Most people know two things about helium. One is that it makes your voice comically high-pitched when you inhale it; the other is that it is extremely light, which is why balloons filled with the stuff float upward through the heavier air. But in particle physics terms--and especially when it comes to the nuclear physics of antimatter--helium is no lightweight.
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Feed SubscriptionSperm grown in a test tube
By Janelle Weaver Researchers in Japan have made fertile mammalian sperm in a culture dish, a feat long thought to be impossible. [More]
Read More »Satellite images show tsunami-ravaged Japan coast
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Read More »Hawaii wildfire threatens protected rainforest
HONOLULU (Reuters) - Specialized firefighting teams Wednesday battled a remote wildfire touched off by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, which has burned some 2,000 acres of national park land. The fire threatens a fragile, protected rain forest, officials said. [More]
Read More »Dressing the meat of tomorrow
If you take a small sample of animal tissue and encourage it to grow in vitro , separate from the original animal's body, it is possible to create an edible piece of meat.
Read More »New Buildings Aim to Produce Energy, Not Consume It
A few years ago in central Florida, John Santarpia had an idea. He was the president and CEO of a credit union and felt he needed to do something to improve its image. "We're a medium-sized credit union and there's a lot of competition," Santarpia said
Read More »Japan iodine release lower than Chernobyl
* Key differences between Fukushima and Chernobyl * Expert says some radioactive releases comparable [More]
Read More »Fruit-feasting fish fertilize faraway forests
By Daniel Cressey Massive Amazonian characid fish may carry seeds more than five kilometers across forest flood plains, researchers say. Although fish have long been suspected of having an important role in seed distribution, proof of their ability to carry fertile seeds such distances has been lacking. Jill Anderson, an evolutionary ecologist at Duke University in North Carolina, and her team had previously discovered thousands of seeds in the guts of Colossoma macropomum fish in Peru's Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve
Read More »Rare perspective: Stereoscopic, color views of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History recently discovered these images, the first 3-D, color stereoscopic photographs of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Photographer Frederick Eugene Ives took the color images, known as kromograms, six months after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the city on April 18, 1906
Read More »Low-Dose Radiation Risks Unknown
By Gwyneth Dickey Zakaib One thing is certain about the human costs of the radiation leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan: they will pale in comparison to the catastrophic consequences of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the crisis. [More]
Read More »Girl Power: Student-Made Bots Break Down Gender Barriers in Science and Engineering Competition [Slide Show]
When inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen launched his FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition two decades ago, he hoped to turn engineering into a contact sport and engineering students into superstars. Judging by the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) held recently in New York City--which included waving mascots, bleachers filled with screaming fans, and dozens of robots throwing down--he has succeeded
Read More »The Meltdown That Wasn’t: Quick Decisions Prevented a Bigger Nuclear Catastrophe
By Geoff Brumfiel T The magnitude-9.0 earthquake rocked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station at 2:46 p.m. [More]
Read More »New Structure Allows Lithium Ion Batteries to Get a Quicker Charge
A research group at the University of Illinois has developed technology that may have lasting implications for electric vehicles (EVs) and other electronics. The group, led by Paul Braun, a professor of material sciences and engineering, has come up with technology that creates a much more rapid charging time for lithium-ion batteries, which power electronics like cellphones, laptops and defibrillators.
Read More »Stealth percussionists of the animal world
Animals may not be able to predict earthquakes , but many--from elephants to spiders--are quite adept at detecting vibrations that are imperceptible to humans.
Read More »Radioactive particle traces from Japan reach Iceland
By Fredrik Dahl and Alister Doyle VIENNA/OSLO (Reuters) - Miniscule numbers of radioactive particles believed to have come from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been detected as far away as Iceland, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. [More]
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