Demby about health, hard data, and why it took so long for people to come around to the idea that discrimination hurts bodies.

Read more on NPR

Saturday, January 13, 2018

NPR News: Rescues Continue In California Mudslide Zones

Rescues Continue In California Mudslide Zones
Search and rescue operations in Southern California continue for people still missing after this week's massive mudslides and debris flow. Many areas are still unreachable in Santa Barbara County.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Helping Strangers May Help Teens' Self-Esteem

Helping Strangers May Help Teens' Self-Esteem
Adolescents are under more pressure than ever, and many suffer from depression and anxiety. But new research suggests that volunteering to help strangers makes them feel better about themselves.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Helping Strangers May Help Teens' Self-Esteem

Helping Strangers May Help Teens' Self-Esteem
Adolescents are under more pressure than ever, and many suffer from depression and anxiety. But new research suggests that volunteering to help strangers makes them feel better about themselves.

Read more on NPR

Friday, January 12, 2018

NPR News: Scientists Say A Fluctuating Jet Stream May Be Causing Extreme Weather Events

Scientists Say A Fluctuating Jet Stream May Be Causing Extreme Weather Events
A new study says unusual patterns of the polar jet stream circling the Northern Hemisphere may have led to dramatic weather in Europe and North America.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Southern California Hillsides Remain Vulnerable After Deadly Mudslides

Southern California Hillsides Remain Vulnerable After Deadly Mudslides
Deadly mudslides occured in Santa Barbara County, Calif., after heavy rain pushed debris down fire-scarred hillsides. If it rains again, more debris could be swept down the mountains.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: VIDEO: Take A Trip Through The Orion Nebula, A Baby Star Nursery

VIDEO: Take A Trip Through The Orion Nebula, A Baby Star Nursery
The constellation Orion is home to a busy, glowing nebula. Data from telescopes has been used to create a three-minute, three-dimensional tour around its colorful caverns and bright star clusters.

Read more on NPR

NASA, NOAA to Announce 2017 Global Temperatures, Climate Conditions

Climate experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will provide the annual release of data on global temperatures and discuss the most important climate trends of 2017 during a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 18.

January 12, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2EBVXT7
via IFTTT

Idaho Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on International Space Station

Students from 10 schools in Idaho will speak with a NASA astronaut living and working aboard the International Space Station at 11:25 a.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 17.

January 12, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2D7kRy0
via IFTTT

NPR News: Science Says That To Fight Ignorance, We Must Start By Admitting Our Own

Science Says That To Fight Ignorance, We Must Start By Admitting Our Own
The best way to defend everything we really do know, according to science, is to begin by admitting our own ignorance — to ask "What don't you know?," says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Researchers Spot Massive Black Hole In Double 'Burp'

Researchers Spot Massive Black Hole In Double 'Burp'
The cosmic sinkhole is at the center of a galaxy 800 million light-years from Earth and supports the theory that such objects can switch their power output on and off in relatively short time-scales.

Read more on NPR

Blue Comet PanSTARRS


Discovered with the PanSTARRS telescope on September 7, 2016, this Comet PanSTARRS, C/2016 R2, is presently about 24 light minutes (3 AU) from the Sun, sweeping through planet Earth's skies across the background of stars in the constellation Taurus. An inbound visitor from our Solar System's distant Oort Cloud, its beautiful and complex ion tail is a remarkable shade of blue. Still relatively far from the Sun, the comet's already well-developed ion tail is very impressive. Emission from unusually abundant ionized carbon monoxide (CO+) atoms fluorescing in the increasing sunlight is largely responsible for the pretty blue tint. This color image of the blue comet is a combination of data taken from two different telescopes during the night of January 7. Located at the apex of the V-shaped Hyades star cluster in Taurus, bright star Gamma Tauri is responsible for the glow at the bottom left corner of the frame. via NASA http://ift.tt/2qQZf39

Thursday, January 11, 2018

NPR News: The High Cost Of Medical Marijuana Causes Pain In Vermont

The High Cost Of Medical Marijuana Causes Pain In Vermont
Though medical marijuana is legal in most states, some patients still have a hard time affording it. The federal government won't allow states to cover medical marijuana with Medicaid dollars.

