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Editor's Note: The following blog post first appeared May 17 on the World Science Festival's web site.

We spend a third of our lives asleep.

By Geoff Brumfiel of Nature magazine A team of physicists is claiming to have coaxed sparks from the vacuum of empty space. [More]

Stuff happens. The weather forecast says it’s sunny, but you just got drenched.

Dear EarthTalk : Can you explain the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act?

Monday was our first day diving and snorkeling the Ngederrak Conservation Area of Palau. The difference in biodiversity along the reef crest was instantly noticeable as we dropped down to 25 feet and surveyed 50-meter transects. Applying belt transects to snorkeling also allowed us to survey the three to five foot reef flat, which differed from our survey experiences in Guam.

The fact that first graders grow crystals for science projects might lead you to think that physicists know how these snazzy shapes form and unform. Alas, there is still a big blank spot in physics textbooks where the theory of crystal melting should be.

Attempting to fix our planet might be easier than adapting to an uncertain future In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated.

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO (Reuters) - A planned building in Norway will be at the most northern location so far to generate more energy than it uses, demonstrating that "green" buildings can work anywhere, its backers said on Friday. A group including Norwegian aluminum maker Norsk Hydro and Swedish construction group Skanska said it would construct the six-to-seven-story building in Trondheim, with offices and shops covering up to 9,000 sq meters (96,880 sq ft). [More]

By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Wildlife advocates are protesting a government plan to kill an undetermined number of bison from Yellowstone National Park after scientists conduct a birth-control experiment on the animals with an EPA-registered pesticide. [More]

Why do memories of vivid dreams disappear soon after waking up?

For years, a friend I'll call Chip, knowing my obsession with war, has been telling me: "Cyber War! That's what you should be writing about! Real war is pass

This lacelike pattern is made from a hard substance that has turned as fragile as fabric.

By Yoko Kubota TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of the stricken Japanese nuclear power plant said on Friday that more radioactive water could begin spilling into the sea later this month if there is a glitch in setting up a new decontamination system. [More]

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