 Snowball's chance
 HOWARD LIPIN / Union-Tribune
Dr. Aniruddh D. Patel (far left) of The Neurosciences Institute analyzed Snowball's ability to synchronize his movements to music with the help of (from left) John Iversen, Joanne Jao and Micah Bregman.
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NASA fixes moonship shaking with shock absorbers
WASHINGTON, 2:21 p.m. Aug. 19 (AP)
A space-age version of the rusty springs under old pickup trucks will help NASA fix the most pressing technical problem with its high-tech new rocket to send astronauts back to the moon.
NASA is going to use 17 super-sized shock absorbers in its not-yet-built rocket to keep the top from shaking too much for astronauts, agency officials said in a Tuesday press conference.
More Science News
WASHINGTON, 2:01 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
Researchers say numbers aren't needed to count: Answer this without counting: Are there more X's here XXXXXX, or here XXXXX? That's a problem facing people whose languages don't include words for more than one or two. Yet researchers say children who speak those languages are still able to compare quantities.
WASHINGTON, 9:32 a.m. Aug. 19 (REUTERS)
Bacteria a big killer in 1918 flu pandemic, study says: Bacterial pneumonia may have killed most people during the 1918 flu pandemic, and antibiotics may be as crucial as flu drugs to fight any new pandemic, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday.
KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Alaska, 9:17 a.m. Aug. 19 (REUTERS)
Warming climate threatens Alaska's vast forests: Here in a 13,700-year-old peat bog, ecologist Ed Berg reaches into the moss and pulls out more evidence of the drastic changes afoot due to the Earth's warming climate.
OSLO, 5:47 a.m. Aug. 18 (REUTERS)Rich urged to set deep climate cuts, without U.S.: Rich nations should not wait for the election of a new U.S. president before making progress on agreeing ambitious 2020 greenhouse gas cuts, the chair of a U.N. committee said on Monday ahead of climate talks in Ghana.
WASHINGTON, 8:09 p.m. Aug. 18 (AP)
More women are having fewer children, if at all: More women in their early 40s are childless, and those who are having children are having fewer than ever before, the Census Bureau said Monday.
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO, Aug. 16 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Support, concerns expressed on state climate change plan: Dozens of people attended a meeting yesterday in San Diego to express support for California's climate change plan and to share concerns about specific parts of the blueprint.
Aug. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
SDSU professor shares finer points of how to see sunset's green flash: Mea culpa. I've shown how green I am. My story on sunsets July 17 had a sidebar on the green flash, that burst of color at sunrise or sunset that's over in an instant.
PALO ALTO, California, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 16 (REUTERS)Reuters Science News Summary: Bigfoot remains as elusive as ever. Results from tests on genetic material from alleged remains of one of the mythical half-ape and half-human creatures, made public at a news conference on Friday held after the claimed discovery swept the Internet, failed to prove its existence.
WASHINGTON, 9:57 a.m. Aug. 15 (REUTERS)
Little robin from Gabon is world's newest species: A red-breasted bird discovered by accident in the forests of Gabon is a new species, U.S. scientists said Friday.
ATLANTA, 11:29 a.m. Aug. 15 (AP)
Georgia men claim hairy, frozen corpse is Bigfoot: Two men claim they've bagged Bigfoot, and they say they have the hairy corpse of the legendary creature stored away in a freezer.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 12:19 a.m. Aug. 15 (AP)
Worrying invasive snail found in Lake Michigan: Scientists worry that a rapidly reproducing, tiny invasive snail recently found in Lake Michigan could hurt the lake's ecosystem.
WASHINGTON, 1:43 p.m. Aug. 14 (REUTERS)
Coastal 'dead zones' spread globally, study finds: “Dead zones” in coastal waters – regions of ocean floor so deprived of oxygen that most marine life cannot survive – are spreading worldwide at an alarming pace, scientists said Thursday.
WASHINGTON, 9:19 a.m. Aug. 14 (REUTERS)
Crucial genetic factor in colorectal cancer found: Researchers have identified what they see as the leading cause of inherited colorectal cancer – a genetic abnormality that makes a person about nine times more likely to get the disease.