Read more on NPR

NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Releases 2017 Annual Report

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), an advisory committee that reports to NASA and Congress, has issued its 2017 annual report examining NASA's safety performance over the past year and highlighting accomplishments, issues and concerns to agency and government officials.

January 11, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2D66ysm
via IFTTT

NPR News: Thick, 'Rather Clean' Ice Sheets Are Spotted On Mars

Thick, 'Rather Clean' Ice Sheets Are Spotted On Mars
The size and accessibility of these ice sheets, as well as the fact that they're made of relatively clean water, could be an important resource for astronauts traveling to Mars.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Thick, 'Rather Clean' Ice Sheets Are Spotted On Mars

Thick, 'Rather Clean' Ice Sheets Are Spotted On Mars
The size and accessibility of these ice sheets, as well as the fact that they're made of relatively clean water, could be an important resource for astronauts traveling to Mars.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: The Flu Goes Viral

The Flu Goes Viral
It's going around …

Read more on NPR

NASA Awards Engineering, Research Support Contract

NASA has selected HX5, LLC of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to perform engineering, research and scientific support at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

January 10, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2ExC8ML
via IFTTT

NPR News: Government Scientists Say A Controversial Pesticide Is Killing Endangered Salmon

Government Scientists Say A Controversial Pesticide Is Killing Endangered Salmon
The insecticide chlorpyrifos, already under attack for its risk to small children, may be killing salmon as well. The National Marine Fisheries Service is recommending restrictions on its use.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Is This Gorilla Mother Consciously Protecting Her Baby?

Is This Gorilla Mother Consciously Protecting Her Baby?
In response to a report of "heroic" behavior by a female mountain gorilla aiming to protect her baby, anthropologist Barbara J. King explores questions of conscious awareness of infanticide in apes.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Does Serena Williams Have The Willpower To Ace The 'Marshmallow Test'?

Does Serena Williams Have The Willpower To Ace The 'Marshmallow Test'?
In the experiment, kids get a treat. If they don't eat it for, say, 10 minutes, they're promised a second treat. What would Williams do? And how does she compare with kids around the world?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Montana Barley Fields Become Front Line For Climate Change And Beer

Montana Barley Fields Become Front Line For Climate Change And Beer
Barley, the "king of malt," needs a precise recipe of water and sunshine to thrive — too much of either will cause it to wither and die. And amid a changing climate, that's exactly what's happening.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Alcohol-Linked ER Visits Are Rapidly Rising, Though Drinking Per Capita Is Down

Alcohol-Linked ER Visits Are Rapidly Rising, Though Drinking Per Capita Is Down
The nine-year period ending in 2014 saw a sharp increase in the U.S. of alcohol-related visits to emergency rooms, a study finds. And binge-drinking doesn't completely explain it.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Alcohol-Linked ER Visits Are Rapidly Rising, Though Drinking Per Capita Is Down

Alcohol-Linked ER Visits Are Rapidly Rising, Though Drinking Per Capita Is Down
The nine-year period ending in 2014 saw a sharp increase in the U.S. of alcohol-related visits to emergency rooms, a study finds. And binge-drinking doesn't completely explain it.

Read more on NPR

RCW 114: A Dragon s Heart in Ara


Large and dramatically shaped, this cosmic cloud spans nearly 7 degrees or 14 full moons across planet Earth's sky toward the southern constellation Ara. Difficult to image, the filamentary apparition is cataloged as RCW 114 and traced in this telescopic mosaic by the telltale reddish emission of ionized hydrogen atoms. In fact, RCW 114 has been recognized as a supernova remnant. Its extensive filaments of emission are produced as the still expanding shockwave from the death explosion of a massive star sweeps up the surrounding interstellar medium. Consistent estimates place its distance at over 600 light-years, indicating a diameter of about 100 light-years or so. Light from the supernova explosion that created RCW 114 would have reached Earth around 20,000 years ago. A neutron star or pulsar has recently been identified as the collapsed remains of the stellar core. via NASA http://ift.tt/2mm1tTg

