Articles filed under Science

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SpaceX supply ship arrives at space station with groceries Jan 12, 2015 12:06 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX supply ship arrives at space station with groceries, belated Christmas presents
China plan for unmanned moon landing, Earth return advances Jan 11, 2015 1:06 AM
The Associated Press China's plan to land unmanned craft on moon, return to Earth advances another step
SpaceX launches for NASA, no luck with rocket landing at sea Jan 10, 2015 5:06 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX launches station supplies for NASA, 'close but no cigar' with rocket landing at sea
SpaceX tries again to launch station supplies, land rocket Jan 9, 2015 5:06 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX takes 2nd shot at launching supplies to space station, landing rocket on ocean barge
SpaceX tries again to launch station supplies, land rocket Jan 9, 2015 1:06 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX takes 2nd shot at launching supplies to space station, landing rocket on ocean barge
Cold comfort: US weather in 2014 not too hot, disastrous Jan 8, 2015 1:06 PM
BY SETH BORENSTEIN As globe pushed toward record heat in 2014, US only 34th warmest on record, not as disastrous
Self-taught computer program finds super poker strategy Jan 8, 2015 4:06 PM
By MALCOLM RITTER Well-played: Self-taught computer program devises nearly optimal strategy for version of poker
Opportunity rover takes in view from top of Martian hill Jan 7, 2015 5:37 PM
The Associated Press NASA's Opportunity rover summits Martian hill as engineers troubleshoot memory problem
2nd launch try for space station delivery set for Saturday Jan 7, 2015 3:02 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX to try again Saturday to launch space station supplies, land booster rocket on platform
SpaceX calls off launch to space station at last minute Jan 6, 2015 7:09 AM
By Marcia Dunn SpaceX called off its planned flight to the International Space Station on Tuesday because of rocket trouble. The unmanned Falcon rocket was supposed to blast off before sunrise. But the countdown was halted with just over a minute remaining. The soonest SpaceX can try again is Friday morning, provided it can fix the problem by then.
Astronomers to Earth: You've got some newly found near-twins Jan 6, 2015 1:50 PM
By SETH BORENSTEIN NASA spots more planets out of solar system that may be like Earth; right size, temperature
Rocket problem postpones SpaceX launch to space station Jan 6, 2015 12:36 PM
By MARCIA DUNN SpaceX calls off launch to space station at last minute, unprecedented rocket landing on hold
Scientists seek a better Christmas tree Dec 26, 2014 4:03 PM
By Malcolm Ritter Consumers consistently cite messiness as one of the most common reasons they don’t have a real tree, says the National Christmas Tree Association.Keeping a tree well-watered goes a long way toward minimizing the needle problem. But beyond that, scientists are trying to find ways to make trees less messy and keep them fresh through the holidays.
Air Force admits nuke flaws, but will fixes work? Dec 20, 2014 3:21 PM
By Robert Burns “I go about most of my days wishing I was in another place, in another Air Force field,” the officer said, according to a copy of investigation testimony provided in September and obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
FishBrain’s algorithm reveals anglers’ path to glory Dec 13, 2014 7:42 AM
By Katarina Gustafsson The sport of fishing may be about to experience its biggest revolution since the 1920s, thanks to an app developed by Swedish startup FishBrain. Relying on the average piscator’s impulse to brag about a catch, FishBrain uses shared photos of fish to generate big data. The company says it’s now logged enough data to predict when and where fish will bite. Recreational fishing is one of the world’s most practiced hobbies. In the U.S., anglers spend $48 billion annually on bait, tackle, gear and trips, according to the American Sportfishing Association. That’s more than three times as much as global recorded music sales, which were $15 billion last year, according to trade body IFPI. “Building a bigger user base is the key focus for 2015,” FishBrain’s Chief Executive Officer Johan Attby, 40, said in an interview in Stockholm. “The goal is to become the first-choice app for anglers worldwide.” The social network is introducing an algorithm to forecast when and where to drop a line for a particular species, based on the 225,000 catches users have logged. The big-data version of the app became available on Android last week and on iOS this week. Niched social networks are attracting investor appetite. Strava Inc., an online community for running and cycling, in October raised $18.5 million from investors including Sequoia Capital. Attby, who is more into bicycles than fish, said his idea was to find a community with many potential users. Combining a specialized social network with big data, Attby hopes to beat the solunar theory — a method proposed in 1926 that’s still popular today — in predicting when fish will strike. FishBrain’s app gathers a range of automatic data such as wind speed and water temperature while users log data on their catch and the equipment used to land it. Algorithms then predict where to find nine species, including northern pike, largemouth bass and spotted sea trout. The company, which was founded in 2011 and introduced its app last year, now has 650,000 users of which over two-thirds are in the U.S., where it dominates the market. FishBrain relies on word-of-mouth and Facebook ads for marketing, has raised about $3.5 million, and plans to take in more capital next year. Future updates may offer users gear, bait and fishing permits in the app through affiliates. The company now employs 12 people, a number Attby predicts will grow to about 100 in a year or two. Attby’s FishBrain feed is full of anglers showing off their latest catch and sharing tips. To encourage users to log aquatic trophies, the app keeps track on records for different waters so that a user with the biggest specimen of a particular fish gets named “King of the Water.” Users can also opt to hide details about a catch if they wish. Luckily for Attby, anglers like to share stories. “The best proof is to check on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to see how anglers boast.”
NASA: ‘There’s your new spacecraft, America!” Dec 5, 2014 11:50 AM
By MARCIA DUNN NASA’s new Orion spacecraft made a “bull’s-eye” splashdown in the Pacific on Friday following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith of 3,604 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars. The unmanned test flight ended 4½ hours after it began and achieved at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.
NASA scrubs Orion launch; will try again Friday Dec 4, 2014 5:38 PM
By MARCIA DUNN NASA’s new Orion spacecraft will have to wait another day to fly. Wind gusts and a sticky rocket valve forced the Cape Canaveral launch team to call off Thursday’s attempt to send Orion into orbit on its first-ever test flight. NASA promised to try again Friday.
Hotter, weirder: How climate has changed Earth Dec 2, 2014 10:45 AM
By SETH BORENSTEIN In the more than two decades since world leaders first got together to try to solve global warming, life on Earth has changed, not just the climate. The numbers are stark. Carbon dioxide emissions: up 60 percent. Global temperature: up six-tenths of a degree. Population: up 1.7 billion people. Sea level: up 3 inches. U.S. extreme weather: up 30 percent. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica: down 4.9 trillion tons of ice.
Exercise in a bottle is next food frontier for Nestle Nov 30, 2014 7:00 AM
By Corinne Gretler The world’s biggest food company, known for KitKat candy bars and Nespresso capsules, says it has identified how an enzyme in charge of regulating metabolism can be stimulated by a compound called C13, a potential first step in developing a way to mimic the fat-burning effect of exercise. The findings were published in the science journal Chemistry & Biology in July.
Windfarms risk being blown away as Austrailia’s Abbott lauds coal Nov 30, 2014 7:42 AM
By Jason Scott Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who enjoys the backing of the mining industry, plans to slash support for alternative energy that’s helped pump $17.2 billion into renewables, including the windfarms that Treasurer Joe Hockey called “appalling” and “utterly offensive.”