Science
The detection of gravitational waves: A scientific milestone
By Bryan Dyne, 13 February 2016
The discovery of gravitational waves is a vindication of science and the ability of human reason to tackle and overcome the most complex problems.
Astronomers detect gravitational waves predicted by Einstein
By Will Morrow, 12 February 2016
The LIGO Collaboration has published the first direct detection of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time.
New research reveals effects of the Agricultural Revolution on human evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 15 January 2016
Several new studies highlight the dialectical interaction between the physical and genetic makeup of modern humans and the development of agriculture.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Three
By Bryan Dyne, 9 December 2015
This is the last part of a three-part series examining the history, science and implications of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Global warming compounds Atlantic cod fishing industry problems
By John Marion, 8 December 2015
Recent scientific studies point to the effects of global warming on Atlantic cod populations already reduced to historically low sizes by decades of overfishing.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Two
By Will Morrow, 8 December 2015
This is the second of a three-part series examining the history, science and lasting implications of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which remains, along with his special theory, one of the central pillars of modern physics.
100 years of General Relativity—Part One
By Don Barrett, 7 December 2015
This is the first of a three-part series examining the history, science and implications of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
New genetic data show “Back to Africa” migration in Neolithic times
By Philip Guelpa, 23 October 2015
Analysis of ancient DNA from Ethiopia provides evidence of a “reflux” of Eurasian peoples into Africa between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago, contributing significantly to the modern African genome.
Strong evidence for liquid water flows on present-day Mars
By Bryan Dyne, 29 September 2015
The dark streaks observed on Mars are most likely salt deposits left behind from liquid water flows across the Martian surface.
Remains of a new species of early human discovered in South African cave
By Philip Guelpa, 14 September 2015
The recovery of remains of at least 15 members of an early human species provides an unprecedented mosaic of characteristics in a single population.
Discovery of the most Earth-like planet to date
By Don Barrett, 25 July 2015
At a time of the momentous discovery of planets around other stars, no money can be found to examine them.
Pluto and Earth
By Patrick Martin, 17 July 2015
The flyby of Pluto by the spacecraft New Horizons—a scientific achievement of the first order—stands in contrast to the seemingly intractable social crises on our own planet.
New Horizons spacecraft completes Pluto flyby
By Bryan Dyne, 15 July 2015
The Pluto encounter is the first time that a spacecraft has ever visited the distant world.
EPA study whitewashes the effects of fracking
By Philip Guelpa, 13 July 2015
The US EPA reports finding that the incidence of drinking water contamination due to hydraulic fracturing is low, but evidence of the danger of fracking continues to mount.
Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon in talks over fracking
By Steve James, 11 July 2015
Fracking is notorious for the threat it poses to ground water supplies, which can be contaminated with chemicals and by methane released from cracked wells.
New Horizons spacecraft prepares for Pluto flyby
By Bryan Dyne, 8 July 2015
Pluto, a world too small and distant to be seen in detail even with Earth’s best telescopes, is the farthest object explored by a space probe.
Atmospheric temperatures rise to record levels as glaciers disintegrate
By Matthew MacEgan, 3 July 2015
Two new reports show that global warming and climate change are becoming larger threats than ever before.
Study finds that one in six species are in danger of extinction due to climate change
By Philip Guelpa, 25 June 2015
A meta-analysis of 131 earlier studies predicts that widespread species extinctions will occur at an accelerating rate unless measures are taken to reduce global warming.
What we learned about Mercury from the Messenger spacecraft
By Bryan Dyne, 22 June 2015
Over the course of its lifetime, Messenger has sent back more than 275,000 images of the planet Mercury.
New discoveries illuminate early human physical and technological evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 26 May 2015
New archaeological and fossil discoveries push back the origins of both the genus Homo and the earliest stone tool technology.
Scientists reveal the history and analysis of Kennewick Man
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 May 2015
A new volume published by the Smithsonian Institution serves as the most comprehensive study of the most important human skeleton ever found in North America.
Fracking linked to earthquakes and increased levels of radon in homes
By Philip Guelpa, 4 May 2015
Despite industry denials, the process known as fracking, used to extract oil and natural gas, is responsible for serious health and environmental problems.