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

NPR News: Australia's Heat Wave Fries Bats' Brains, Hundreds Found Dead

Australia's Heat Wave Fries Bats' Brains, Hundreds Found Dead
Sweltering temperatures killed bats over the weekend outside of Sydney as temperatures soared up to 117 Fahrenheit, the hottest it's been since 1939.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground

Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground
Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground

Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground
Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Astronomical Growth Turns Out To Be 'Fake News,' Says Japanese Astronaut

Astronomical Growth Turns Out To Be 'Fake News,' Says Japanese Astronaut
Norishige Kanai said he had grown up to three-and-half-inches since arriving in space, sparking worry about whether he'd fit in the spacecraft home. Turns out, Kanai did grow, just not that much.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: A Scientist's Gender Can Skew Research Results

A Scientist's Gender Can Skew Research Results
If a female researcher asks a man if he's in pain, he's less likely to admit it. The effect of gender on study results has been known for years. But it's rarely disclosed or discussed.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: A Scientist's Gender Can Skew Research Results

A Scientist's Gender Can Skew Research Results
If a female researcher asks a man if he's in pain, he's less likely to admit it. The effect of gender on study results has been known for years. But it's rarely disclosed or discussed.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: 'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds

'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds
Scientists have discovered the proboscis butterflies use to suck nectar from flowers existed before flowers did. So: What were ancient butterflies using their long, tongue-like suckers for?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: 'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds

'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds
Scientists have discovered the proboscis butterflies use to suck nectar from flowers existed before flowers did. So: What were ancient butterflies using their long, tongue-like suckers for?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Man As God: 'Frankenstein' Turns 200

Man As God: 'Frankenstein' Turns 200
Mary Shelley cautioned us of the dangers of extending science into realms where we have little control of the outcomes; may we all read her tale — and take in its lessons, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Fallout From 'Nuclear Button' Tweets: Jump In Sales Of Radiation Drug

Fallout From 'Nuclear Button' Tweets: Jump In Sales Of Radiation Drug
After a war of words between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un over the ability to launch nuclear attacks from their desks, orders rose for pills to protect against radiation.

Read more on NPR

NGC 2623: Merging Galaxies from Hubble


Where do stars form when galaxies collide? To help find out, astronomers imaged the nearby galaxy merger NGC 2623 in high resolution with the Hubble Space Telescope. Analysis of this and other Hubble images as well as images of NGC 2623 in infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope, in X-ray light by XMM-Newton, and in ultraviolet light by GALEX, indicate that two originally spiral galaxies appear now to be greatly convolved and that their cores have unified into one active galactic nucleus (AGN). Star formation continues around this core near the featured image center, along the stretched out tidal tails visible on either side, and perhaps surprisingly, in an off-nuclear region on the upper left where clusters of bright blue stars appear. Galaxy collisions can take hundreds of millions of years and take several gravitationally destructive passes. NGC 2623, also known as Arp 243, spans about 50,000 light years and lies about 250 million light years away toward the constellation of the Crab (Cancer). Reconstructing the original galaxies and how galaxy mergers happen is often challenging, sometimes impossible, but generally important to understanding how our universe evolved. via NASA http://ift.tt/2CVMj1y

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

NPR News: Interior Secretary Zinke: Florida Offshore Oil Drilling Is 'Off The Table'

Interior Secretary Zinke: Florida Offshore Oil Drilling Is 'Off The Table'
Zinke cites a request from Gov. Rick Scott and his argument that the state relies on tourism. Critics note the state is rich in electoral votes and other states also rely on tourism.

Read more on NPR

NASA, Partners Discuss Power for Future Space Exploration

NASA and its partners will host a news conference at noon EST (9 a.m. PST) Thursday, Jan. 18, at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, to discuss a recent experiment involving a new power source that could provide the safe, efficient and plentiful energy needed for future robotic and human space exploration missions.

