A census from the Wildlife Conservation Society has found the motherload of gorillas in the Republic of Congo, showing protections are working and populations are better than expected.
Female gorillas produce on the average one baby in intervals of about five years
Credit: Thomas Breuer
Natalie Angier’s article on how smell triggers memories explains why I think of grandma’s house every time I smell natural gas burning, and it also has a cool experiment to try using a bag of flavored jelly beans.
I dunno, but maybe gas prices are so high because Exxon Mobil makes $1,485 a second.
September 10!!! The sub-atomic rumble!!! As the LHC Starts Up!!!! Be There! BE THERE!! BE THERE!!!
Quasicrystals lack long range order, like aluminum and teflon, but do have repeating patterns, making them extremely complex for scientists to understand. Now researchers have modeled one using plastic beads.
Quasicrystal
Lactate acid doesn’t cause sore muscles, older athletes redefining aging, and a lack of an “athletic gene” are just some suggestions for science stories for the Olympics.
There’s an ocean of air above our heads, and the emerging science of aeroecology studies the organisms and environment that exists within it.
“Astronomers now know that Zodiacal light represents reflected sunlight shining on scattered space debris clustered most densely near the sun,” thanks to Queen guitarist Brian May, who published his doctoral thesis recently.
The Lomatia tasmanica is a plant that has cloned itself for 43,000 years, making it vulnerable to threats, which is why environmentalists are asking for help to expand its population.
Lomatia tasmanica
Credit: Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
We have mosquitoes to thank (in part) for defending the forests we have today from over-development by humans.
People who live in older towns have lower rates of obesity, because such places were designed with walking in mind.
Soon you will be able to own a jetpack that gets 30 minutes of flight time for $100,000. I’ll be adding this to my Amazon wishlist if anyone’s thinking Winter Solstice presents for me.
Talking to people with Alzheimer’s as if they were children causes them to become resistant because they are adults trying to maintain their adult identities.
Female fruit flies mate with many males, storing the sperm in specialized organs. This causes rapid evolution of sperm proteins, which must compete to fertilize the eggs.
A new study provides insight as to why poor people play the lottery more than other demographics, mostly because they feel it’s their only chance to rise economically.
Skeptical Hmmmmm… at this study showing meditation slows HIV progression, but will have to wait for a real scientists to critique it.
Young scientists looking to study evolution in the field should check out Canyon bacteria as those living on either side have adapted to slightly different environments in different ways.
The Bush administration is proposing a fire sale on the Rocky Mountains to get at the oil-shale there, but oil companies don’t have the tech to get it yet.
The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory is working on smart electric grids in preparation for the imminent electric car revolution’s effect on the power grid.
One in five people is so distracted with technology that it is impacting their lives, which carries grave ramifications for… excuse me, I’ve just received a new tweet.
There are so many times I could have used this feature, Google Maps has added walking directions, but I doubt they’ll give you the shortcut through your neighbor’s backyard.
An archeologist has found up to 450 possible archaeological sites on Google Earth in countries he couldn’t go to personally for security reasons.
Citadel of Bust in Registan
Credit: Google Earth
Britian’s Office of Communication has reported that the documentary The Great Global Warming Swindlemisrepresented Global Warming scientists and took their statements out of context.
A few of the psychology tricks retailers use to get us to buy their products, like putting “50% Off” signs on overpriced stuff.
Seven best Old Growth Forests National Parks, one’s named after John Muir!
Scientists for Better PCR (wikipedia PCR Entry to help get the joke (I didn’t get it at first… still don’t)):
