Science | Journal Gazette

Cockroaches put up bitter-sweet defense

Malcolm Ritter — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:58:45 EST

NEW YORK - For decades, people have been getting rid of cockroaches by setting out bait mixed with poison. But in the late 1980s, in an apartment test kitchen in Florida, something went very wrong.

Sally Ride to get posthumous Medal of Freedom

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:04:02 EST

WASHINGTON – President Obama will bestow the Medal of Freedom posthumously on Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space.

New pump resolves space-station leak, NASA says

Marcia Dunn — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:58:16 EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA says an impromptu spacewalk seems to have fixed a big ammonia leak at the International Space Station.

Stem cell science hits milestone

MALCOLM RITTER — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

Scientists have finally recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, a long-standing goal that could lead to new treatments for such illnesses as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

Space telescope on fritz, may be junked

Washington Post — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Kepler Space Telescope, the celebrated discoverer of worlds around distant stars, may have found its last planet. NASA announced Wednesday that the telescope, which to date has cost $600 million to build and operate, has lost the ability to point accurately.

Manned mission to Mars no sci-fi tale

Marc Kaufman — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:00:00 EST

The notion of landing astronauts on Mars has long been more fantasy than reality: The planet is, on average, 140 million miles from Earth, and its atmosphere isn't hospitable to human life.

Alexander Graham Bell’s voice ID’d on early wax recordings

Brett Zongker — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:09:24 EST

WASHINGTON - Researchers have identified the voice of Alexander Graham Bell for the first time in some of the earliest audio recordings held at the Smithsonian Institution.

2 planets raise hope at NASA of new life

Associated Press — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

NASA's planet-hunting telescope has discovered two planets that seem like ideal places for some sort of life to flourish. They are just the right size and in just the right place near their star.

NASA sees planets that seem ideal for life

Seth Borenstein — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:22:26 EST

WASHINGTON - NASA's planet-hunting telescope has discovered two planets that seem like ideal places for some sort of life to flourish. They are just the right size and in just the right place near their star.

Scientists find particle tied to dark matter

JOHN HEILPRIN and SETH BORENSTEIN — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

A $2 billion cosmic ray detector on the international space station has found the footprint of something that could be dark matter, the mysterious substance that is believed to hold the cosmos together but has never been directly observed, scientists say.

Are tiny nibblers at work in Africa’s mystery fairy circles?

Rachel Nuwer — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:54:04 EST

Like others who came before him, Norbert Juergens was caught in the spell of fairy circles. These bare patches of ground, often outlined with a fringe of tall grass, pockmark a 2000-kilometer-long strip of desert stretching from Angola to South Africa.

Updated theory ages universe slightly

LORI HINNANT and SETH BORENSTEIN — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

New results from looking at the split-second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is 80 million years older than previously thought, scientists say. The results also provide ancient evidence supporting core concepts about the cosmos - how it began, what it's made of and where it's going.

Physicists report finding God particle'

JOHN HEILPRIN — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

It helps solve one of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago.

At a glance

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Scientists working at the world's biggest atom smasher near Geneva have announced they are confident that the new subatomic particle discovered last summer is a version of the long-sought Higgs boson. The particle bears key attributes of the "God particle" that was theorized nearly a half-century ago as fundamental to the creation of the universe.

Obama wants research to wean vehicles off oil

MATTHEW DALY, NEDRA PICKLER — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:03:50 EST

President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to authorize more federally funded research into clean energy technologies that can wean automobiles off oil.

Physicists say they have found a Higgs boson

JOHN HEILPRIN — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:47:13 EST

Physicists said Thursday they are now confident they have discovered a crucial subatomic particle known as a Higgs boson — a major discovery that will go a long ways toward helping them explain why the universe is the way it is.

Rover shows Mars had basics for life

ALICIA CHANG — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

Drilling into a rock near its landing site, the Curiosity rover has answered a key question about Mars: The red planet long ago harbored some of the ingredients needed for primitive life to thrive.

Mars rock test shows planet could have supported life

ALICIA CHANG — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:28:26 EST

The analysis was done by the rover Curiosity, which drilled into the rock, crushed it and tested a tiny sample.