January 09, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2FmZyWr
via IFTTT

NPR News: The Man In The Google Doodle: From Poor Villager To Nobel Prize Winner

The Man In The Google Doodle: From Poor Villager To Nobel Prize Winner
He's the biochemist Har Gobind Khorana, who discovered the grammar that organizes DNA. But first he had to overcome the accent and mannerisms of his Indian village.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Rural And City Women A Little Different In Age At First Sex, Number Of Kids

Rural And City Women A Little Different In Age At First Sex, Number Of Kids
In a recent national survey, nearly 80 percent of women living in rural areas reported having experienced sexual intercourse by age 18, compared to 68.6 percent of women in cities.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Rural And City Women A Little Different In Age At First Sex, Number Of Kids

Rural And City Women A Little Different In Age At First Sex, Number Of Kids
In a recent national survey, nearly 80 percent of women living in rural areas reported having experienced sexual intercourse by age 18, compared to 68.6 percent of women in cities.

Read more on NPR

NASA Invites Media to View Orion Test Capsule, Recovery Hardware

Media are invited to see a test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the hardware that will be used to recover the spacecraft upon its return from space, and talk with team members involved in the recovery operations at 9 a.m. PST Thursday, Jan. 25, at U.S. Naval Base San Diego.

January 09, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2CTplYG
via IFTTT

NPR News: Siri, Cortana, And Alexa Carry The Marks Of Their Human Makers

Siri, Cortana, And Alexa Carry The Marks Of Their Human Makers
Before you dismiss them as inhuman or inhumane, consider their dramatic personal histories — and their ancestor grande damme Eliza, says guest blogger Jimena Canales.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Federal Regulator Rejects Energy Department's Bid To Prop Up Coal, Nuclear

Federal Regulator Rejects Energy Department's Bid To Prop Up Coal, Nuclear
Energy Secretary Rick Perry proposed a rule that would essentially subsidize older fuel sources to compete with cheaper natural gas and renewables. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cried foul.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Hidden Brain: Great Recession Deaths

Hidden Brain: Great Recession Deaths
Recessions are painful for a variety of reasons. A new study shows that during the Great Recession, mortality rates declined faster in areas where the unemployment rate grew faster.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: After Devastating Cyclone, Fiji Farmers Plant For A Changed Climate

After Devastating Cyclone, Fiji Farmers Plant For A Changed Climate
As the Pacific island archipelago of Fiji faces a warming planet, the country's farmers are turning to more climate-resilient techniques that other storm-prone communities worldwide could model.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Weather Hampers Efforts To Put Out Tanker Blaze In East China Sea

Weather Hampers Efforts To Put Out Tanker Blaze In East China Sea
The fire occurred after two vessels, an Iranian-owned oil tanker and a Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier, collided on Saturday about 160 miles east of Shanghai.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Hidden Brain: Great Recession Deaths

Hidden Brain: Great Recession Deaths
Recessions are painful for a variety of reasons. A new study shows that during the Great Recession, mortality rates declined faster in areas where the unemployment rate grew faster.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Fighting Bias With Board Games

Fighting Bias With Board Games
Buffalo is the sort of game you'd pull out at dinner parties when the conversation lulls. But the game's creators says it's good for something else — subliminally reducing prejudice.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: VA Clears The Air On Doctors Talking To Veterans About Marijuana Use

VA Clears The Air On Doctors Talking To Veterans About Marijuana Use
Officials want health care providers to discuss how the use of medical marijuana could interact with patient care, but doctors still can't point vets to state-approved marijuana programs.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: U.S. Spy Satellite Reportedly 'Write Off' After Failing To Reach Orbit

U.S. Spy Satellite Reportedly 'Write Off' After Failing To Reach Orbit
The multi-billion dollar satellite, code-named Zuma, was initially thought to have made a successful low-Earth orbit, but there have been several unconfirmed reports since indicating it is lost.

