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: 7/30/2010 8:04:40 PM

NASA Breaking News

NASA Selects Sounding Rockets Operations Contractor
NASA selected Orbital Sciences Corp.'s, Technical Services Division in Greenbelt, Md., for the agency's Sounding Rockets Operations contract.

NASA Sets Briefing To Preview Space Station Spacewalk
NASA managers will discuss an upcoming spacewalk at the International Space Station during a news briefing at 1 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

NASA Opens Online Voting For Next Desert RATS Exploration Site
NASA is inviting the public to choose an area in northern Arizona where explorers will conduct part of the annual Desert Research and Technology Studies, known as Desert RATS.

NASA Simulates Space Exploration At Remote Arctic Crater Site
NASA personnel are among a group of international researchers who are in the Canadian Arctic assessing concepts for future planetary exploration as part of the Haughton-Mars Project, or HMP-2010.

NASA Astronaut Sends First Signed Message from Orbit
The number of languages used on the International Space Station has recently increased.

NASA Spacecraft Camera Yields Most Accurate Mars Map Ever
A camera aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has helped develop the most accurate global Martian map ever. Researchers and the public can access the map via several websites and explore and survey the entire surface of the Red Planet.

NASA Seeks Undergrads to Defy Gravity for Science and Engineering
NASA is offering undergraduate students an opportunity to test an experiment in weightless science as part of the agency's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.

NASA Telescope Finds Elusive Buckyballs In Space For First Time
Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered carbon molecules, known as "buckyballs," in space for the first time. Buckyballs are soccer-ball-shaped molecules that were first observed in a laboratory 25 years ago.

NASA'S Hubble Shows Hyperfast Star Was Booted From Milky Way
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has detected a hypervelocity star – a rare phenomenon moving three times faster than our sun.

NASA Astronauts -- Including Space Station Crew Member From Maryland -- Available For Interviews In Washington
NASA Headquarters in Washington will welcome space shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 astronauts and International Space Station Expedition 22 and 23 Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer for a visit Monday, July 26, through Thursday, July 29.

CNN.com - Science & Space

Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years
NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington.

Shuttle lands at California air base
NASA officials Sunday waved off the first opportunity for space shuttle Endeavour to return to Earth, citing poor weather conditions.

iReporters watch planets, moon align

Inspiration for 'Contact' still listening
From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe.

Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise
Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft.

Yahoo! News: Science News

Expo shows illegal pet trade rampant in Indonesia (AP)
AP - The most threatened tortoise in the world is being sold openly at a plant and animal exposition in the heart of Indonesia's capital, highlighting concerns about the rampant — and growing — illegal pet trade.

Judge: FWS plan excluded possible lynx habitat (AP)
AP - A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service arbitrarily excluded "critical habitat" that could be occupied by the elusive Canada lynx.

Scientists say global warming is continuing (AP)

AP - Scientists from around the world are providing even more evidence of global warming, one day after President Barack Obama renewed his call for climate legislation.

Daydream Distractions Depend on How Far Mind Wanders (LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - Just how distracting daydreams can be depends on where exactly your wandering mind takes you, a new study suggests.

BP to set aside $100 million for unemployed rig workers (Reuters)
Reuters - BP Plc said on Friday it will establish a $100 million fund to help drilling rig workers in the Gulf of Mexico who are unemployed as a result of the company's oil leak.

BP lawsuits over oil spill take center stage (Reuters)

Reuters - More than 2,000 miles from the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, a panel of U.S. judges heard arguments from lawyers on Thursday on how piles of oil spill-related lawsuits against BP Plc should be merged.

Commercial Spaceflight Supporters Rally to Stall Vote on NASA Bill (SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - WASHINGTON — A flurry of behind-the-scenes maneuvering took place late Wednesday as opponents of a NASA authorization bill fought back efforts by leaders of the U.S. House Science and Technology Committee to bring the measure to a floor vote before lawmakers break for the summer district work period that begins Aug. 2.