Twenty-five years of the Hubble Space Telescope
By Bryan Dyne, 24 April 2015
While it is a public relations boon for NASA, Hubble's true importance lies in its continued and vast contributions to astronomy.
CERN restarts Large Hadron Collider
By Bryan Dyne, 8 April 2015
As a result of two years of upgrades, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator will generate 30 petabytes of data per year in the search for a deeper understanding of nature.
New discoveries show that Mars may have once been habitable
By Bryan Dyne, 28 March 2015
Recent evidence of nitrogen in the soil and of an ancient Martian ocean increases the likelihood that Mars once housed life.
Oldest Homo fossil from Ethiopia links human genus to Australopithecus
By Thomas H. Douglass, 10 March 2015
The discovery of the jaw fossil is an exciting link between older hominins and our own ancestors who, only a few hundred thousand years later, would be manufacturing stone tools.
Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres
By Bryan Dyne, 7 March 2015
Dawn is the first spacecraft to successfully orbit two extraterrestrial bodies.
Planetary boundaries—a systems approach to the environmental crisis
By Bryan Dyne, 3 February 2015
Environmental degradation by a range of metrics, of which climate change is only one, has the potential for large-scale disruptions of both biological and social life.
Experimental data supports the interactive development of language and technology
By Philip Guelpa, 29 January 2015
An experimental archaeology study demonstrates the increased effectiveness of language as opposed to other teaching methods in transmitting manufacturing techniques for stone tools.
US agencies rank 2014 as Earth’s warmest recorded year
By Bryan Dyne, 22 January 2015
The weight of scientific evidence points to the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activity as the cause.
Oldest known example of abstract symbolic representation discovered in Indonesia
By Philip Guelpa, 9 January 2015
Newly identified markings on a freshwater mussel shell from a site in Indonesia indicate the existence of abstract symbolic thought in human ancestors half a million years ago.
Orion spacecraft makes first orbital flight
By Patrick Martin, 8 December 2014
The unmanned test flight is only the first step in plans to resume US manned space flight by the year 2021.
The Theory of Everything: Stephen Hawking’s life, or parts of it, on film
By Walter Gilberti, 2 December 2014
Stephen Hawking has over the years become a familiar personage to millions. A brilliant physicist and cosmologist, Hawking’s nearly life-long battle with disease has become the stuff of legend.
New telescope reveals first detailed image of a planetary system in formation
By Bryan Dyne and Don Barrett, 1 December 2014
An international telescope array entering operation has produced the first detailed image showing a planetary system in formation around a young star
The comet landing: A new milestone in space exploration
By Bryan Dyne, 15 November 2014
The landing of Philae is an important reminder that humanity is capable of great things—capabilities that are constrained not by the productive capacity of mankind, but by the organization of society.
Philae spacecraft lands successfully on comet
By Don Barrett and Bryan Dyne, 13 November 2014
With its touchdown on Wednesday, the Philae module became the first spacecraft to land on the surface of a comet.
Capitalism and the space program
By Don Barrett, 12 November 2014
Technical limitations cannot explain the failure of mankind to maintain a constant tempo of more and more ambitious explorations throughout the solar system and into interstellar space.
Climate report warns of “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts”
By Daniel de Vries, 7 November 2014
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest in a series of studies warning that time to act on climate is running out.
Prehistoric rock art in Indonesia dated to 40,000 years ago
By Matthew MacEgan, 7 November 2014
Archaeologists have used new dating techniques to determine the ages of cave rock art in Southeast Asia, demonstrating that such art was not limited to continental Europe.
The HANDY model of human and nature dynamics: A critical review
By Philip Guelpa, 1 November 2014
A recently published model of the dynamics of human society and its interaction with nature concedes the contradictions in class societies but obscures their significance.
Climate change behind recent extreme weather conditions
By Matthew MacEgan, 23 October 2014
Data compiled by 91 climate scientists suggests that human-induced climate change has increased the severity and likelihood of extreme weather events in 2013.