Read more on NPR

Monday, January 8, 2018

NPR News: New Report Shows Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billion

New Report Shows Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billion
Hurricanes, fires and even hale contributed to billions of dollars in damages. The government study also finds that it was among the warmest years on record.

Read more on NPR

U.S. Cargo Spacecraft Set for Departure from International Space Station

After delivering more than 4,800 pounds of science and supplies to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will depart the orbiting laboratory on Saturday, Jan. 13. NASA will provide live coverage of Dragon's departure beginning at 4:30 a.m. EST.

January 08, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2qJvdOC
via IFTTT

NASA Invites Media to See NOAA Weather Spacecraft Before March Launch

Media are invited to view the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S), the second in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) series of next-generation geostationary weather satellites, at 9:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 16.

January 08, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2FeroEa
via IFTTT

NPR News: Pfizer Halts Research Efforts Into Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Treatments

Pfizer Halts Research Efforts Into Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Treatments
The pharmaceutical giant said it would be abandoning its neuroscience development programs and allocating its spending elsewhere. The move also means the company will be laying off some 300 employees.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Gut Check: Gas-Sniffing Capsule Charts The Digestive Tract

Gut Check: Gas-Sniffing Capsule Charts The Digestive Tract
The electronic pill looks like the biggest multivitamin a human could possibly swallow. Tests have show that the experimental device can measure gases tied to microbes and digestion.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains?

Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains?
Color really does impact our perception of taste — even if the ingredients are otherwise the same, scientists say. It's something candy companies use to their advantage.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Gut Check: Gas-Sniffing Capsule Charts The Digestive Tract

Gut Check: Gas-Sniffing Capsule Charts The Digestive Tract
The electronic pill looks like the biggest multivitamin a human could possibly swallow. Tests have show that the experimental device can measure gases tied to microbes and digestion.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power

What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power
Psychologist Tania Lombrozo considers two books: In one, we learn what ancient Greece can tell us about Twitter trolls and, in the other, we're shown a world in which women have power over men.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Soaring Popularity Of Grass-Fed Beef May Hit Roadblock: Less Nutritious Grass

Soaring Popularity Of Grass-Fed Beef May Hit Roadblock: Less Nutritious Grass
Since the mid-'90s, levels of crude protein in the plants, which cattle need to grow, have dropped nearly 20 percent, and it may just be a matter of time before prairie grasses can't support grazing.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: As Cracks Widen In Washington State, Government Prepares For A Landslide

As Cracks Widen In Washington State, Government Prepares For A Landslide
Dozens of people have agreed to move temporarily to hotels in case a landslide destroys their homes.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: SpaceX Rocket Launches Secret Government Payload Into Orbit

SpaceX Rocket Launches Secret Government Payload Into Orbit
The launch of the top-secret Zuma satellite into an undisclosed orbit ended with yet another pinpoint landing for the Falcon's first-stage booster, which will be reused.

Read more on NPR

Sunday, January 7, 2018

NPR News: Dozens Evacuate In Washington State, Fearing Landslide

Dozens Evacuate In Washington State, Fearing Landslide
A massive crack on top of Rattlesnake Ridge in south-central Washington state has nearby residents evacuating, as geologists and government officials predict a potentially devastating landslide.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Controversial Social Scientist Charles Murray Retires

Controversial Social Scientist Charles Murray Retires
After more than 30 years, The Bell Curve author Charles Murray is taking on a new role as emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Dr. Murray about his career.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Controversial Social Scientist Charles Murray Retires

Controversial Social Scientist Charles Murray Retires
After more than 30 years, The Bell Curve author Charles Murray is taking on a new role as emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Dr. Murray about his career.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Night Light Increasing Around The World

Night Light Increasing Around The World
A new study of satellite data shows how nighttime light has been steadily increasing in recent years. This is happening despite new forms of lighting that were supposed to lower energy consumption.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: New Prime Number Discovered

New Prime Number Discovered
This past week, John Pace of Germantown, Tenn., made a massive discovery. He found the largest prime number known to humankind. It's 23 million digits long.