EU clears six types of GM maize for animal feed (AFP)

AFP - European regulators authorised on Wednesday the import of six types of genetically-modified maize for use in animal feed after governments were deadlocked over whether to ban or approve them.

Plankton, base of ocean food web, in big decline (AP)
AP - Despite their tiny size, plant plankton found in the world's oceans are crucial to much of life on Earth. They are the foundation of the bountiful marine food web, produce half the world's oxygen and suck up harmful carbon dioxide.

NYC looks to stop spreading bedbug infestations (AP)

AP - One of every 15 New Yorkers battled bedbugs last year, officials said Wednesday as they announced a plan to fight the spreading infestation, including a public-awareness campaign and a top entomologist to head the effort.

Clawed Dinosaur Caught in the Act of Digging for Prey (LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - A clawed, predatory dinosaur may have been caught in the act of digging for mammalian prey, scientists now reveal.

Louisiana reopens fishing grounds after spill closure (AFP)

AFP - Louisiana has reopened wide swaths of state fishing grounds that were closed in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after seafood testing, the state said.

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - Scattered storms were forecast to continue moving through the Central U.S., following a low pressure system in the Northern Plains on Friday.

Rare Find: Failed Star Circling Sun-Like Star (SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - A rare sun-like star that is both young and relatively close to Earth has been found to be harboring an even weirder object a failed star locked in a close orbit around its host, according to a new study.

Genes Influence Your Response to Others' Drinking Habits (LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com - Your genes may determine how likely you are to imitate the drinking habits of others, new research suggests.

Hayward says leaving top post out of 'love' for BP (AFP)

AFP - Outgoing BP CEO Tony Hayward would have liked to remain in his job, but is leaving after a firestorm over his handling of the US oil spill because of his "love" for the British firm.

Suspect breaks sprinkler at Calif. cop station (AP)
AP - Police in Modesto, Calif., are wading through the damage from a flood at the downtown station after a suspect broke a sprinkler.

Reuters: Science News

Study changes picture of U.S. quake hazards
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The risk of earthquakes in the U.S. Midwest may be more widespread than geologists have believed, but a "big one" may be less likely at Missouri's New Madrid fault, researchers said on Wednesday.

Rabbits grow their own joint replacements in study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rabbits implanted with artificial bones re-grew their own joints, complete with cartilage, researchers reported on Thursday.

Canadian archeologists find lost ship in Arctic
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian archeologists have discovered the wreckage of the ship that has been credited with discovering the fabled Northwest Passage, saying the vessel remains in good condition after being abandoned more than 150 years ago in the Arctic ice.

Some space shuttle workers get layoff notice
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's prime space shuttle contractor, United Space Alliance, sent layoff notices this week to more than 15 percent of its 8,100-member shuttle work force, officials said on Tuesday.

Mental health experts ask: Will anyone be normal?
LONDON (Reuters) - An updated edition of a mental health bible for doctors may include diagnoses for "disorders" such as toddler tantrums and binge eating, experts say, and could mean that soon no-one will be classed as normal.

Scientists inch towards finding "God particle"
PARIS (Reuters) - Scientists working with particle accelerators in Europe and the United States said on Monday they may be closing in on the elusive Higgs Boson, the "God particle" believed crucial to forming the cosmos after the Big Bang.

Iran aims to put man in space by 2019: Ahmadinejad
TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that Iran would send its first manned shuttle into space by 2019, Iran's English-language Press TV reported.

Educated people cope better with dementia
LONDON (Reuters) - Educated people are better able to cope with the physical effects of dementia, and even one extra year of education can significantly cut the risk of developing the brain-wasting disease, scientists said on Monday.

Russia to use space tech to develop energy sector
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will employ technologies, initially meant for outer space research programs, to develop its vast energy sector, Energy Ministry said on Tuesday in yet another sign of the Kremlin's modernization drive.

Consumer gene test results misleading
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who send off their saliva to genetic testing companies to find out their risk for prostate cancer or diabetes are likely to get different results, depending on the company they choose, government investigators told lawmakers on Thursday.