“Risky Business” study highlights the inability of capitalism to address the consequences of climate change
By Philip Guelpa, 20 October 2014
A recently published study documents the severe consequences of climate change in the United States through the end of the century, while demonstrating the inability of capitalism to offer any effective solutions.
Uncovering the Maritime Silk Road
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 October 2014
Archaeologists across the globe are beginning to tackle larger questions about the interconnectivity of societies across continents and oceans.
US and Indian probes successfully reach Mars orbit
By Patrick Martin, 25 September 2014
Mangalyaan is designed to showcase the growing technical abilities of the Indian Space Research Organization, especially following the failure of a Chinese mission to Mars in 2012.
Climate change and the capitalist system
By Patrick Martin, 20 September 2014
This statement will be distributed at a climate change demonstration this weekend in New York City.
WMO report: Greenhouse gas levels accelerating at record pace
By Daniel de Vries, 17 September 2014
Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grew last year at the highest rate since 1984.
The beginning of modern physics
By Henry Allan and Bryan Dyne, 9 September 2014
David Whitehouse’s Renaissance Genius: Galileo Galilei and His Legacy to Modern Science, provides a human portrait of Galileo, his times and his role in the advancement and popularization of science.
Ground water is depleting in the Colorado River Basin
By Stuart Winter, 28 August 2014
A recent NASA satellite survey contains “shock” findings on water loss.
The use of archaeology in Jerusalem as a political weapon
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 August 2014
The actions taken by some Israeli archaeologists operating in East Jerusalem have been heavily criticized for using a selective view of history in order to marginalize local Palestinian communities and drive them from their homes.
A historic first in solar system exploration
Rosetta spacecraft becomes first manmade probe to orbit a comet
By Don Barrett, 8 August 2014
The European Space Agency probe reached its target comet after a journey of more than ten years.
Ten years at Saturn with the Cassini spacecraft
By Don Barrett, 4 July 2014
Over the past decade, Cassini has continuously returned data on Saturn's rings, numerous moons and the planet itself.
New studies reveal further details of Higgs particle
By Bryan Dyne, 26 June 2014
CERN physicists have directly measured the connection of the Higgs to the b-quark and the tau lepton.
Budget cuts threaten scientific and cultural projects at London’s Kew Gardens
By Dennis Moore, 11 June 2014
Due to years of budget cuts, Kew Gardens has a £5 million shortfall, leaving it ever more dependent on philanthropic and commercially generated funding.
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
By Philip Guelpa, 31 May 2014
Human-induced climate change and environmental degradation threaten to cause a sixth mass extinction of life on Earth.
Study warns of “unstoppable” West Antarctic ice shelf melting
By Gabriel Black and Evan Blake, 14 May 2014
A study shows that the melting of the West Antarctic ice shelf will raise global sea levels substantially beyond the predictions of the UN.
Geopolitical tensions harm international research
By John Marion, 14 May 2014
Research on space, human health, energy, physics, and other subjects suffers as US imperialism promotes war with China and Russia.
US climate report points to human activity as primary cause of climate change
By Bryan Dyne, 13 May 2014
The report provides a comprehensive look at the shifts in the global climate over the past half-century.
US sequester cuts gut scientific research
By Anthony Bertolt, 1 May 2014
Billions of dollars in sequester cuts to the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation will result in untold delays in life-saving medical and biological research.
One million years of the human story in Britain
By Joan Smith, 26 April 2014
The Natural History Museum in London is holding an exhibition on the human occupation of Britain that runs until September 28, 2014.
Your Inner Fish … An engaging look at our vertebrate ancestry
By Walter Gilberti, 22 April 2014
The three-part series on the evolution of vertebrates concludes Wednesday night at 10pm EST on public television.
Earth-sized planet in a star’s habitable zone confirmed
By Bryan Dyne, 21 April 2014
This is the first exoplanet detected that potentially has liquid water on its surface.
Cosmos reboot falls short of the mark
By Bryan Dyne, 14 April 2014
The remake of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, has its moments, but does not go far enough either in its exposition of science or its criticism of anti-science.
