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If you’ve ever wondered where the Earth came from, the answer, it seems, is blowin’ in the wind--the solar wind. Or so say scientists who, after examining solar wind samples collected by the Genesis spacecraft, conclude that the inner planets of our solar system formed a little differently than we’d thought. The work appears in the journal Science

Instead of waiting around for organs to become available, have shelves of them instantly ready In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people. This feature aims to look at the impossible dreams, the seemingly intractable problems in science.

In this month's special issue of Physics World, which examines the science and applications of invisibility, Martin McCall and Paul Kinsler of Imperial College London describe a new type of invisibility cloak that does not just hide objects – but events.

It's not just floods and fires. A new interactive map shows you all the insidious and sometimes invisible problems facing the planet, from food shortages to super poison ivy.

I fear I have already offended

(PhysOrg.com) -- Bartosz Grzybowski, a physical chemist at Northwestern University, and his team of colleagues offer evidence in a paper published in Science, that shows that what scientists have believed to be true about the causes behind the creation of static electricity, is wrong.

Former Google exec Adam Bosworth is helping companies save money on health care by gamifying exercise and nutrition as coworkers compete for cash prizes. "We’re trying to change health habits in a very fundamental way," he tells us.

The Indian government has put Chinese mobile giant Huawei in charge of inspecting imported smartphone equipment for secret spyware. But who's spying on whom? The Indian government is teaming up with Chinese tech giant Huawei to search imported smartphones and communications devices for signs of malware and spyware.

Because one microbe is never enough: Say hi to metagenomics. "Microbes run the world. It’s that simple." Those are the first words of a recent report on the ongoing quest to sequence the DNA of the smallest of living things

The U.S. Supreme Court's 7-2 ruling Monday (pdf) that California cannot regulate the sale or rental of violent video games to minors is the latest chapter in the long-simmering debate over the impact of aggression in the virtual world on children's behavior in the real world. The high court's ruling is based on law and politics; it noted that states don't have the right to restrict children's First Amendment rights

Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from the new book HOW THE HIPPIES SAVED PHYSICS: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser. Copyright (c) 2011 by David Kaiser.

Although the stories told by Pixar Animation Studios take place in richly realized fantasy realms, the science and technology required to create those worlds have distinctly real-world origins. For Cars 2 , set for release in late June, the minds behind such films as Toy Story , Up and WALL-E had to study the complex ways in which light reflects off cars. The movie leaves behind the sleepy desert town setting of the original and takes place in the world of in

For more than 150 years New York City's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (more commonly called The Cooper Union ) has finished its school years with an annual event

Saliva contains many useful components. Lubricants

Need to learn a lot of material fast and perform well when it counts? Two new studies suggest easy ways to speed up learning and ease anxiety before a test.