Read more on NPR

Saturday, January 6, 2018

A Tether in Space


One of the greatest unrequited legends of outer space is the tether. Tethers, long strands of material, hold the promise of stabilizing satellites, generating electricity, and allowing easy transportation. Possibly the most ambitious vision of the space tether is the space elevator popularized by Arthur C. Clarke, where a tether is constructed that connects the ground to geosynchronous orbit. One problem is strength - it is difficult to make a long useful tether that does not snap. Pictured here is the deployment of the Tethered Satellite System 1 (TSS-1) by the space shuttle Altantis in 1992. Like other tested tethers, TSS-1 failed to live up to its promise, although many valuable lessons were learned. via NASA http://ift.tt/2AyU3jX

NPR News: Star 'Treknology': Imagining The Future Into Being

Star 'Treknology': Imagining The Future Into Being
From its first appearance, Star Trek has always been hopeful about the relationship between society and technology. Ethan Siegel doesn't lose sight of this in his book, Treknology, says Adam Frank.

Read more on NPR

NASA Remembers Agency’s Most Experienced Astronaut

The following is a statement from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on the passing of John Young, who died Friday night following complications from pneumonia at the age of 87. Young is the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the first to fly into space six times:

January 06, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2CMNwqX
via IFTTT

NPR News: It's Not Just A Cold, It's 'Sickness Behavior'

It's Not Just A Cold, It's 'Sickness Behavior'
Feeling grumpy and antisocial because you've got a cold? That's not just a random side effect. It's your body saying hey, slow down and rest so you can get better.

Read more on NPR

Planets on the Wing


Lately, bright Jupiter and fainter Mars have been easy to spot for early morning skygazers. Before dawn on January 7 the two naked-eye planets will reach a close conjunction near the horizon, only 1/4 degree apart in predawn eastern skies. That apparent separation corresponds to about half the angular diameter of a Full Moon. Just off the wing of a high-flying aircraft in this snapshot from early morning January 5, Jupiter (left) and Mars (middle) are also lined-up with the well-balanced Zubenelgenubi (right), alpha star of the constellation Libra. Below are lights from central Europe near Prague, Czech Republic, planet Earth. via NASA http://ift.tt/2CHJ4KJ

Friday, January 5, 2018

Puerto Rico Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station

Several hundred students from 30 schools across Puerto Rico will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 11:15 a.m. EST Friday, Jan. 12.

January 05, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2CGol9D
via IFTTT

NASA Hosts Media to Discuss Testing on James Webb Space Telescope

Media are invited to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 10, to hear about the results of recent cryogenic vacuum tests on the James Webb Space Telescope, and the next steps on the observatory path to space.

January 05, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2AxHVjc
via IFTTT

NPR News: While The Eastern US Freezes, This Place Is Too Warm

While The Eastern US Freezes, This Place Is Too Warm
"We're way behind on winter," one resident says. Higher than average temperatures in rural Alaska are being blamed for two deaths and are preventing people from hunting for food.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Hospitals Nationally Hit Hard By Medicare's Safety Penalties

Hospitals Nationally Hit Hard By Medicare's Safety Penalties
Seven states saw a third or more of their hospitals punished under the federal heath law's campaign against hospital-acquired conditions. Critics accuse some unscathed hospitals of gaming the system.

Read more on NPR

Thursday, January 4, 2018

NPR News: Cold Casualties: Sharksicles And Frozen Iguanas

Cold Casualties: Sharksicles And Frozen Iguanas
The unusual cold slamming the U.S. East Coast is wreaking havoc with wildlife, particularly the cold-blooded variety. Social media has been flooded by photos of downed iguanas and frozen sharks.

