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This story is a joint project with ProPublica, PBS Frontline and McClatchy . The story will air on Frontline on Oct. 11

By Mark Schrope of Nature magazine The X Prize Foundation today announced the winners of its year-long, US$1.4-million challenge to spur development of improved oil-collection systems for use during spills.

Fingerprints are so familiar that they are mostly taken for granted. Except, however, for people who don't have any at all.

LONG BEACH, Calif.

By Eric Hand of Nature magazine Close and bright though it is, the Sun still defies a thorough understanding. [More]

By Kylie Stott PUERTO IGUAZU, Argentina - The musty jaguar pelts on display at a government office in Buenos Aires are a grim reminder of the big cat's precarious existence in Argentina's northern forests. [More]

Credit: IStockphoto I knew I wasn’t like the other kids. Oh sure, I collected baseball cards and model airplanes, but not with the passion that I saved for my real obsession--collecting each and every element of the periodic table .

Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from a chapter in Nathan Wolfe's new book: The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age (published October 11 by Times Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company, LLC. Copyright

In high school, my mother occasionally found babysitting jobs for me. Parents, desperate for a trustworthy kid to watch their own, would entrust their offspring to Katie the honors student while they went to a meeting, or to work, or perhaps on a date. If any of those parents are reading, I have a confession for you: I didn't like watching your kids

Friend of the blog Cackle of Rad was the first person to send me this paper, and when I first tried to read it, I got…pretty angry.

By Ariel Schwartz Instead of relying on almost-never-correct schedules, Kicker Studio has come up with an innovative system to use the city's data streams to give up-to-date transit information. When can we start using it

I confidently believe that increasing the use of social media for outreach by scientists will positively affect how the public views and understands science . I stand by my statement that part of our job is to improve science communication, and as the world turns to the internet, social media is vital to that cause . So let’s get selfish for a moment here: I’m telling you that you should take the extra time to add social media to your schedule ( see my post on having time, too ).

A miniature airborne drone has helped archaeologists capture images for creating a 3-D model of an ancient burial mound in Russia, scientists say. Archaeological sites are often in remote and rugged areas . As such, it can be hard to reach and map them with the limited budgets archaeologists typically have.

Not long after Neptune completed its first orbit around the sun since its discovery in 1846, scientists have managed to calculate the exact length of one day on the distant gas giant planet .

Not long after Neptune completed its first orbit around the sun since its discovery in 1846, scientists have managed to calculate the exact length of one day on the distant gas giant planet . Unlike their rocky counterparts, gas giants have long challenged astronomers when it comes to calculating their rotation .