NPR Topics: Research News

Just Buy It: Impulsiveness Tied To Brain Chemical
From proposing to a loved one to going on a shopping spree, many of life's decisions are guided by the brain chemical dopamine. Scientists now say dopamine might explain why some people are more impulsive than others when it comes to planning and thinking.

The Food Chain's Weak Link: Tiny Ocean Plants Dying
Microscopic plants in the ocean are among the most important creatures on Earth and produce half of the planet's oxygen. But they are in trouble. A new study finds that since 1950, the amount of phytoplankton in the ocean's surface waters has declined by 40 percent.

Scientists Say A Gel Can Slow HIV Spread
Researchers meeting at the 18th international AIDS conference this week say a new vaginal gel can cut HIV transmission rates in half, if used properly. AIDS experts Anthony Fauci and Kevin Fenton join Ira Flatow to discuss the gel study, and other news from the conference.

Why Do We Like What We Like?
Why do we enjoy things like bitter foods and horror films? And are we the only species that likes art? Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University and author of How Pleasure Works, explains our penchant for art and why we find some unpleasant things so enjoyable.

Robots That Swim With The Fishes, Intentionally
Based on mathematical models of the movement of fish, Maurizio Porfiri, engineering professor at Polytechnic Institute of NYU, built a robofish. When Porfiri let the robot go for a dip in the lab pool, the real fish started to mill about the robot and even follow it around.

Gut Check: How Do Caterpillars Walk?
Caterpillars don't have a bone in their body. They move by squeezing muscles in sequence in an undulating wave motion, but what exactly happens on the inside? Scientists wanted to find out, so they got a tiny, custom-built caterpillar treadmill.

Is Climate Change Leading To Super Marmots?
A new study published this week in the journal Nature says yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado are getting bigger in size and population. Climate change may be the reason. Robert Siegel talks to UCLA marmot scientist Dan Blumstein.

Mapping Oil From Space: A Tricky Task For NASA
Photographing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from space isn't as easy as you might think. Cloud cover, water smoothness and the reflection of sunlight off the water make gathering useful satellite photos a difficult task for NASA.

Scientists Question Cancer Gene Trials At Duke University
A Duke scientist's resume padding fuels questions about his research methods on a new cancer screening technique.

Fast Feet: A Springy Step Helps Humans Walk
The human foot has changed shape in the past few million years, springing an arch that enabled us to run and walk more proficiently than our ape-like ancestors who grasped branches and swung from the trees. Now, researchers are trying to determine when that change took place.

Are Protons Even Smaller Than We Thought?
An international team of physicists reexamined the radius of a proton, and found it to be 4 percent smaller than previously thought. Are they mistaken, or is something missing from the long-held theory of quantum electrodynamics? Physicist Brian Odom of Northwestern University discusses.

'Voice Blind' Man Befuddled By Mysterious Callers
Steve Royster could never understand how those around him could pick up the phone and instantly recognize who was on the other end. By the time he figured out in his late 20s that he had a rare disorder, he had had his fair share of awkward encounters.

Clear Waters, Cloudy Future For California Wetlands
Oil continues to cloud Gulf Coast waters, but on the other side of the country, scientists are studying a body of water with the opposite problem. San Francisco Bay is becoming clearer. And clearer water is not always good news.

A Chemical Nurtures New Brain Cells In Rodents
Scientists screened nearly 1,000 chemicals and found one that nurtures new neurons in rat and mice brains. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center biochemist Steven McKnight describes the work and explains what has to happen before the chemical can be tried in humans.

More Screen Time Means More Attention Problems In Kids
Lingering attention problems in kids might be due to the speed with which they need to make decisions in video games.

CBC | Technology & Science News

Apple's iPhone 4 leads to long lineups
Shoppers in Canada are lining up to buy Apple's iPhone 4, which went on sale Friday.

Ancient reptile tracks found in N.B.
An accidental discovery along the eroding Bay of Fundy shoreline in New Brunswick is giving scientists insight into the evolution of life on earth.