LOS ANGELES, 10:33 a.m. Aug. 14 (AP)
NASA delays robotic moon mission until 2009: NASA has delayed the launch of an unmanned spacecraft to the moon to scout for potential landing sites for astronauts.
SAVANNAH, Ga., 12:09 a.m. Aug. 14 (AP)Ga. having record year for sea turtle nests: Rare loggerhead sea turtles are having a record nesting season on the Georgia coast and have been laying eggs in promising numbers on southern Atlantic beaches from Florida to the Carolinas. WASHINGTON, 9:11 a.m. Aug. 14 (AP)
Remains of cemetery found in Sahara: A tiny woman and two children were laid to rest on a bed of flowers 5,000 years ago in what is now the barren Sahara Desert.
BERLIN, 5:07 a.m. Aug. 14 (REUTERS)
Octopuses have six 'arms' and two 'legs' – study: Octopuses' eight tentacles divide up into six 'arms' and two 'legs', a study published by a chain of commercial aquariums said on Thursday.
Aug. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Huge moon on the horizon? It's just an illusion: I have fun talking with sky watchers about the moon. One question that always seems to pique their interest is: “Why does the moon appear so large when we see it rising in the east?”
Aug. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Questions answered: QUESTION: Why does the effectiveness of vitamins, minerals and medicines degrade over time? According to a pharmacist I asked, freezing does not keep them viable. Why not?
TEL AVIV, 2:43 a.m. Aug. 14 (REUTERS)
Scientists 'listen' to plants to find water pollution: Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by 'listening' to what the plants growing in water have to say. By shining a laser beam on the tiny pieces of algae floating in the water, the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of contamination in the water.
GRANTS PASS, Ore., 1:29 a.m. Aug. 14 (AP)
Feds: Common pesticides jeopardize salmon survival: Three pesticides commonly used on farms and orchards throughout the West are jeopardizing the survival of Pacific salmon, the federal agency in charge of saving the fish from extinction has found.
WASHINGTON, 3:22 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)
NASA safety panel worries about moon ship design: NASA is not properly emphasizing safety in its design of a new spaceship and its return-to-the-moon program faces money, morale and leadership problems, an agency safety panel found Monday.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, 11:49 a.m. Aug. 13 (AP)
Venomous lionfish prowls fragile Caribbean waters: A maroon-striped marauder with venomous spikes is rapidly multiplying in the Caribbean's warm waters, swallowing native species, stinging divers and generally wreaking havoc on an ecologically delicate region.
WASHINGTON, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)
Some like it hot, but not fungi: Chiliheads who savor the kick of hot peppers are sampling one of the earliest examples of chemical warfare.
LOS ANGELES, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)Plants move up mountain as temps rise, study shows: Striking new research in the Southern California mountains suggests recent warming is behind a massive die-off and rapid migration to higher ground by nine different plants – from desert shrubs to white firs. WASHINGTON, 1:42 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)
Museums group sets rules against artifact looting: Museums should make ownership history records publicly available for all ancient art and archaeological artifacts in their collections and rigorously research new acquisitions, according to guidelines released Monday by the American Association of Museums. WASHINGTON, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)
Need Antarctic data: Send in the seals: Bitter cold and floating sea ice long frustrated scientists seeking to study the ocean around Antarctica in winter. The solution: Send in the seals. WASHINGTON, 2:00 p.m. Aug. 11 (AP)
Trees get too tall to drink: The height of Douglas fir trees appears to be limited by their ability to raise water to the highest branches, a problem that can be appreciated by anyone who has struggled to suck a thick milkshake through a straw.
Aug. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The recipe for you: In episode 17 of the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (Stardate 41463.9), a silica-based life form called a “microbrain” disparagingly describes humans as “ugly bags of water.”
Aug. 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Scientists seek cold, hard facts:Any day now, Ross Beaudette will order some ice for his laboratory in La Jolla. He's not interested in just any cube of frozen water. The stuff Beaudette is after was removed from a massive ice sheet last winter by researchers who endured weeks of whiteout conditions in the windiest, coldest and most remote place on Earth – Antarctica.
