Science
Meteor shower to light up night sky on Thursday
Starting at 9 p.m. on Thursday, skywatchers under a dark sky in the countryside should be able to see about 100 to 120 shooting stars each hour. The show will be bright enough that even those in the suburbs should be able to see about a dozen meteors per hour if they can find an area free of bright lights.
A look at California's very high 'king tides'
Seawater floods highways and low-lying communities near California beaches. The cause: so-called "king tides" pulling the Pacific Ocean farther ashore than normal.
Huge DNA code of the Christmas tree being revealed
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.
Sit back and enjoy the meteor shower
Geoff Chester, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Naval Observatory
Chilean town shaken by reminders of deadly quake
One jolt hit in the middle of the night. Another caught fishermen at a nearby beach. Then the ground shook at supper. And then again, and again: More than 170 tremors were felt in Navidad in just five weeks. The strongest struck during a funeral, and sent panicked mourners fleeing into the street.
EPA finds contamination at former rocket test site
Lingering radioactive contamination exists at a former rocket test lab outside of Los Angeles that was the site of a partial nuclear meltdown, federal environmental regulators said Wednesday.
Cheese first made at least 7,500 years ago
Little Miss Muffet could have been separating her curds and whey 7,500 years ago, according to a new study that finds the earliest solid evidence of cheese-making.
NOAA chief says she will leave in February
The woman who was a key figure in the federal government's response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 said Wednesday she will leave her post at the end of February.
Why do we believe in the luck of 12-12-12?
Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine and author of "The Believing Brain"
Distant galaxy regains title as oldest in universe
A galaxy once considered the oldest has reclaimed its title, scientists reported Wednesday.
Scientists seek to solve mystery of Piltdown Man
It was an archaeological hoax that fooled scientists for decades. A century on, researchers are determined to find out who was responsible for Piltdown Man, the missing link that never was.
Air Force sends mystery mini-shuttle back to space
The military's small, top-secret version of the space shuttle rocketed into orbit Tuesday for a repeat mystery mission, two years after making the first flight of its kind.
Environmental groups launch Southeast coal ash map
Four years after a massive coal ash spill in East Tennessee, environmental conservation groups have launched an interactive website and map that shows the location and hazard risks for coal ash sites at 100 power plants throughout the Southeast.
Hawking, CERN scientists win huge physics prize
A Russian billionaire's foundation is awarding two special prizes of $3 million each to British cosmologist Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes and to seven scientists at the world's biggest atom-smasher for their roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-sought Higgs boson.
Alan Alda asks scientists to explain: What's time?
Professor Alan Alda has a homework assignment for scientists. Yes, that Alan Alda.
Energy experts say drilling can be made cleaner
In the Colorado mountains, a spike in air pollution has been linked to a boom in oil and gas drilling. About 800 miles away on the plains of north Texas, there's a drilling boom, too, but some air pollution levels have declined. Opponents of drilling point to Colorado and say it's dangerous. Companies point to Texas and say drilling is safe.
UN climate talks in Qatar boost Gulf awareness
Holding a high-profile U.N. climate change conference in Qatar, smack in the middle of the region that produces so much of the fossil fuel blamed for global warming, was a gamble. In the end, it displayed the hosts' drive for a leading place on the world stage and evoked a surprising new regional awareness of the environmental crisis.
Kazakhstan mulls ending Russia's cosmodrome lease
The head of Kazakhstan's space agency said Monday that Russia's lease of a launch facility in the Central Asian nation, the only site worldwide currently being used to get astronauts to the International Space Station, may be suspended.
British astronomer Patrick Moore dies at 89
British astronomer and broadcaster Patrick Moore died Sunday, according to friends and colleagues. He was 89.
UN conference adopts extension of Kyoto accord
Seeking to control global warming, nearly 200 countries agreed Saturday to extend the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, but will only cover about 15 percent of global emissions.
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