Arctic ship graves a 'rewarding' find
Parks Canada archeologists who found HMS Investigator, a British naval ship that was stranded in the Northwest Passage 155 years ago, are equally pleased to have discovered the graves of three of the ship's crew.

YouTube ups video limit to 15 minutes
Popular video-sharing website YouTube says it is ready to increase the limit it places on video uploads to 15 minutes, from the current 10 minutes.

Google shares fall on China blocking report
Google shares fell 1.4 per cent in after-hours trading Thursday after the company said people in mainland China are being blocked from using its internet search engine.

Global warming signs unmistakable: report
A new report by 300 scientists has flagged the past decade as the hottest on record and compiled 10 'unmistakable' indicators the world is getting warmer. But the scientists mostly stayed away from discussions about the cause.

DND computers used to change Wikipedia site
A Defence Department spokesperson confirms computers at the department's research agency were used to alter a Wikipedia site on the Joint Strike Fighter jet.

Fish feminizing in Alberta rivers
Chemicals are likely to blame for the feminization of fish in two southern Alberta rivers, say researchers at the University of Calgary.

Stem cells grow replacement joints in rabbits
Rabbits were able to regrow a leg joint using their own stem cells, say scientists exploring the cells' potential to replace artificial joints in human patients.

Amazon shares fall as new Kindle released
A new generation of the Kindle e-reader has been released, promising a longer battery life, increased storage and a lower price tag.

BP prepares to plug damaged well
A procedure intended to ease the job of plugging BP's blown-out Gulf of Mexico well for good could start as early as the weekend, the U.S. government's point man for the spill response says.

Twitter study tracks mood fluctuations
The peaks and valleys of people's moods throughout the day can be tracked via Twitter, new U.S. research suggests.

Telecom took in $41B in 2009
Canada's communications industry took in $55.4 billion in revenue in 2009, the CRTC said Thursday, a 2.1 per cent increase from the previous year's level.

Hacker extracts cash from ATMs
A hacker has discovered a way to force ATMs to disgorge their cash by hijacking the computers inside them.

Scientists discover new deepwater species
A team of marine biologists has discovered what it believes to be several new species of underwater creatures, including never-before-seen sponges, corals and sea stars.

BBC News - Science & Environment

Mars site may hold 'buried life'
Researchers identify rocks that they say could contain the fossilised remains of life on early Mars.

Mammals decline in Chernobyl zone
The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl reveals evidence of mammals declining in the exclusion zone.

Galapagos off Unesco danger list
A UN panel votes to remove the Galapagos Islands from a "red list" of endangered heritage sites, to protests from a leading conservation group.

X Prize for oil spill solutions
The X Prize foundation, best known for launching the private spaceflight industry, launches a $1.4 million oil clean-up challenge.

Plankton declining across oceans
The amount of plankton in the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, with warming identified as a cause.

Cheetah will run again in India
The cheetah, eradicated in India by hunting nearly a century ago, will run again in the country, as three sites are earmarked for its reintroduction.

Chemicals washed into China river
Rescue teams in north-east China are working to retrieve 3,000 barrels of chemicals washed into a major river, state media say.

Deal finalised on fusion reactor
The European Union and six member states have reached a deal on the experimental nuclear fusion reactor they are backing.

Surface Gulf oil 'vanishing fast'
Oil from BP's damaged Gulf of Mexico well has cleared from the sea surface faster than expected, scientists say, 100 days after the disaster began.

Dogs 'mimic movements of owners'
Do dogs really imitate body movements of owners?

Doomed 1848 ship found in Arctic
Canadian archaeologists locate the wreck of HMS Investigator, a British ship abandoned in the Arctic in the 19th Century.

WWF sorry for Saudi Arabia insult
Environmental group WWF apologises to Saudi Arabia after one of its workers vandalised the country's nameplate at a climate conference.

Friends offer 'a survival boost'
Having good friends and neighbours appears to boost survival chances by 50%, say researchers.