Read more on NPR

Carina over Lake Ballard


A jewel of the southern sky, the Great Carina Nebula, also known as NGC 3372, is one of our galaxy's largest star forming regions. Easily visible to the unaided eye it stands high above the signature hill of Lake Ballard, ephemeral salt lake of Western Australia, in this serene night skyscape from December 25, 2017. The Milky Way itself stretches beyond the southern horizon. Along the Milky Way, bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri lie just above the hill's right flank, with the Southern Cross and dark Coalsack Nebula above the hill top. Based on a 22 panel mosaic, the scene was cropped to reveal more closely the beauty of this region of the southern Milky Way. On that short summer night, a star tracking camera mount was used to record the mosaic images of the sky, but turned off to image the foreground in moonlight. via NASA http://ift.tt/2AllL3u

NPR News: Shellfish Industry, Scientists Wrestle With Potentially Deadly Toxic Algae Bloom

Shellfish Industry, Scientists Wrestle With Potentially Deadly Toxic Algae Bloom
After decades with no sign of a lethal neurotoxin, the algae that produces it is now plaguing the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine, forcing unprecedented closures in shellfish harvesting.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Astronomers Find Huge Stars More Common Than Previously Thought

Astronomers Find Huge Stars More Common Than Previously Thought
A survey of a neighboring galaxy turned up 30 percent more super-heavy stars than expected. The discovery has implications for how stars form.

Read more on NPR

Indiana Students to Speak with Astronauts on International Space Station

Primary school students in Indianapolis will speak live with astronauts living and working on the International Space Station at 12:15 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 11.

January 04, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2qrW81s
via IFTTT

NPR News: Unlike Humans, Bonobos Shun Helpers And Befriend the Bullies

Unlike Humans, Bonobos Shun Helpers And Befriend the Bullies
Given a choice, bonobos tend to prefer people who act like jerks and dominate. That's very different than humans, who even as infants consistently prefer people who are cooperative and not mean.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Unlike Humans, Bonobos Shun Helpers And Befriend the Bullies

Unlike Humans, Bonobos Shun Helpers And Befriend the Bullies
Given a choice, bonobos tend to prefer people who act like jerks and dominate. That's very different than humans, who even as infants consistently prefer people who are cooperative and not mean.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Share Your Flooding Story And Plan

Share Your Flooding Story And Plan
After severe hurricanes, residents and officials from Florida to California and New York to Alaska are thinking about how to cope with repeated flooding and future flood risk.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Louisiana Says Thousands Should Move From Vulnerable Coast, But Can't Pay Them

Louisiana Says Thousands Should Move From Vulnerable Coast, But Can't Pay Them
Louisiana is losing land faster than just about anywhere in the world, and the state now says it can't protect everyone from flooding. It created a program to buy out 2,400 homes but it's not funded.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: 'Meditation For Fidgety Skeptics' Offers Practical Advice For Stressed-Out Cynics

'Meditation For Fidgety Skeptics' Offers Practical Advice For Stressed-Out Cynics
Trying to reduce anxiety and stress in 2018? If the idea of meditation makes you want to toss your coffee cup across the room, ABC News anchor Dan Harris offers some advice in his new book.

Read more on NPR

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

NPR News: Ancient Human Remains Document Migration From Asia To America

Ancient Human Remains Document Migration From Asia To America
A discovery of the remains of two infants in central Alaska provides evidence of the earliest wave of people to move from Asia into the Americas.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Scientists Warn 'Bomb Cyclone' Will Bring Strong Winds, Cold Temperatures

Scientists Warn 'Bomb Cyclone' Will Bring Strong Winds, Cold Temperatures
This powerful storm was created by a cold jet stream colliding with warm air over the Atlantic. It is similar to Superstorm Sandy, but will likely cause less damage.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Ancient Human Remains Document Migration From Asia To America

Ancient Human Remains Document Migration From Asia To America
A discovery of the remains of two infants in central Alaska provides evidence of the earliest wave of people to move from Asia into the Americas.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: How Cold Is Too Cold For Pets?

