Stories by Saswato R. Das

Newfound Material on the Moon Could Offer Clues to Our Planet's Early Years

A spacecraft has uncovered in lunar soil some traces of Earth’s ancient atmosphere that were key to the development of complex life

August 29, 2017 — Saswato R. Das

The Sciences

How the Higgs Boson Might Spell Doom for the Universe

Under the simplest assumptions, the measured mass of the Higgs could mean the universe is unstable and destined to fall apart. But don’t worry—it won’t happen for billions of eons

March 26, 2013 — Saswato R. Das

Tech

Short-Circuiting Civilization: Predicting the Disruptive Potential of a Solar Storm Is More Art Than Science

New findings that improve predictions still fall short of giving humanity a head's up on the havoc a solar storm might wreak on Earth

August 23, 2012 — Saswato R. Das

Space

How the U.S. Accidentally Nuked Its Own Communications Satellite

Fifty years ago AT&T launched Telstar 1, the first commercial communications satellite, right into the middle of a radiation storm produced by a nuclear test

July 11, 2012 — Saswato R. Das

Mind

Head Start: Scientists Trace a Wiring Plan for Entire Mouse Brain

The first images from a rodent research project that has set out to map the whole mouse brain are now publicly available

June 20, 2012 — Saswato R. Das

Tech

Frugal Innovation: India Plans to Distribute Low-Cost Handheld Computers to Students

The Indian government says its prototype tablet computer will cost only $35, but past attempts at building inexpensive PCs have fallen short

September 28, 2010 — Saswato R. Das

Space

Mercury Rising: MESSENGER Reveals Volcanism, Magnetic Storms and a Complex Exosphere on the Solar System's Smallest Planet

NASA's MESSENGER probe has not even orbited Mercury yet, but it has already changed the prevailing view of the innermost planet as a dead, static world

August 4, 2010 — Saswato R. Das

Space

An Astronomer's Astronomer: Kepler's Revolutionary Achievements in 1609 Rival Galileo's

The International Year of Astronomy marks the 400th anniversary of German astronomer Johannes Kepler's breakthroughs as well as those of his better-known Italian contemporary

October 20, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Sustainability

Oil Rig of the Future: A Solar Panel That Produces Oil

Researchers propose a novel approach to producing biofuel using diatoms

September 17, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

The Sciences

Watching the Longest Total Solar Eclipse of the 21st Century

A firsthand report from India on the excitement, superstition and scientific study generated by today's historic event

July 22, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Space

The Moon Landing through Soviet Eyes: A Q&A with Sergei Khrushchev, son of former premier Nikita Khrushchev

A son of the Cold War tells what it was like from the losing side of the Space Race--and how the U.S.S.R.'s space program fizzled after Sputnik and Gagarin

July 16, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Space

10 Telescopes That Changed Our View of the Universe [Slide Show]

Historic telescopes through the ages, from Galileo to the 21st century

July 14, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Space

Space Show Takes Viewers on a Stellar Journey

The American Museum of Natural History's new movie focuses on what the stars have wrought

July 3, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Sustainability

[Slide Show] "Smart" Bridges Harness Technology to Stay Safe

Engineers are deploying sensors to monitor the condition of some of the world's most famous bridges

June 17, 2009 — Saswato R. Das

Tech

The Rise of Optical Switching

Replacing electronic switches with purely optical ones will become the technological linchpin for networks that transmit trillions of bits each second

January 1, 2001 — C. Randy Giles, David J. Bishop and Saswato R. Das

Why We Need Our Zzzs