Imprint of primordial gravitational waves detected
By C. Frederick Graves, 24 March 2014
The finding by astronomers working at the South Pole provides confirmation of a key aspect of the Big Bang theory, called the inflationary hypothesis.
New fossil discovery sheds light on the evolution of the human hand
By Philip Guelpa, 26 February 2014
The discovery of a fossilized hominin metacarpal bone in Kenya demonstrates that the evolution of a key adaptation of the hand, thought to be associated with sophisticated tool production, occurred much earlier than had previously been known.
The puzzle of the proton radius
By Will Morrow, 21 February 2014
For four years, physicists have sought to explain the emergence of two apparently irreconcilable measurements of the radius of the proton.
The genetic legacy of the Neanderthals
By Matthew MacEgan, 6 January 2014
Scientists have, for the first time, sequenced the entire genome of a Neanderthal hominin.
Nearly a billion ocean-dependent people at risk because of global warming
By Henry Allan and Bryan Dyne, 29 November 2013
A recent study published in PLOS Biology has analyzed the chemical changes in the Earth’s oceans caused by excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
Evolutionary links between the development of language and stone tool technology
By Philip Guelpa, 19 November 2013
The use of sophisticated imaging techniques demonstrates that regions of the brain used in language production and stone tool manufacture overlap, suggesting an evolutionary link in the development of cognition.
New study estimates billions of Earth-sized planets orbiting Sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy
By Bryan Dyne, 9 November 2013
Data from the Kepler spacecraft has established that Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars are common in the Universe.
New fossil skull find may revolutionize view of early human evolution
By Thomas Douglass, 22 October 2013
A newly reported skull from the site of Dmanisi in Georgia demonstrates wide variation in brain size and morphology within an early Homo erectus population, with implications for other fossil species and ancient population structure.
Peter Higgs and François Englert awarded 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics
By Bryan Dyne, 21 October 2013
The theoretical prediction and subsequent discovery of the Higgs boson has provided a greater insight into the origin of mass of subatomic particles.
New research sheds light on a key dietary change in early human evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 14 October 2013
Multiple studies of carbon isotopes in fossil hominin teeth from southern and eastern Africa document the change from woodland to grassland diet which marked a major step in the evolution of early humans.
NASA scientists announce historic leap in human exploration
Voyager 1 spacecraft enters interstellar space
By Kevin Reed, 4 October 2013
Voyager 1 has done science continuously for 36 years and spanning a journey of 19 billion kilometers.
2001-2010 had the warmest temperatures globally
By Justin Knowels, 24 August 2013
A World Meteorological Organization report shows that the past decade was the warmest ever recorded, leading to more extreme weather events worldwide than ever before.
One year of the Mars rover Curiosity
By Bryan Dyne, 6 August 2013
During its mission so far, NASA’s Curiosity rover has found strong evidence that life similar to terrestrial microbes could have existed on ancient Mars.
Data storage in synthetic DNA
By Bryan Dyne and Shane Feratu, 25 July 2013
New research has combined genetics and computer science to develop a technique that allows any type of data to be reliably stored in synthetic DNA.
Scientific study confirms groundwater contamination by hydraulic fracturing
By Philip Guelpa, 9 July 2013
A newly published study refutes energy industry claims that hydraulic fracturing for natural gas does not cause ground water contamination with toxic chemicals.
Stephen Hawking and the academic boycott of Israel
By Chris Marsden, 15 May 2013
In a letter explaining his decision to pull out of Israel’s Presidential conference, noted theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking explained that Israeli government policy “is likely to lead to disaster.”
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reach new heights
By Bryan Dyne, 13 May 2013
Carbon dioxide levels are at the highest in human history, a further indication that human activity is driving global warming.
A decade of infrared space astronomy comes to a close
The end of the Herschel Space Observatory mission
By Don Barrett, 7 May 2013
On April 29, the Herschel Space Observatory exhausted its supply of ultra-cold liquid helium coolant, required to do its most sensitive observations.
Genome sequencing of “living fossil” fish sheds light on the evolution of land animals
By Philip Guelpa, 30 April 2013
Decoding of the full genetic sequence of the coelacanth, a member of a group known as lobe-finned fish, has helped to explain some of the key genetic mechanisms associated with the evolution of life.