Researchers use more GM animals
The number of UK scientific experiments involving genetically modified animals overtakes those involving "normal animals" for the first time.

Adventurers to fund space travel
Future manned space travel will be the province of private adventurers, the astronomer royal believes.

Motherly love 'breeds confidence'
Babies whose mothers shower them with affection are better at coping with stress when they get older, researchers say.

China considers big rocket power
Chinese engineers are considering a new super-powerful engine for the next generation of space rockets, say officials.

Remains of Roman villa discovered
Archaeologists find the remains of a 4th Century Roman villa near Aberystwyth after an aerial photograph showed up an outline.

Oz marsupials 'began in Americas'
The characteristic koalas, kangaroos and wombats of Australia share a common American ancestor, according to genetic research.

Pampered pigs 'feel optimistic'
Pigs feel optimistic or pessimistic about life depending on how pleasant their environment is, researchers at Newcastle University find.

NYT > Science

U.S. Nuclear Forensics Skill Is Declining, Report Says
A lack of resources and organizational problems are hampering America’s ability to identify nuclear weapons used in a terrorist attack, researchers say.

Regulators Warned Enbridge About Monitoring of Pipeline Corrosion
Enbridge was warned in January by federal regulators about insufficient monitoring of the pipeline that officials say leaked more than one million gallons of oil into a major waterway this week.

Gulf of Mexico Has Long Been a Sink of Pollution
For decades, the oil industry, farming and lax oversight have contributed to a dead zone in the gulf.

Why So Many Predators?
Dr. Sterling and a team of researchers are trying to understand why there is a higher biomass of predators than prey at Palmyra Atoll.

Cloned Livestock Gain a Foothold in Europe
The Continent has generally resisted genetically modified food, but small amounts of meat and dairy from cloned animals are already being consumed.

Getting Into Med School Without Hard Sciences
A program admits students if they study humanities instead of the traditional pre-medical school curriculum.

Remarkable Creatures: Translating Stories of Life Forms Etched in Stone
A gap in the fossil record preceding the Cambrian has ignited intense interest among geologists.

Hints of Earth Splash a Saturnian Moon Landscape
The discovery that Titan’s lakes are evaporating, at least in the Southern Hemisphere, suggests that there are active weather and geological cycles analogous to those on Earth.

Teams of Physicists Closing in on the ‘God Particle’
The data from two separate experiments at Fermilab narrow the range in which the Higgs boson, if it exists, must be hiding.

Books on Science: Let There Be Dimmers on Our Glowing Planet
Jane Brox’s narrative is in many ways a social history, told through man’s relationship to light.

Never a Lab Rat
At an estimated 13 pounds, a giant rat that may have lived as recently as 1,000 years ago was bigger than any previously known.

Judge Rejects Forest Service’s Plan on Fire Retardant
The ruling says that the plan does not ensure protections for threatened and endangered species of fish and other animals when fighting wildfires.

Gulf Surface Oil Vanishing Quickly
The oil is clearing much faster than expected, but concern remains over the unseen effects.

Another Oil Leak Is Spotted in the Gulf
A wellhead spewing oil up to 100 feet into the air was at least the third unrelated oil leak in the Louisiana area since the Deepwater Horizon spill began.

Pushed Along by Wind, Power Storage Grows
Utilities are developing storage batteries to smooth the flow of intermittent sources of power, like wind farms.

National Briefing | Rockies: Humans Banned From Caves in Effort to Protect Bats
Thousands of caves and abandoned mines on federal land in five states will be off limits to explorers for the next year to prevent humans from spreading a disease that kills bats.

National Briefing | Midwest: Michigan: 800,000 Gallons of Oil Spill After Pipe Breaks
Crews were working to contain and clean up more than 800,000 gallons of oil that poured into a creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan.

National Briefing | Southwest: Texas: Air Quality Decision Is Appealed
The Environmental Protection Agency ruled last month that the state’s flexible air permit program violated the Clean Air Act.