100-year heat spike unnatural, study says

Associated Press — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:00:00 EST

A new study looking at 11,000 years of climate temperatures shows the world in the middle of a dramatic U-turn, lurching from near-record cooling to a heat spike.

Shatner pick wins Pluto vote

MARCIA DUNN — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

"Star Trek" fans, rejoice. An online vote to name Pluto's two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. And No. 1 is Vulcan, a name suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" TV series.

Capt. Kirk’s Vulcan entry wins Pluto moons contest

Marcia Dunn — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:55:34 EST

An online vote to name Pluto’s two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. And No. 1 is Vulcan, a name suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original “Star Trek” TV series.

Climate trending toward less snow, more blizzards

SETH BORENSTEIN — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

With scant snowfall and barren ski slopes in parts of the Midwest and Northeast the past couple of years, some scientists have pointed to global warming as the culprit. Then when a whopper of a blizzard smacked the Northeast with more than 2 feet of snow in some places this month, some of the same people again blamed global warming.

Hummingbirds migrating earlier

BRUCE SMITH — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migrating to North America weeks earlier than in decades past, and research indicates that higher temperatures in their winter habitat may be the reason.

What you should know about meteors and meteorites

Frank Jordans — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:23:10 EST

Myth-busting Q&A, with raw video from Russia.

As promised, asteroid flies past Earth

Marcia Dunn — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:35:59 EST

It was the closest known flyby for a rock of its size, passing within 17,000 miles. That’s closer than some satellites.

Fish behavior vastly affected by drug-tainted water

JEFF DONN — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

What happens to fish that swim in waters tainted by traces of drugs that people take? When it's an anti-anxiety drug, they become hyper, anti-social and aggressive, a study found. They even get the munchies.

Next up: 150-foot asteroid to 'buzz’ Earth

Marcia Dunn — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:45:56 EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A 150-foot asteroid hurtled toward Earth's backyard, destined Friday to make the closest known flyby for a rock of its size.

Python hunters in Florida see kill chances slither away

Scripps Howard News Service — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

They had guns, machetes and good intentions. That wasn't enough for most of the 1,500 snake chasers who signed up for Florida's monthlong Burmese python hunt, which ended Sunday.

Voting open to name Pluto moons

Associated Press — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

Want to name Pluto's two tiniest moons? Then you'll need to dig deep into mythology.

Asteroid to make close pass

MARCIA DUNN — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:00:00 EST

A 150-foot-wide asteroid will come remarkably close to Earth next week, even closer than high-flying communication and weather satellites. It will be the nearest known flyby for an object of this size.

First known 'social chromosome' found

Elizabeth Norton — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:39:33 EST

The tiny, red, stinging bugs have two types of social organization, and these factions are as recognizable to the ants as rival football teams are to us.

NASA’s older Mars rover notches another milestone

Associated Press — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:37:48 EST

LOS ANGELES - Opportunity, NASA's other Mars rover, has tooled around the red planet for so long it's easy to forget it's still alive.

1 year later, lone wolf a star

TRACIE CONE — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:00:00 EST

He doesn't like busy Interstate 5 or eating cattle, at least so far.

Martian rock from Sahara unlike others

Alicia Chang — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:51:55 EST

Not only is it older than most, it also contains more water, tests showed.

Another Earth just 12 light years away?

Ken Croswell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:15:25 EST

Astronomers have discovered what may be five planets orbiting Tau Ceti, the closest single star beyond our solar system whose temperature and luminosity nearly match the sun’s.

Decoding Christmas trees

MALCOLM RITTER — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:00:00 EST

To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it's a monster.

Twin NASA spacecraft to plunge into lunar mountain

ALICIA CHANG — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 04:11:06 EST

LOS ANGELES - Ebb and Flow chased each other around the moon for nearly a year, peering into the interior. With dwindling fuel supplies, the twin NASA spacecraft are ready for a dramatic finish.

Climate-change doubters on ebb: Poll

SETH BORENSTEIN — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 03:00:00 EST

A growing majority of Americans think global warming is occurring, that it will become a serious problem and that the U.S. government should do something about it, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.