NEW YORK, 6:39 p.m. Aug. 7 (AP)
Scientists produce stem cells for 10 diseases: Harvard scientists say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish.
STARGAZER, Aug. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
The Perseid sparklers expected to 'fly thither' Monday and Tuesday: I always look forward to August. For one thing, the searing desert heat in Borrego Springs, where I live, is almost at an end. For another, the skies are particularly generous with their offerings.
Aug. 7 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Questions answered: Your answer about out-of-the-body experiences (June 26) must have been reassuring to anyone who has had the experience and was disbelieved when they described the event. I'm writing about a different kind of experience – music playing in one's head.
WASHINGTON, 11:00 a.m. Aug. 7 (AP)
Fingerprints yield more telltale clues: Scientists have found ways to tease even more clues out of fingerprints' telltale marks – one in a string of developments that gives modern forensics even better ways to solve mysteries like the anthrax attacks or JonBenet Ramsey's murder.
WASHINGTON, 8:48 a.m. Aug. 7 (REUTERS)
Skin cells produce library of diseased stem cells: U.S. stem cell experts have produced a library of the powerful cells using ordinary skin and bone marrow cells from patients, and said Thursday they would share them freely with other researchers.
LOS ANGELES, 9:07 p.m. Aug. 6 (AP)
SpaceX finds cause of failed private rocket launch: A privately held rocket company on Wednesday blamed a design error for its latest failure to reach orbit, which caused the loss of three government satellites and human ashes, including the remains of astronaut Gordon Cooper and “Star Trek” actor James Doohan.
CHICAGO, 10:57 a.m. Aug. 6 (REUTERS)
Eye spy: U.S. scientists develop eye-shaped camera: Borrowing one of nature's best designs, U.S. scientists have built an eye-shaped camera using standard sensor materials and say it could improve the performance of digital cameras and enhance imaging of the human body.
LOS ANGELES, 7:34 p.m. Aug. 5 (AP)
Scientists: Salt in Mars soil not bad for life: Traces of a rocket fuel ingredient found in the Martian soil would not necessarily hinder potential life, mission scientists said Tuesday.
EDINBURGH, Scotland, 1:29 p.m. Aug. 5 (AP)
Scientists cheer gorilla find, but warn of threats: Can there be more lurking in the mist? Despite a startling find announced Tuesday that doubled the estimated number of western lowland gorillas in central Africa, scientists warned that hundreds of primate species remain in danger of extinction.
CHICAGO, 12:49 p.m. Aug. 5 (REUTERS)
Amateur astronomer spies gassy 'cosmic ghost': A Dutch primary school teacher and amateur astronomer has discovered what some are calling a ”cosmic ghost,” a strange, gaseous object with a hole in the middle that may represent a new class of astronomical object.
SEOUL, South Korea, 2:19 a.m. Aug. 5 (AP)South Korean firm delivers commercial dog clones: Booger is back. An American woman received five puppies Tuesday that were cloned from her beloved late pitbull, becoming the inaugural customer of a South Korean company that says it is the world's first successful commercial canine cloning service.
LOS ANGELES, 5:46 p.m. Aug. 4 (AP)
Scientists: Martian soil may be harsh to life: NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has detected the presence of a chemically reactive salt in the Martian soil, a finding that if confirmed could make it less friendly to potential life than once believed.
PARIS, 7:48 a.m. Aug. 4 (REUTERS)
Killer herpes decimates young French oysters: A herpes virus is killing young oysters in France because they have spent too much energy developing their sexual organs rather than their natural defences, an oyster crisis team has found.
WASHINGTON, 1:07 a.m. Aug. 4 (AP)
Invasive species bills stuck in Congress: Tiny foreign mussels assault drinking water sources in California and Nevada. A deadly fish virus spreads swiftly through the Great Lakes and beyond. Japanese shore crabs make a home for themselves in Long Island Sound, more than 6,000 miles away.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, 1:28 p.m. Aug. 3 (AP)
Scientist: World's smallest snake in Barbados: A U.S. scientist said Sunday he has discovered the globe's tiniest species of snake in the easternmost Caribbean island of Barbados, with full-grown adults typically stretching less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Getting in on the sea floor: A group of San Diego scientists who like to get to the bottom of things has formed a new research center for mapping marine habitats and geological features along the sea floor.
