Rare Ili Pika Photographed for the First Time in 20 Years
If ever there was a face that read, "Goddamn it, they found me," this is it. That small, downturned mouth, ever-so-slightly ajar in a moment of panicked contemplation, it really just says it all.
After a Martian Marathon, NASA's Opportunity Rover Faces Uncertain Future
It's been a long time coming, but this week NASA's Mars Opportunity rover completed the first-ever Martian marathon. After landing on the Red Planet in January 2004 on a mission originally planned to only last 90 days, Opportunity has instead endured for more than a decade, and has taken eleven years and two months to [...]
Fact or Fiction?: Dark Matter Killed the Dinosaurs
A new out-of-this-world theory links mass extinctions with exotic astrophysics and galactic architecture
The Science of TED 2015
What I love about the annual TED gathering in Vancouver is the way science coexists along with art, social justice, popular song and the rest of TED's eclectic mix.
Irrational Exuberance: How Will You Celebrate the Pi Day of the Century?
Send us pix of your pies, pizzas and parties in honor of math (and circular baked goods)
Neandertals Turned Eagle Talons into Jewelry 130,000 Years Ago
As longtime readers may have noticed, I have an abiding interest in Neandertals. To help me keep up with the latest scientific insights into these mysterious relatives of ours, I have a Google alert set for "Neandertal" (and the alternate spelling, "Neanderthal").
The Amazing Art of Biologist Ernst Haeckel
If you’re like me, you’ve always wanted Ernst Haeckel in your house. Well, not literally Ernst Haeckel, the great 19th century biologist (although that would be cool, in alive form).
Mass Deaths in Americas Start New CO2 Epoch
A new proposal pegs the start of the Anthropocene to the little ice age and the Columbian Exchange
‘Extinct’ Myanmar Jerdon’s babbler spotted for the first time in 70 years
Hey there, pretty bird. Welcome back. We've missed your jersey caramel colours and big, brown eyes since pretty much forever. What's new with us?
How to Win Friends and Bamboozle People about Climate Change
An illuminating new documentary reveals deliberate efforts to obfuscate global warming
The Big Guns, 1915
Reported in Scientific American, This Week in World War I: March 6, 1915 World War I was an artillery war. Even as new technology—tanks, airplanes, submarines and poison gas—changed the nature of fighting, it was the power of mass manufacturing that had the most profound effect on the conduct of war.
Eiffel Tower Going Green With Two New Wind Turbines
The City of Light’s green makeover touched the iconic Eiffel Tower last week as it ramped up two onsite wind turbines. These turbines are installed inside the tower’s metal scaffolding on the second level, and are painted in the same color to minimize their visual impact on the 126-year-old tower.