Polar ice melting clocked at triple 1990s' pace

Associated Press — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:00:00 EST

Fueled by global warming, polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are now melting three times faster than they did in the 1990s, a new scientific study says.

Is Grand Canyon as old as dinosaurs?

Associated Press — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:00:00 EST

The awe-inspiring Grand Canyon was probably carved about 70 million years ago, much earlier than thought, a provocative new study suggests - so early that dinosaurs might have roamed near this natural wonder.

Even apes have midlife crises

MALCOLM RITTER — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:00:00 EST

Chimpanzees going through a midlife crisis? It sounds like a setup for a joke.

Alaska ice tested as possible new energy source

Dan Joling — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:04:06 EST

A half mile below the ground at Prudhoe Bay, above the vast oil field that helped trigger construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, a drill rig has tapped what might one day be the next big energy source.

Predicting presidents, storms and life by computer

Seth Borenstein — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:34:42 EST

Forget political pundits, gut instincts, and psychics. The mightier-than-ever silicon chip seems to reveal the future. In just two weeks this fall, computer models displayed an impressive prediction prowess.

Final 10-mile trek begins for space shuttle Atlantis

MARCIA DUNN — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 04:52:19 EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Space shuttle Atlantis' final journey to retirement is down broad industrial avenues, most of them off-limits to the public. So today's trek won't replicate the narrow, stop-and-go turns Endeavour encountered last month while navigating downtown Los Angeles.

Dragon ship returns from space

MARCIA DUNN — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

An unmanned Dragon freighter carrying a stash of precious medical samples from the International Space Station parachuted into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, completing the first official shipment under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

Chile: Astronomers' paradise

LUIS ANDRES HENAO — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Earth's largest radio telescope is growing more powerful by the day on this remote plateau high above Chile's Atacama desert, where visitors often feel like they're planting the first human footprints on the red crust of Mars.

Illinois groups form coalition to stop Asian carp

Associated Press — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 07:50:27 EST

Several Illinois nonprofit groups have formed a coalition aimed at stopping the spread of invasive species like the Asian carp from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes.

40-foot sea reptile ruled Jurassic seas

Tia Ghose — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

It's official: A giant marine reptile that roamed the seas roughly 150 million years ago is a new species, researchers say. The animal, now named Pliosaurus funkei, spanned about 40 feet and had a 6.5-foot-long skull with a bite four times as powerful as Tyrannosaurus rex.

Endeavour finally reaches permanent LA museum home

ALICIA CHANG and CHRISTOPHER WEBER — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:44:25 EST

LOS ANGELES Space shuttle Endeavour was finally lodged at its retirement home today following a slow weekend parade through city streets that turned out to be a logistical headache.

Chocolate makes you smarter? Sweet!

Associated Press — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Take this with a grain of salt, or perhaps some almonds or hazelnuts: A study ties chocolate consumption to the number of Nobel Prize winners a country has and suggests it's a sign that the sweet treat can boost brainpower.

2 in US win Nobel in chemistry

MALCOLM RITTER — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Two Americans won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for studies of how the cells in our bodies pick up signals as diverse as hormones, smells, flavors and light - work that is key to developing better medicines. Those signals are received by specialized proteins on cell surfaces.

Antarctic sea ice swells to record; climate shift cited

SETH BORENSTEIN — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

The ice goes on seemingly forever in a white pancake-flat landscape, stretching farther than ever before. And yet in this confounding region of the world, that spreading ice may be a cockeyed signal of man-made climate change, scientists say.

US, French physicists share Nobel

MALCOLM RITTER — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

A Frenchman and an American shared the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for inventing methods to peer into the bizarre quantum world of ultra-tiny particles, work that could help in creating a new generation of super-fast computers.

Nobel Prize in medicine given for cell work

MALCOLM RITTER — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

Two scientists from different generations won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for the groundbreaking discovery that cells in the body can be reprogrammed into completely different kinds, work that reflects the mechanism behind cloning and offers an alternative to using embryonic stem cells.

SpaceX launches supply ship

MARCIA DUNN — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 03:00:00 EST

A commercial cargo ship rocketed into orbit Sunday in pursuit of the International Space Station, the first of a dozen supply runs under a mega-contract with NASA.