Science & Environment

Digging Wonderland

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:00 GMT

After about two months of Martian days on the surface, NASAs Phoenix robotic lander is well down the road to completing several important aspects of its mission.

Sniffing Out a Cure for Parkinsons?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

A decade has passed since James Thomson first showed how embryonic stem cells could be cultured under laboratory conditions. Long known for their embryonic potential-the stem cells ability to grow and differentiate into a complete human being-the cells healing and regenerative potential quickly came to the forefront of investigators interest around the world. If new stem cells could be grown in the lab, could a patients cells be cloned and used to replace or repair his degenerative disease like Parkinsons?

Relativity Check

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

More than a century has passed since the publication of Albert Einsteins first papers on relativity and the structure of the universe. As we look back, we may marvel at how much we once did not know; more challenging, though, is to contemplate what has yet to be revealed.

Are We in Need of a Neuromorality?

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Armed with an array of tools that sound like an intergalactic arsenal straight from Star Wars, modern neuroscientists are increasingly well equipped for forays to the frontiers of the human brain. Through the use of positron emission tomography (PET), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neurotechnology is probing the brain with increasing precision and positing biological explanations for human behavior.

Neurogenesis - Changing Your Mind

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

During most of the 20th century, leading scientists theorized that brain cells did not divide like other cells in the body. It was generally understood that neurons could not be added to the brain after earliest childhood. A respected proponent of this theory was Pasko Rakic, chairman of the Neurobiology Department at Yale University, whose research in the early 1980s concluded that no new neurons were being formed in the brains of adult primates. However, in light of recent research, many neuroscientists (including Rakic) have had, shall we say, a change of mind.

The Flight of the Phoenix

Wed, 28 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Phoenix settled on an arctic plain called Vastitas Borealis, comparable in latitude to central Greenland or northern Alaska. In the Martian permafrost the mission will look for evidence of organic molecules and the history of a habitable environment in the planets past.

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Sat, 10 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

How much would you pay to know what thoughts are swimming around in someone elses head? And if you could really know their truthfulness how much more would you pay?

Before and After Earth Day

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Today, events such as Earth Day and the combined international efforts to complete and man the ISS are offshoots of the original cooperative Sputnik mission of 1957.

Special Report - Earth Day 2008

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Earth Day, often thought to be the most widely celebrated secular holiday, is an internationally recognized opportunity to foster a sense of human responsibility for earth science and the environment. Though there are differing opinions about who actually founded Earth Day and when it should be celebrated, much of the worlds Earth Day activity focuses on March 22 every year.

Revisiting the State of the Planet

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Vision reports on the State of the Planet Conference at Columbia University in New York, March 27-28, 2008.