Space
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
Stories by 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Sustainability
Oil Rig of the Future: A Solar Panel That Produces Oil
Researchers propose a novel approach to producing biofuel using diatoms
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
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
Space
10 Telescopes That Changed Our View of the Universe [Slide Show]
Historic telescopes through the ages, from Galileo to the 21st century
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
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
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
