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Songs about or just inspired by science are by no means hard to find, but it seems the same few are continually bandied about (e.g., "I Am a Scientist" by Guided By Voices), so we thought it would be fun to list what are, depending on your level of music knowledge, perhaps some lesser known examples.

By Gwyneth Dickey Zakaib of Nature magazine A ground-based telescope that can scan the skies faster than any other of its size could help to protect satellites from collisions with space debris and each other. [More]

If outside influences can make people act badly, can they also be used to help people do good? 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.

The beautiful thing about disposing of your old electronics is that doing the right thing gives you more than a rosy feeling; it can actually pay you.

Every now and then the public rises up to make an industry clean up its environmental act. As a result, car companies now offer hybrids, electrics and alternative-fuel cars

Dear EarthTalk : My daughter loves those press-on tattoos, and they’re frequently given out at birthday parties and other events. But I’ve noticed the labels say they’re only for ages three and up

These coeds may be spending some time down at the beach, but as students of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Wood's Holl, Mass., it’s for work rather than play. [More]

Each year, new electronics hit the market and capture consumers' attention, giving them reason to throw away the old VCR or standard television and engross themselves in state-of-the-art gadgetry. Most of the time, the old electronics end up in the garbage, despite holding plenty of reusable material. But a push for recycling them has gained ground in recent years through both new state laws and a developing "e-recycling" industry

The fuel of the future isn't gasoline, ethanol or even hydrogen--it's education. Specifically, the science and engineering education that will enable a fresh group of smart young people to tackle the world's ongoing energy crisis. Solve the energy crisis and you go a long way's toward solving a host of environmental problems: pollution, environmental health risks, climate change, to name just a few

A lot has been written about why people deny the findings of science. Why, ask the devotees of reason, do people’s views on vaccines or climate change not match the overwhelming bulk of the evidence

SciCafe American Museum of Natural History [More]

FLU NETWORK The title of Helen Branswell’s “ Flu Factories ” is the type of sensationalism that has to be overcome for influenza surveillance to be effective and was in stark contrast to the balanced report that followed.

In 2009 six weeks of wildfires in Victoria, Australia, killed 173 people and injured hundreds more, but the fires may have also led to the resurrection of a rare tree that was previously on a path to extinction. Only about 670 Buxton silver gum trees ( Eucalyptus crenulata ) were left in the wild before the devastating Black Sunday bushfires , and they weren't healthy

Editor's note: This article was printed with the title, "O Mercaptan, My Mercaptan" in the May issue. Friday, February 25, 2011: A date which will live in odiferous infamy. At least at my house

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