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Beekeeper to share expertise in Crystal Lake Mar 1, 2013 12:00 AM
Doug Hawthorne, vice president of the Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association, will be speak at the next meeting of Green Drinks McHenry County. It will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 at Duke’s Alehouse & Kitchen in Crystal Lake.
SpaceX working to fix capsule’s thrusters Mar 1, 2013 12:00 AM
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said three of the four sets of thrusters on the company’s unmanned Dragon capsule did not immediately kick in, delaying the release of the solar panels. Dragon’s twin solar wings swung open two hours later than planned as SpaceX worked to bring up the idled thrusters and keep the capsule on track for a planned Saturday arrival at the space station.
Fermilab theorist: ‘God particle’ could end our universe Feb 28, 2013 12:00 AM
Everybody was happy last year when news broke that scientists think they have found the "God particle," the Higgs boson, an building block of matter. But studying its properties, a Fermilab-based theorist says the little things may lead to the end of the universe. But don’t become apoplectic about the approaching apocalypse — it will happen billions of years from now, says Joe Lykken.
Tycoon wants to send married couple on Mars flyby Feb 27, 2013 12:00 AM
It will be a stripped-down mission when it comes to automation and complexity, meaning the couple will have to fix things on the fly like TV’s MacGyver and do more piloting than on NASA vehicles, said chief medical officer Jonathan Clark.
Black holes in galaxies rotate really fast, study finds Feb 27, 2013 12:00 AM
There’s a new spin on supermassive black holes: They’re incredibly fast, astronomers say. They calculated its spin at close to the speed of light — 670 million mph.
Argonne scientist moonlights as 'Breaking Bad' actorFeb 26, 2013 12:00 AM
He's spent years contributing to important, high-level science projects — helping make nuclear power safer and improving the durability of energy products. Yet, what's made Argonne National Laboratory scientist Marius Stan famous is his side job — a small, recurring role as Romanian car wash owner Bogdan Wolynetz on "AMC's “Breaking Bad” — and his eyebrows.
DNA privacy gets first Supreme Court test Feb 23, 2013 12:00 AM
Privacy advocates say there are more effective ways to get DNA to solve crimes that don't raise constitutional concerns.
Zoo institute seeks to better engage youth Feb 22, 2013 12:00 AM
A new educational institute at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is launching several initiatives to better engage young people in science learning.
Six Hanford nuclear tanks leaking Feb 22, 2013 12:00 AM
Six underground tanks that hold a brew of radioactive and toxic waste at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site are leaking, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday.
Study: Asian carp DNA may not signal live fish Feb 20, 2013 12:00 AM
Live Asian carp don't necessarily have to be present for their DNA to turn up in the environment, according to a government study released Wednesday that could intensify the debate over how to prevent the aggressive, hungry invaders from reaching the Great Lakes and other vulnerable waters.
Armageddon not in the stars as UN takes aim at asteroids Feb 16, 2013 12:00 AM
For an anxious world suddenly attuned to the risks from asteroids, a reassuring message is coming from Vienna: Don’t worry, earthlings, the United Nations is on the job. On the same day an asteroid half the size of a U.S. football field passed within an astronomical hair’s breadth of Earth, a working group at the UN is wrapping up its 12-year effort on an emergency plan against such threats from space.
Cuba, California report possible meteor explosions Feb 16, 2013 12:00 AM
Cuba apparently experienced a phenomenon similar to but smaller than the meteorite that detonated over Russia this week, island media reported, with startled residents describing a bright light in the sky and a loud explosion that shook windows and walls. Also Friday, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area reported seeing a fireball in the sky that scientists said was likely a piece of space rock.
Hanford nuclear tank is leaking Feb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
The tanks hold millions of gallons of a highly radioactive stew left from decades of plutonium production for nuclear weapons.
WARNING SHOTS: Two space rocks hours apart Feb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Scientists believe there are anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million “near-Earth” asteroids comparable in size to DA14 or bigger out there. But less than 1 percent have actually been spotted. Astronomers have catalogued only 9,600 of them, of which nearly 1,300 are bigger than 0.6 miles.
Meteor explodes over Russia, nearly 1,000 injured Feb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia’s Ural Mountains with the power of an atomic bomb Friday, its sonic blasts shattering countless windows and injuring nearly 1,000 people. Many of the injured were cut by flying glass as they flocked to windows to see what the source was for such an intense flash of light. The meteor — estimated to be about 10 tons — entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a hypersonic speed of at least 33,000 mph and shattered into pieces about 18-32 miles above the ground.
New Yorkers react to mayor’s push to ban plastic foam Feb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking Friday morning on WOR radio, touted both the environmental and economic benefits of banning polystyrene foam.
Russian meteor nothing like prehistoric Des Plaines meteor Feb 15, 2013 12:00 AM
As Russians try to learn more about the meteor that showered a border region with fiery rock on Friday, local residents may be surprised to know that the suburbs have experienced their share of astronomical trauma — in the form of a meteor that left a 5-mile-wide crater and likely wiped out all life for miles around.
New documentary explains why Fermilab is still relevant Feb 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Fermilab explains itself, through the eyes of its scientists, in a new documentary about the particle-physics laboratory. "The process (of discovery) is just as much fun, maybe more fun, than the 'Eureka!' moment," says physicist Bonnie Fleming.
Astronaut aboard space station ‘visits’ Naperville school Feb 13, 2013 12:00 AM
Orbiting about 250 miles above Earth, NASA astronaut Kevin Ford spends his days working with a crew studying potential cures for osteoporosis. But he's longing for a golf range and a meal that doesn't come in a ready-to-eat package. Ford, currently the commander of the International Space Station's Expedition 34 six-person crew, spoke to several dozen St. Raphael Catholic School students Tuesday afternoon via a live video feed.
Curiosity rover the first to drill into Martian rock Feb 9, 2013 12:00 AM