Science News

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Conditions on Earth during its first 500 million years may have been cool enough to form oceans of water instead of being too hot for life to form.

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Sandia researchers are sharing a four-year, $12 million Department of Energy research contract on the long-term geologic sequestration of carbon. The contract from the department’s Office of Science funds research by the Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security.

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One fundamental challenge of climate change forecasting is how to bridge the gap between global-scale models and local impacts. A new study—the first-of-its kind for the Lake Champlain region —bridges this gap and forecasts that northern Vermont and southern Quebec by 2100 will get eight degrees Fahrenheit hotter; Burlington, Vt., will experience 10 more days in July above 90; and ski resorts will see 50% less snowfall.

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A new study by Florida State University researchers demonstrates a different way of projecting a hurricane’s strength and intensity that could give the public a better idea of a storm’s potential for destruction.

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A study has pinpointed the likely source of most natural gas contamination in drinking-water wells associated with hydraulic fracturing, and it’s not the source many people may have feared.

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A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering have developed a novel approach that could greatly enhance the effectiveness of destroying polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment. They discovered three powerful bacteria from a genus called Dehalococcoides which can degrade PCBs. In addition, the researchers also developed an effective method of culturing these PCB dechlorinators in large quantities to enhance their degradation efficiency.

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Investigator and Scientific Director Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D. and colleagues show that the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, a survivor of ancient jawless vertebrates, exhibits a pattern of gene expression that is reminiscent of its jawed cousins, who evolved much, much later.

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The amount of road dust generated with energy development and its potential impacts are among the questions North Dakota State University researchers are examining in the Bakken region of North Dakota. Five research proposals have been selected to receive seed funding to research the impact of road dust issues in areas of energy development across western North Dakota.

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A nuclear accident has no respect for lines drawn on a map. It becomes the world's problem. But for the most part, emphasis has been on prevention, not response. Until now.

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Researchers are using neutrons to study the formation of these damage-causing bubbles in fuel injectors.

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The Bredesen Center is the beginning of a new way of doing graduate education.

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The Wisconsin State Herbarium, director Kenneth Cameron is spearheading a project to “digitize” images and data on invasive species from the Great Lakes basin. The $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will also be disbursed to other natural history museums. Together, these institutions expect to digitize 1.73 million specimens.

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Two large buoys that are decked out with advanced scientific instruments will help more accurately predict offshore wind’s power-producing potential.

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At a dinner ceremony last night in London, the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) honored H. Frederick Dylla, Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics, for his work advancing scholarly publishing and enhancing public access to research results.

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The University of San Diego today announced the hiring of an interdisciplinary cohort of eight new female science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professors as part of an effort to become a model for undergraduate institutions striving to increase diversity and the number of women in those fields.

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In a recent publication, toxicity in zebrafish larvae was investigated from exposure to mixtures and multiple stressors. Mixtures included exposure to all combinations of four PAHs, with the additional stressor of ultraviolet light leading to phototoxic effects. The results indicated all PAHs were phototoxic and the mixtures mechanism of toxicity was additive. Data were compiled and a predictive toxicity model was developed.

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Ellen Miller didn’t hesitate to pay homage to a rock-and-roll legend when it came time to name a new fossil she surmised had large, sensitive lips.

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In treating cancer, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are two of the best weapons in a doctor’s arsenal. What if you could deliver chemotherapy drugs much faster to a targeted area using radiation?

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The High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, has been designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society.

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Scientists today unveiled what appears to be the first truly semiaquatic dinosaur, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus.

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Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina recently congratulated the community members of Uaxactún, a village in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, for their contributions in conserving the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

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Research with barn owls reveals how the brain decides what it should pay attention to among competing external events.

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The fast and safe technique developed at the Salk Institute circumvents problems that have hindered regenerative medicine.

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Two studies from Christopher Miller's lab at Brandeis University provide new insights into the mechanisms that allow bacteria to resist fluoride toxicity, information that could eventually help inform new strategies for treating harmful bacterial diseases.

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Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics launches the 2014/2015 season of its renowned Public Lecture Series in October with a new twist – live, interactive webcast talks featuring some of the world’s pre-eminent scientists.

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A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society reveals that in India’s human dominated agricultural landscapes, where leopards prowl at night, it’s not livestock that’s primarily on the menu – it is man’s best friend.

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The production and consumption of chemical substances threatening the ozone layer has been regulated since 1987 in the Montreal Protocol. Eight international expert reports have since been published, which examine the current situation and the future of the threat to the ozone layer. Empa scientists made a decisive contribution to the latest report – presented on 10 September at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

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The season of a baby’s birth influences its motor development during its first year of life.