How Cold Is Too Cold For Pets?
A common misconception is that dogs and cats are more resistant to cold weather than humans because of their fur, but the risks to animals can be greater during a cold snap than during extreme heat.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: UFO Investigations: The Science And The Will To Believe

UFO Investigations: The Science And The Will To Believe
Employing science's methodology is key — as it's the best antidote we have to the very human propensity to turn something we want to believe into a reality, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Winter Storm Could Bring Snow And Sleet To U.S. East Coast

Winter Storm Could Bring Snow And Sleet To U.S. East Coast
Winter Storm Grayson is expected to move up the coast from Florida to Maine, but its impact on the East Coast depends on how far west it tracks and how wide of a swath it cuts.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Winter Storm Headed Toward U.S. East Coast: Could Bring Snow And Sleet

Winter Storm Headed Toward U.S. East Coast: Could Bring Snow And Sleet
Winter Storm Grayson is expected to move up the coast from Florida to Maine, but its impact on the East Coast depends on how far west it tracks and how wide of a swath it cuts.

Read more on NPR

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

NASA Briefing Previews Mission to Explore Nearest Reaches of Space

NASA will host a briefing at 1 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 4, about the agency’s upcoming science mission to explore where Earth’s atmosphere meets space.

January 02, 2018
from NASA http://ift.tt/2lIMAcD
via IFTTT

NPR News: Encore: Testing For A Marijuana High

Encore: Testing For A Marijuana High
Rae Ellen Bichell reports on scientist's efforts to develop a reliable test for marijuana intoxication. This story was originally broadcast on All Things Considered, August 6, 2017.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Rated PG: Profoundly Gifted

Rated PG: Profoundly Gifted
Intelligence happens on a spectrum. What happens on the high end?

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away

Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away
"Just the last few years alone have seen some serious breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research," Joseph Jebelli says. His new book is The Pursuit of Memory.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away

Neuroscientist Predicts 'Much Better Treatment' For Alzheimer's Is 10 Years Away
"Just the last few years alone have seen some serious breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research," Joseph Jebelli says. His new book is The Pursuit of Memory.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Clean Meat, Via Lab, Is On The Way

Clean Meat, Via Lab, Is On The Way
Would you eat beef, chicken, even foie gras grown from animal cells in the lab? Anthropologist Barbara J. King takes a look at new food technologies.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Top Fitness Trends For 2018: Back To Basics

Top Fitness Trends For 2018: Back To Basics
A survey of fitness professionals who keep track of how we exercise suggests 2018 is likely to find more of us trading fitness gadgets for high-intensity interval training and group classes.

Read more on NPR

Monday, January 1, 2018

Unexpected X Rays from Perseus Galaxy Cluster


Why does the Perseus galaxy cluster shine so strangely in one specific color of X-rays? No one is sure, but a much-debated hypothesis holds that these X-rays are a clue to the long-sought identity of dark matter. At the center of this mystery is a 3.5 Kilo-electronvolt (KeV) X-ray color that appears to glow excessively only when regions well outside the cluster center are observed, whereas the area directly surrounding a likely central supermassive black hole is actually deficient in 3.5 KeV X-rays. One proposed resolution -- quite controversial -- is that something never seen before might be present: florescent dark matter (FDM). This form of particle dark matter might be able to absorb 3.5 KeV X-radiation. If operating, FDM, after absorption, might later emit these X-rays from all over the cluster, creating an emission line. However, when seen superposed in front of the central region surrounding the black hole, FDM's absorption would be more prominent, creating an absorption line. Pictured, a composite image of the Perseus galaxy cluster shows visible and radio light in red, and X-ray light from the Earth-orbiting Chandra Observatory in blue. via NASA http://ift.tt/2q7I6BP

NPR News: Top Fitness Trends For 2018: Back To Basics

Top Fitness Trends For 2018: Back To Basics
A survey of fitness professionals who keep track of how we exercise suggests 2018 is likely to find more of us trading fitness gadgets for high-intensity interval training and group classes.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: We Gave Weight Loss Using Food Tracking Apps A Try

We Gave Weight Loss Using Food Tracking Apps A Try
If you want to shed pounds in 2018, you should know that how much you eat matters more than how much you work out. Several apps are designed to make watching what your diet easier. We gave one a shot.

Read more on NPR