Space & PhysicsJuly 21, 2011
Space Shuttle Era Ends with Safe Landing of Atlantis
Stories by John Matson
John Matson is a former reporter and editor for Scientific American who has written extensively about astronomy and physics.
Space & PhysicsJuly 20, 2011
Space Shuttle Atlantis Closes In on Historic Final Landing
The SciencesJuly 12, 2011
Teenage Cancer Researcher Wins Top Prize at Google Science Fair
Shree Bose of Fort Worth, Tex., won a $50,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos
The SciencesJuly 11, 2011
Down to the Final 15 at the First-Ever Google Science Fair
Fifteen student finalists from across the globe, selected from thousands of entrants, were flown to Google headquarters to compete for the grand prize
EnvironmentJuly 9, 2011
Experts Skeptical about Potential of Rare Earth Elements in Seafloor Mud
A newly discovered reservoir of rare earths, which are needed for high-tech, automotive and renewable energy applications, may remain on the ocean floor for some time
Space & PhysicsJuly 7, 2011
Threat of James Webb Space Telescope Cancellation Rattles Astronomy Community
Space & PhysicsJuly 7, 2011
Supernovae Seed Galaxies with Massive Amounts of Dust
A supernova that went off in 1987 produced large quantities of dust, which may explain why galaxies in the early universe were so dusty
Space & PhysicsJuly 6, 2011
The Story of the Space Shuttle [Time Line]
A visual history of the space shuttle program, spanning nearly four decades
Space & PhysicsJuly 5, 2011
Why Does the Space Shuttle Launch Countdown Have So Many Stops and Starts?
In countdown-clock time, 43 hours really means 70 hours
Space & PhysicsJuly 1, 2011
International Particle of Mystery
Dark matter escapes its dragnet once again—or does it?
The SciencesJune 30, 2011
Flake Effect: Airplanes Can Trigger Snowfall around Airports
Planes lifting off through a specific kind of cloud cover can inadvertently increase snowfall below
Space & PhysicsJune 29, 2011
Brilliant, but Distant: Most Far-Flung Known Quasar Offers Glimpse into Early Universe
A gargantuan black hole has been spotted voraciously devouring material just 770 million years after the big bang
The SciencesJune 28, 2011
New Mexico Wildfire Remains a Threat to Los Alamos National Laboratory
Mind & BrainJune 27, 2011
Legacy of Mental Health Problems from Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Will Be Long-Lived
Service members returning from combat present a long-term treatment challenge
Space & PhysicsJune 27, 2011
Newfound Asteroid to Zip Past Earth Today
Space & PhysicsJune 22, 2011
Turf and Surf: Salty Plumes Point to Underground Ocean inside Saturn's Moon Enceladus
The Cassini spacecraft plunged through watery plumes shooting out of Enceladus and got a taste of what is inside the icy moon
EvolutionJune 21, 2011
Unwanted Housemates: Dishwashers Provide Habitat for "Extremotolerant" Fungi
EvolutionJune 18, 2011
Fact or Fiction: Do Babies Resemble Their Fathers More Than Their Mothers?
Recent studies do not support the claim of an enhanced resemblance between fathers and their young offspring
Space & PhysicsJune 17, 2011
The Hole Picture: Growth of Black Holes and Galaxies Linked from an Early Age
By one billion years after the big bang, galaxies and their resident black holes were already growing in tandem
The SciencesJune 13, 2011
Green Fluorescent Protein Makes for Living Lasers
A single mammalian cell expressing a mutant green fluorescent protein is the first living object to be used as a laser
Space & PhysicsJune 8, 2011
Shattered Expectations: Ultrabright Supernovae Defy Explanation
A rare, superluminous kind of stellar explosion does not fit into the usual supernova categories
The SciencesJune 7, 2011
Two New Superheavy Chemical Elements Formally Recognized
Space & PhysicsJune 6, 2011
Mass Arrest: Jupiter's Early Migration Could Explain Mars's Small Size
The wandering orbit of Jupiter at the dawn of the solar system may have had wide-ranging effects
The SciencesJune 5, 2011
Stick Up: Antimatter Atoms Trapped for More Than 15 Minutes
CERN physicists have forced flighty atoms of antihydrogen to stick around, potentially affording a better look at how antimatter behaves