Scientists find 32 new planets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – European astronomers announced they had found 32 new planets orbiting stars outside our solar system and said on Monday they believe their find means that 40 percent or more of Sun-like stars have such planets.
The planets range in size from about five times the size of Earth to about five times the [...]
Fungus threatens to wipe out RP frog species
Agence France-Presse|A deadly frog fungus that has wiped out hundreds of amphibian species in the Americas is now devastating the populations of five frog species in the Philippines, experts said Wednesday.
A two-year nationwide survey by a team of US and Filipino scientists found that the Philippines has become the third country in Asia to be [...]
Daydreamers might solve problems faster
Agence France-Presse|VANCOUVER – Contrary to common opinion, daydreaming is not slacking off because when the brain wanders it is working even harder to solve problems, new research has shown.
Scientists scanned the brains of people lying inside magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, as they alternately pushed buttons or rested.
The scans showed that the “default network” deep [...]
NASA to announce module name on `Colbert Report’
NEW YORK – Stephen Colbert is still clinging to hope that NASA will name a new room at the international space station after him.
The space agency said Friday it would announce the name of the module Tuesday on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Astronaut Sunita Williams will appear on the program.
The agency held an online [...]
Scientists find new species in Papua New Guinea
SYDNEY – A brilliant green tree frog with huge black eyes, jumping spiders and a striped gecko are among more than 50 new animal species scientists have discovered in a remote, mountainous region of Papua New Guinea.
The discoveries were announced Wednesday by Washington D.C.-based Conservation International, which spent the past several months analyzing more than [...]
NASA telescope will hunt for Earth-like planets
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -NASA will soon be on the lookout for possible Earths in one faraway corner of the galaxy. A planet-hunting spacecraft, named Kepler after the German 17th -century astrophysicist, is scheduled to rocket away from Cape Canaveral late Friday night. Excellent launch weather is forecast.
The telescope will spend 3 1/2 years staring at [...]
New species of bamboo coral identified off Hawaii
HONOLULU – Scientists have identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface, officials said Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the six of the seven species found off Hawaii may represent entirely new genera, calling it a “remarkable feat” given the broad classification a genus represents.
A [...]
Scientists Say Water May Exist on Mars
Droplets seen on the landing struts of the Phoenix Mars lander could be water according to a new report.
Images taken of the legs of the lander in the days after its landing on May 28, 2008, show what appear to be drops of liquid. Over the course of the next Martian month, the drops grow, [...]
Study hints at how colors affect human behavior
WASHINGTON – We learn from toddlerhood that red means danger – so should we use red ink for medication warnings? And if blue signals the freedom of open skies, how about brainstorming in a room painted blue?
Maybe so, says new research into how the brain reacts to colors: Red seems to improve attention to detail [...]
Scientists discover immortal jellyfish
TURRITOPSIS nutricula may be the world’s only “immortal” creature.
Jellyfish usually die after propagating but Turritopsis reverts to a sexually immature stage after reaching adulthood and is capable of rejuvenating itself.
The 4-5mm diameter creature, technically known as a hydrozoan, is the only known animal that is capable of reverting to its juvenile polyp state.
Theoretically, this cycle [...]