National Briefing | South: Virginia: Emissions Ruling for Coal Plants Is Reversed
A three-judge panel reversed a ruling requiring the Tennessee Valley Authority to upgrade emission controls at three coal-fired power plants.

Plastiki, Boat of 12,500 Bottles, Crosses Pacific
Plastiki, a sailboat made of recycled material intended to raise awareness of the perils of waste, completed its difficult 8,000-mile Pacific crossing, arriving at Sydney.

msnbc.com: Technology & Science

Another ugly reminder to check your Facebook settings — NOW!

If we take any lesson from this latest Facebook privacy brouhaha, it's one we should have already learned: Facebook isn't for people who don't wish to be known. Because here's the deal: Facebook has not now, nor will it ever, protect your information.

Mars rover finally sees Martian dust devil

After more than six years roaming the surface of Mars, NASA's Mars rover Opportunity has spotted its first dust devil on the red planet.

Attacking the edges of secure Internet traffic

Researchers have uncovered new ways that criminals can spy on Internet users even if they're using secure connections to banks, online retailers or other sensitive Web sites.

Virtual cookie monster controls flavor

At the SIGGRAPH computer animation and interactive technology conference, a research team unveiled a Meta Cookie system, which uses virtual reality to try to control the flavor of a cookie.

Rare find: Failed star circling sun-like star

A rare sun-like star that is both young and relatively close to Earth has been found to be harboring an even weirder object a failed star locked in a close orbit around its host, according to a new study.

Cosmic Log: $1.4 million for oil cleanup ideas

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Kevin Costner, here's your chance. Sparked by the disaster in the Gulf, a well-connected environmental activist is offering $1.4 million for new methods to clean up oil spills.

Internet 'key holders' are insurance against cyber attack
In a move that seems inspired by "The Lord of the Rings," seven "keys" have been handed out to a trusted circle of people who might get called upon to "save" the Internet in the aftermath of a cyber attack.

Google: China blockage report likely just a glitch
Google says its search engine and several other services are working normally in mainland China after previously reporting the service had been completely blocked.

100 million Facebook users' details published online

The personal details of 100 million Facebook users have been collected and published online in a downloadable file, meaning they will no longer be able to make the information private.

BlackBerry may be berry good with new OS

A new BlackBerry, but more importantly, a new BlackBerry operating system upgrade, is coming. "Yawn," you say? Don't be too quick to dismiss Research In Motion and its sturdy line of smart phones.

Ballmer: Tablet coming 'as soon as we can'
Microsoft will compete with Apple's iPad, but it isn't saying when, according to comments made Thursday by company CEO Steve Ballmer.

Amazon unveils new Kindle, starting at $139

Just weeks after lowering the price of the Kindle e-book reader from $259 to $189, Amazon unveiled a fully revamped Kindle on Wednesday. It's sleeker, better looking, easier on the eyes — and starts at $139.

Donkey's wild ass ancestor confirmed

Five thousand years ago, in North Africa, humans formed an alliance with the wild ancestors of the donkey, twice.

Snake robots could disable explosives

Snakes can creep and they can crawl, but they're not very good at defusing bombs or going on search-and-rescue missions. Snake robots, however, might be a different story.

We're through — now get off my Facebook page

Lovers still see a face-to-face encounter as the ideal way to break up their relationship in the complicated age of Facebook and cell phones, according to a researcher's interviews with college students and middle-age adults.

Adult industry sees iPorn potential in iPhone 4

When Apple launched the iPhone 4 and its FaceTime videoconference feature, it didn't take long for adult-entertainment companies to develop video-sex chat services and start hiring workers through Craigslist.

Tales for your summer science odysseys

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Books about scientific subjects let you travel through space and time … which is the perfect prescription for summer reading.

Slideshow: How zoos beat the heat

Zookeepers give animals some tasty ways to cool off.

'World's oldest Twitter user' Ivy Bean dies at 104

Ivy Bean, the Internet-famous centenarian heralded as world's oldest Twitter user, passed away last night at her retirement home in Branford, England. She was 104.