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Nuclear repository monitored for radiationFeb 16, 2014 12:00 AM
The U.S. Department of Energy says personnel are on-site Saturday to assess what officials are calling a “possible radiological event” at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Ancient dog burial site found in Mexico CityFeb 15, 2014 12:00 AM
Archaeologist Antonio Zamora, who works at the excavation site, said a biologist told the team the remains belonged to medium-sized dogs with full sets of teeth, likely common dogs.Aztecs kept pets Techichi dogs, a breed with short legs believed to be an ancestor of the Chihuahua dog, and Xoloitzcuintlis, whose remains can be identified because of the loss of some of their teeth during adult age.
Mystery of 'jelly doughnut' Martian rock solved Feb 14, 2014 12:00 AM
Scientists have solved the mystery of the “jelly doughnut” rock on Mars that appeared to come out of nowhere.
Future scientists visit Fermi for Family Open House Day Feb 9, 2014 12:00 AM
More than 2,000 children and families learned about physics and other science concepts Sunday afternoon at the annual hands-on Family Open House at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia. The event included ask-a-scientist sessions, tours of the U.S. Department of Energy laboratory and booths with experiments on topics including magnets, air pressure, Newton’s laws and friction.
Lego robot competition commences in Arlington Hts. Feb 6, 2014 12:00 AM
Teams of elementary and middle school students from around the suburbs competed Saturday for the Illinois First Lego League’s Northern Illinois title Saturday at the Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights. The teams, 62 in all, design, build and program an autonomous robot using Lego Mindstorms technology to create innovative solutions to problems facing today’s scientists.
Bill Nye defends evolution in debate Feb 4, 2014 12:00 AM
Chicago science museum free for kids in February Jan 30, 2014 12:00 AM
Texas drops algebra II mandate Jan 26, 2014 12:00 AM
The state that started a trend by making high school students tackle algebra II is now abandoning the policy in a move praise by school districts for affording more flexibility. But some policy experts are nervous because nearly 20 states have followed Texas’ lead in requiring the vigorous course.
New river dolphin species found in Brazil Jan 25, 2014 12:00 AM
“The Araguaia dolphin is very similar to its Amazon river cousin although somewhat smaller and with fewer teeth,” bilogist Tom Hrbek said. He added that there were about 1,000 “Inia araguaiaensis” dolphins living in the 1,630-mile river.
British Museum: Prototype for Noah’s Ark was round Jan 24, 2014 12:00 AM
The tablet records a Mesopotamian god’s instructions for building a giant vessel — two-thirds the size of a soccer field in area — made of rope, reinforced with wooden ribs and coated in bitumen.
Study: New Madrid fault zone alive and active Jan 23, 2014 12:00 AM
The New Madrid fault zone in the nation’s midsection is active and could spawn future large earthquakes, scientists reported Thursday. It’s “not dead yet,” said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough, who was part of the study published online by the journal Science.
Arlington Hts. Science Olympiad a place for kids to belong Jan 18, 2014 12:00 AM
South Middle School students Patrick Shalton and Derek Prusener have one clear goal in mind for this year — making the Science Olympiad nationals. The 8th graders are co-captains of South’s Science Olympiad varsity team, which took third place in the state for the last three years. Only the top two in state make it to nationals, which this year will be in May in Florida.
Kill a black rhino to save a black rhino? Jan 12, 2014 12:00 AM
Jim and Lauren Riese traveled with their children from Atlanta to protest the auction of the rare black rhino hunting permit in Dallas. Ries said it was his son Carter, 12, and daughter Olivia, 11, who pushed for them to go and participate.
N.Y. governor takes careful step on medical marijuana Jan 11, 2014 12:00 AM
Under Cuomo's plan, people with cancer, glaucoma and possibly some other “life-threatening or sense-threatening” conditions could seek to get marijuana through studies based at hospitals yet to be named, with “stringent research protocols and eligibility requirements.” His initiative bypasses a state Legislature that has declined to pass more ambitious medical marijuana laws. He’s relying instead on his administrative powers to carry out a 1980 law allowing medical-marijuana research.
Virgin Galactic spaceship makes successful flight Jan 10, 2014 12:00 AM
The company says the reusable space vehicle was carried by airplane to 46,000 feet Friday and then released. The craft used its rocket motor the rest of the way to reach its highest altitude to date.
Long shots: Galaxies from 13.2 billion years ago Jan 7, 2014 12:00 AM
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured snapshots of never-before seen galaxies far, far away. Try 13.2 billion years ago. That’s so long ago and far away that Hubble was never supposed to see these clusters of baby stars.
Mars rover photographs featured at Smithsonian Jan 7, 2014 12:00 AM
Ten years after NASA landed two rovers on Mars for a 90-day mission, one is still exploring, and the project has generated hundreds of thousands of images from the planet’s surface. Now the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is presenting more than 50 of the best photographs from the two rovers known as Spirit and Opportunity in an art exhibit curated by the scientists who have led the ongoing mission.
U.S. war on smoking started 50 years ago Jan 4, 2014 12:00 AM
The turning point came on Jan. 11, 1964. It was on that Saturday morning that U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released an emphatic and authoritative report that said smoking causes illness and death — and the government should do something about it.In the decades that followed, warning labels were put on cigarette packs, cigarette commercials were banned, taxes were raised and new restrictions were placed on where people could light up.
New study sheds light on meat, mummies in ancient tombs Dec 29, 2013 12:00 AM
So you’ve gone through all the trouble of mummifying a loved one. You’ve hired embalmers to remove her organs, treat her body with a precise mixture of oils and balms, and carefully wrap her in bandages. You’ve spared no expense on a lavish tomb, beautifully decorated and stuffed with riches. You’ve even mummified her pets, all to make sure she will fully enjoy her afterlife. There’s just one last question: What is your beloved mummy going to eat for the rest of eternity? For some ancient Egyptians, the answer included meat.
Otters make major comeback in Illinois Dec 25, 2013 12:00 AM
Illinois’ largest member of the weasel family has made one of the biggest comebacks in the state’s endangered species history. Their ranks have gone from only 100 in pockets of extreme southern and western Illinois in the late 1970s to 15,000-plus statewide today.