Topic: Sciences

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Golden Gate Bridge 75th anniversary: Take a knowledge challenge

The bridge that some experts once thought could never be built – San Francisco’s Golden Gate – on Sunday officially celebrates 75 years since its opening. How much do you know of the bridge’s story?
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
10 best books of May, according to Amazon

Amazon's editors picked these 10 books as the best for the month.
Top 5 ways to save on your summer vacation

If you're pining for a summer vacation but worried about costs, consider how Wayne and Pat Dunlap of Del Mar, Calif., managed to tour 51 countries over two years, marvel at the Egyptian pyramids, scale a New Zealand glacier, and visit Laotian Buddhist monks all for less than $100 a day. "We often stayed at guesthouses and hostels, ate at local family restaurants, took public transportation, and in some cases, traveled on cruise ships offering reduced rates," says Mr. Dunlap, author of the travel book "Plan Your Escape." This year amid price worries and higher summer airfares, especially to Europe such ingenuity could prove essential. Here are five cost-cutting strategies that can help:
10 best Avengers of all time

Many Avengers have come and gone over the years. But, in my opinion, here are the 10 best.

All Content

Consumer Energy Report
Oil subsidies: Surprise! Liberals are fans, too.

When asked if the federal government should eliminate subsidies for oil companies, most would respond with a resounding 'yes.' But such a policy would have unwelcome unintended consequences, and not just for billionaire oil tycoons.
Voracious kudzu bugs spread across South. Are they boon or bane?

The nubbin-sized Japanese invader arrived on American shores somewhere near Atlanta in 2009. Today it’s eating pesky kudzu across at least three states. Unfortunately, it’s chowing on soybean crops, too.
Reader recommendation: Radioactivity

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Decoding tomato DNA: Genetics could yield sweeter fruit

Knowing the genetic sequence of one tomato can help seed companies and plant breeders get a grasp on what makes different varieties, like heirloom tomatoes, different from the generic grocery tomato.
Transit of Venus: Early 'tape measure' for size of our solar system (+video)

The next transit of Venus occurs June 5. Astronomers once used the transit of Venus across the sun to come up with the 'astronomical unit' – the distance from Earth to our sun.
Venus to have its final day in the sun for the 21st century

The planet Venus is due to pass in front of the sun on June 5th and 6th. It won't do so again until 2117.
Forget 'Men in Black 3': Why aliens won't attack Earth

SETI hunter Jill Tarter says Sir Stephen Hawking is wrong about aliens coming to attack or colonize Earth. If aliens can get here, Tarter reasons, they'll be advanced enough not to need slaves, food or other planets,
Radioactive tuna travels from Japan to US faster than wind

Low levels of nuclear radiation from the Fukushima power plant have turned up in 15 bluefin tuna caught off San Diego. The fish is not harmful to humans, say researchers.
Golden Gate Bridge 75th anniversary: Take a knowledge challenge

The bridge that some experts once thought could never be built – San Francisco’s Golden Gate – on Sunday officially celebrates 75 years since its opening. How much do you know of the bridge’s story?
Etan Patz killing: Motive is a puzzle for police, and potentially, a jury

Pedro Hernandez has said he killed Etan Patz 33 years ago because he 'felt the urge to kill,' raising questions for behavioral scientists. He is hospitalized and reportedly under suicide watch.
Crystals found in magma chambers may help scientists predict volcanic eruptions

To learn more about volcanic activity in an effort to help predict it, researchers investigated the magma from within volcanoes. Crystals often grow within magma chambers, large crevices of searing hot fluid rock beneath volcanoes.
Modern Parenthood
US Navy uses new online game to gather energy security solutions

A new online game developed by the US Navy creates a platform for older kids to contribute ideas on how the military can lessen its dependence on oil, supplementing its current research on energy security.
Chapter & Verse
How the transit of Venus opened the planet to our forefathers

Author Mark Anderson of 'The Day the World Discovered the Sun' explains how the transit of Venus allowed 18th-century astronomers to create an early GPS system.
Rich-poor divide bogs down UN climate talks

Developing nations say the industrialized world - responsible for most of the emissions historically - should bear the brunt of the emissions cuts while developed nations want to make sure that fast-growing economies like China and India don't get off too easy.
Mars Opportunity rover sees its own shadow in crater

Opportunity just started moving again two weeks ago, after spending more than four months at a site along Endeavour's rim called Greeley Haven. The rover sat out the harsh Martian winter at the site, whose tilt allowed Opportunity to angle its solar panels toward the low-hanging sun.
Man-to-dolphin conversation? Scientists can now talk like dolphins

A new device mimics the sound of dolphins, allowing scientists to possibly start communicating in the language that dolphins speak.
Four to eight hurricanes in 2012 NOAA forecast

The US will see nine to 15 tropical storms and four to eight of those will become hurricanes, says NOAA in its 2012 Atlantic hurricane forecast. It's a 'near normal' year. Only one to three will likely become major, Category 3, hurricanes.
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
Horizons
Bob Moog: How he changed music forever

A Google doodle today honors the legacy of Bob Moog, the creator of a famous line of synthesizers, and the grandfather of electronic music. 
Modern Parenthood
Future plans: six tips to deal with teen's differing life goals

In searching for their identity, teenagers often change course on their education and career goals, frustrating parents who have different paths in mind. These six tips remind parents to keep things in perspective.
Thousands gather for world's largest solar eclipse party (+video)

Solar eclipse party: Even a partial eclipse was enough to draw thousands to Folsom Field in Colorado to see the moon take a bite from the sun.
'Ring of Fire' eclipse delights millions in Asia, US (+video)

A solar eclipse was visible to millions Sunday when the moon hid the sun, creating a 'ring of fire.' It was the first annular eclipse seen in Japan since 1839, and it was broadcast live on TV.
Solar eclipse: How to safely watch this evening's 'ring of fire'

During this evening's 'ring of fire' solar eclipse, what should be a spectacular display will be seen across much of the American West. Here's how to watch it safely.
Solar eclipse 2012: All systems go for witnessing rare 'ring of fire' (+video)

A rare annular eclipse, where a ‘ring of fire’ outlines the moon as it crosses the sun, will greet US viewers Sunday evening. Residents of the US West will have a good shot at seeing the full fire ring.
How to photograph Sunday's solar eclipse

On Sunday, May 20, the western half of the United States will be treated to a spectacular annular eclipse as the sun sets in the western sky.