American Scientist Online

BP Releases Report on Gulf Well Blowout

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:05:00 EST

BP's long awaited internal investigation into the causes of the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas well blowout blamed "a sequence of failures involving a number of different parties," but BP chief executive Tony Hayward said the well's much-criticized design was probably not among the causes...

from the Washington Post (Registration Required)

US Stem-Cell Chaos Felt Abroad

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:03:00 EST

"If the ruling stands, our collaboration is severely curtailed," wrote Benoit Bruneau in an e-mail to a UK-based colleague last week. Bruneau is a developmental biologist at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease at the University of California, San Francisco, whose work relies on funds from the US National Institutes of Health...

from Nature News

The Boss Is Robotic, and Rolling Up Behind You

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:59:00 EST

From a hospital 260 miles away, Dr. Alan Shatzel guided a roughly five-foot-tall machine, which has a large monitor as its "head," into the patient's room in Bakersfield. Dr. Shatzel's face appeared on screen, and his voice issued from a speaker...

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

Reading Arabic 'Hard for Brain'

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:54:00 EST

Israeli scientists believe they have identified why Arabic is particularly hard to learn to read. The University of Haifa team say people use both sides of their brain when they begin reading a language--but when learning Arabic this is wasting effort...

from BBC News Online

Why Wartime Wrecks Are Slicking Time Bombs

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:52:00 EST

The 6800-tonne Japanese freighter Hirokawa Maru lies stranded off what would otherwise be an idyllic, palm-fringed Pacific island beach. Every now and then the ship leaks oil, threatening coral reefs, marine life and subsistence fishing...

from New Scientist

Chinese Satellites Bump Gently. Was It a Military Maneuver?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:49:00 EST

A Chinese satellite may have intentionally nudged another spacecraft during secretive space maneuvers in near-Earth orbit, according to analysts...

from the Christian Science Monitor

Genetically Modified Salmon Safe to Eat, FDA Report Says

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:46:00 EST

The effort to win federal approval of genetically engineered salmon received a major boost Friday when the Food and Drug Administration released an analysis that deemed the fish safe to eat and unlikely to harm the environment...

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

In Feast of Data on BPA Plastic, No Final Answer

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:44:00 EST

The research has been going on for more than 10 years. Studies number in the hundreds. Millions of dollars have been spent. But government health officials still cannot decide whether the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, a component of some plastics, is safe...

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

Can 1960s Approach Unify Gravity with Rest of Physics?

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:41:00 EST

Turning the clock back by half a century could be the key to solving one of science's biggest puzzles: how to bring together gravity and particle physics. At least that is the hope of researchers advocating a back-to-basics approach in the search for a unified theory of physics...

from Scientific American

Leapfrog, Scientist-Style

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:38:00 EST

A five-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will support a national Xenopus center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole...

from the Boston Globe (Registration Required)

Archaeologists Locate Gate in Ancient Viking Wall

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:56:00 EST

The fact that the Vikings were avid masons as well as warriors may be surprising to some, but archaeologists say this summer they found a long-sought gate through a 19-mile stone wall in northern Germany that was built by the Vikings. ...

Gulf Blowout Preventer Finally Surfaces

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:50:00 EST

The failed blowout preventer from BP's runaway oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was hauled to the surface over the weekend and will now be the subject of intense scrutiny to determine what went wrong with it. ...

Review Urges Stricter Checks on IPCC

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:46:00 EST

An independent committee said last week that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change needs stricter oversight to ensure that its leaders were not seen as advocating specific climate policies. The committee also urged transparency and suggested changes to the panel's management. ...

Egg Industry Disputes Blame for Salmonella Outbreak

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:40:00 EST

The U.S. egg recall was still much in the news last week, as critics accused the industry of resorting to blaming the victims of the salmonella outbreak. Meanwhile, federal inspectors found some unsanitary conditions at two egg farms under scrutiny. ...

Science at the Top of the News for August 30-September 3

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:37:00 EST

The most-viewed item last week by subscribers to Science in the News Daily was a New York Times feature about a researcher who debunks preconceived notions. Other top stories involved whether the language we speak shapes the way we think and what's going on with Arctic ice. A look at Stephen Hawking's forthcoming book The Grand Design, in which he argues that God did not create the universe, was another top story. Subscribe now for free daily updates.

Nobrow Cartoon, September 7, 2010

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:22:00 EST

Crews Pull Blowout Preventer Out from Gulf

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:04:00 EST

(Associated Press) -- A crane hoisted a key piece of oil spill evidence to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, giving investigators their first chance to personally scrutinize the blowout preventer, the massive piece of equipment that failed to stop the gusher four months ago.

from the New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Zealand Quake Was 'Known Unknown'

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:01:00 EST

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the South Island of New Zealand on Saturday occurred on a previously unknown fault.

from New Scientist

Organic Strawberries Are Better - in Some Ways

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST

Consumers who buy organic fruits and vegetables because they think they're tastier, more nutritious and better for the environment are getting at least some of what they're paying for, according to a study published online Wednesday.

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic Beer

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:59:00 EST

People have been using antibiotics for nearly 2,000 years, suggests a new study, which found large doses of tetracycline embedded in the bones of ancient African mummies.

from Discovery News