Two planetary systems with potentially Earth-like conditions
By Bryan Dyne, 22 April 2013
Earth-like extra-solar planets have been found orbiting in the “habitable zone,” where radiation levels would permit the existence of the building blocks of life.
Thousands of scientists protest US cuts to medical research
By Nick Barrickman, 9 April 2013
Up to 15,000 scientists from around the country attended Monday’s rally, which was called by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Two cases of a “functional cure” for HIV/AIDS
By Shane Feratu, 30 March 2013
Researchers have been able to neutralize the HIV virus from causing harm in two separate studies.
CERN confirms Higgs discovery
By Bryan Dyne, 23 March 2013
The major collaborators in research at the Large Hadron Collider have jointly announced that the new particle discovered last year is the Higgs boson.
Australian court upholds patent for breast cancer gene
By Frank Gaglioti, 26 February 2013
The decision serves to entrench the rights of biotech companies as they scramble to obtain, enforce and profit from patents on genetic material.
Study finds mammals diversified only after the extinction of dinosaurs
By Philip Guelpa, 22 February 2013
A major study using both fossil and genetic data has produced a detailed reconstruction of the ancestral placental mammal and supports the interpretation that the great adaptive radiation of mammals took place only after the extinction of dinosaurs.
Science, society and the Chelyabinsk meteor
By Don Barrett, 18 February 2013
The meteor explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia marks the first conjunction of a frequent and natural occurrence—the collision of the Earth with debris left over from the formation of the solar system—with a modern metropolis.
Astronomers confirm fundamental relationship in atomic physics
By Will Morrow, 4 January 2013
A team of astronomers has determined that the ratio of the mass of the proton to the mass of the electron has been stable for at least seven billion years.
Stone tools and the evolution of modern human cognition
By Philip Guelpa, 18 December 2012
A newly reported microlithic technology from a site in South Africa helps close the apparent temporal gap between the biological evolution of modern humans and the archaeological evidence of fully modern cognitive abilities.
The growing impact and dangers of global warming
By Bryan Dyne, 27 November 2012
The impact of climate change on all aspects of life has been more concretely analyzed in reports issued over the past decade.
The future study of hurricanes at risk
By Bryan Dyne, 6 November 2012
The end of the current generation of environmental satellites will likely produce a gap lasting up to four years, in which crucial data used in predicting the intensity of hurricanes will not be collected.
Earth-mass planet found orbiting the nearest star
By Bryan Dyne, 24 October 2012
A planet with similar mass to the Earth has been found orbiting α Centauri B, our closest interstellar neighbor.
Voyager spacecraft approaching interstellar space—35 years after launch
By Bryan Dyne, 28 September 2012
Voyager 1 and 2 have flown through the Solar System for 35 years and now Voyager 1 is on the verge of becoming humanity’s first interstellar spacecraft.
New fossils support a multiple-species view of early human evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 31 August 2012
Newly reported fossils from East Africa indicate multiple branches in early human evolution.
The Mars landing
By Patrick Martin, 10 August 2012
Despite efforts to portray it as a triumph for “American values,” the successful landing of the Curiosity rover was the product of collective social effort and scientific planning that is the antithesis of profit-mad individualism.
Curiosity rover lands on Mars: A milestone of space exploration
By Bryan Dyne, 7 August 2012
Curiosity, NASA’s latest Mars rover, has successfully landed on target at Gale crater.
Melting of Greenland ice shelf likely caused by global warming
By Bryan Dyne, 2 August 2012
The sudden melting of the Greenland ice shelf is an indicator that global warming is beginning to have a very widespread impact on human life.
Did Neanderthals create cave art?
By Philip Guelpa, 10 July 2012
It is possible that simple representations such as disks and negative hand prints, which new dating indicates were the earliest forms of cave art, were, in fact, originated by Neanderthals.
CERN discovers new fundamental particle
By Bryan Dyne, 5 July 2012
Results jointly released from the Large Hadron Collider have confirmed the existence of a new fundamental particle, which has the high possibility of being the long sought after Higgs boson.
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