JIAYUGUAN, China, 6:01 a.m. Aug. 2 (REUTERS)Reuters Science News Summary: Darkness fell over the last outpost of the Great Wall of China on Friday, where a rare total solar eclipse ended its journey across the earth, delighting skywatchers one week before the Olympics open in Beijing.
Aug. 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Endurance lift without lifting:Couch potatoes, take heart: A team of scientists at the Salk Institute in La Jolla has made a discovery that might just make your dreams come true. They have uncovered a possible “exercise pill.” When ordinary mice were fed two experimental drugs, they turned into marathon mice, capable of running 44 percent longer on a treadmill than before they were medicated, according to an article published today in the journal Cell.
July 31 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Political science: Early in the Bush administration, James E. Hansen recalls being invited to brief Vice President Dick Cheney on the subject of global warming.
LOS ANGELES, 3:00 p.m. July 31 (AP)
Phoenix lander confirms ice in Martian soil: The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time, scientists reported Thursday.
WASHINGTON, 11:00 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Researchers may have found cosmic Rosetta stone: Star light, star bright. The first star grew fast, but began slight. The first cosmological object formed in the universe was a tiny protostar with a mass of about 1 percent of our sun, according to U.S. and Japanese researchers who spent years developing a complex computer simulation of what it was like after the Big Bang that formed the universe.
WASHINGTON, 11:00 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Research could cut cost of energy from fuel cells: Less costly methods for producing oxygen from water have been developed by researchers in the U.S. and Australia, possibly setting the stage for more use of fuel cells to produce energy.
WASHINGTON, 11:00 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Cell changes may help Lou Gehrig's research: Using a new technique to reprogram cells, scientists are growing neurons from people with Lou Gehrig's disease, a possible first step in understanding how the deadly illness develops.
GENEVA, 8:02 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Inventors flock to file patents in U.S.: The United States is again the favored destination to patent inventions after 43 years in which Japan and the now-defunct Soviet Union held the lead, a U.N. report said Thursday.
6:00 a.m. July 31 (REUTERS)Ancient Greeks used “computer” to set Olympics date: LONDON (Reuters) – A mechanical brass calculator used by the ancient Greeks to predict solar and lunar eclipses was probably also used to set the dates for the first Olympic games, researchers said on Wednesday.
MERIDA, Mexico, 8:35 a.m. July 31 (REUTERS)
Mexican crater could give clues to ancient Mars: A prehistoric crater left by an asteroid collision in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula could yield clues about what Mars was like billions of years ago, a NASA scientist says.
July 31 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Giant chunk of ice is headed this way: “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” With these words, Samuel Taylor Coleridge described the salty seas of Earth, but he could just as easily have been writing about the ocean of space.
July 31 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Questions answered: QUESTION: What is terra preta, and what does it have to do with reducing global warming? – Carlotta Sampson, San Diego
NEW YORK, 5:49 a.m. July 31 (REUTERS)
Pepsi to sell drinks with new no-calorie sweetener: PepsiCo Inc said Thursday it will launch a new line of SoBe Life drinks containing a new all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener called PureVia.
BOSTON, 4:45 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Astronaut technology could prevent elderly falls: Scientists working to help astronauts regain balance after extended flights in zero gravity say they've found a way to use the research to help elderly people avoid catastrophic falls.
MOSCOW, 3:47 a.m. July 31 (AP)
Total eclipse draws crowds to Siberia: A rare total solar eclipse will pass just west of Russia's third-largest city Friday, but crowds of tourists in Novosibirsk to witness the event may find their view of the event obscured by clouds and rain.
OSLO, 4:51 a.m. July 30 (REUTERS)
Arctic ice bigger than 2007, but thawing long-term: Arctic sea ice is unlikely to shrink below a 2007 record low this year in a reprieve from the worst predictions of climate change even though new evidence confirms a long-term thaw is under way, experts said.
Mars and more:
