SciAm Daily Digest

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Daily Digest

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Tiny tyrannosaurs rewrite evolutionary rules
Dainty relatives of T. rex force a rethinking of the origins of this dinosaur

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Copenhagen: Look to the Sea?
The oceans may be largely overlooked at the climate conference in Copenhagen, but they will bear the brunt of climate change

NEWS
In Deep Water: Will Essential Ocean Currents Be Altered by Climate Change? [Slide Show]
Scientists are struggling to get a grasp on the huge volumes of water flowing through the world's oceans
> Slide Show: In Deep Water: Will Essential Ocean Currents Be Altered by Climate Change? [Slide Show]

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Stradivari's Violin Secret? His Talent
A study that looked at the varnish used in Stradivarius instruments found nothing unusual, leading the researchers to conclude that Stradivari was just a master craftsman who had no secret ingredients unknown to other instrument-makers

NEWS
WISE Satellite Set to Map the Infrared Universe
NASA's latest space surveyor should be able to peer at distant galaxies and uncover dim objects right in our own celestial backyard

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Extreme Monotremes: Why Do Egg-Laying Mammals Still Exist?
Ancestors of the duck-billed platypus and the echidna may have survived their live-birthing competitors by taking to the water

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Another fatal blow to Asian vultures
As if it weren't bad enough that 99.9 percent of Asian vultures have been killed off in the past 20 years, now comes news that yet another potential man-made disaster waits in the wings

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Illusions: The Mona Lisa and Abraham Lincoln
What do the famous portrait and the former U.S. president have in common?

OBSERVATIONS
Convergence of old and new media remained elusive for AOL and Time Warner
The two companies made their split official Wednesday as they dissolved the blockbuster merger made nine years ago that ultimately fizzled

GREENWIRE
Copenhagen: No "Pass" for Developing Countries
Top U.S. negotiator tells fast-growing nations they must make major commitments

CLEANTECHNICA
Dried-Up Owens Lake to Get Remedial Solar Array
In probably the first example of using solar for environmental remediation, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power wants to try using a small photovoltaic plant at Owens Lake for dust control

VIDEO
Dutch launch CO2-free canal cruiser
The Netherlands launches the first canal boat to be powered by pollution-free fuel cells

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Daily Digest

NEWS
Newly Discovered T. Rex Relative Fleshes Out Early Dino Evolution
The recently unearthed theropod, Tawa hallae, solidifies the link between primitive carnivores and those that evolved into modern birds

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Gene Stops Ovaries from Testifying
A mouse study in the journal Cell finds that a gene in females must remain active throughout her life to keep her ovaries from turning into testes

NEWS
Subsurface Gas Deposit Could Deflate Theory of How Earth's Atmosphere Formed
Krypton trapped in Earth's mantle appears not to have been captured from the sun, as some models would predict

OBSERVATIONS
Italy science council funds creationist book
The move has vexed many scientists in the country where the Vatican recently came out in support of Darwin's ideas

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Piercing the Plasma: Ideas to Beat the Communications Blackout of Reentry
Anticipating novel spacecraft and Mach 10 missiles, the U.S. Air Force considers new ways around an old problem

OBSERVATIONS
New journal aims to reframe doctor-patient collaborations in health care
Today, motivated patients can use the Internet to dive well beyond WebMD, by joining online support groups and research-mining communities that often know more detail about etiology and treatment nuances than just about any medical specialist

OBSERVATIONS
Large Hadron Collider eclipses record for high-energy collisions
On Tuesday, record-setting beams accelerated in opposite directions to energies of 1.2 trillion electron volts collided for the first time--the most energetic particle crash ever orchestrated in a collider

CLEANTECHNICA
Camel Power Meets Solar Power in Africa
Camels have been getting a bad rap in Australia, where they've become such a destructive invasive species. But in Kenya an organization has found a new sustainable solar cargo for the ships of the desert

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Call Me Melville, Based on New Word Use
A study in the New Journal of Physics finds that writers leave a regular, distinct pattern of how frequently they use new words

GREENWIRE
Broader Interpretation Sought for Endangered Species Act
Scientists ask U.S. Interior Department to rescind Bush-era restrictions

OBSERVATIONS
Will fast-tracked "green" patents yield useful new technologies or the next generation of frivolous lawsuits?
A new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office pilot program could mean patent approvals in a year rather than the standard 40-month wait time, giving inventors of alternative fuels and improved carbon capture methods and batteries, among other innovations, quicker access to funding

CLEANTECHNICA
Real Solar Breakthrough Could Clean Panels with Less Water
Solar power is one of the solutions offered to stop climate change by helping to end fossil-fuel use. Yet, ironically, it is itself constrained by a warming environment that is creating increasing desertification

EARTHTALK
Are Aesthetics a Good Reason Not to Be a Fan of Wind Power?
Some see power-generating wind farms as eyesores, others as graceful additions to the landscape. Either way, with wind becoming one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources, these towering turbines have become ubiquitous--and are here to stay

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Daily Digest

NEWS
The Science of Climate Negotiations
As negotiators in Copenhagen work to complete a global agreement, how much are they taking science into account?

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
World Changing Ideas: December's Scientific American
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and editor Michael Moyer talk about the "World Changing Ideas" feature as well as other contents of the December issue

NEWS
Head Chaise: Couching One's Thoughts into a Brain Wave Sofa
A neuro-feedback-contrived couch in Belgium that came literally out of one of the designer's heads
> Slide Show: Head Chaise: Couching One's Thoughts into a Brain Wave Sofa

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Gene for Disease Has Healthy Flip Side
A study in the journal Science finds that the gene for anemia-causing G6PD deficiency also protects against malaria, thereby keeping the gene active in populations

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Double Life of ATP in Humans (Preview)
The molecule ATP, famous as an essential energy source inside cells, also carries critical messages between cells. That dual role is suggesting fresh ideas for fighting human diseases

OBSERVATIONS
Giant panda genome sequenced, explains taste for bamboo
New genetic insights--gleaned in this study from the genes of a three-year-old female in China--have answered some old questions

FEATURES
On a Roll: Autonomous Navigation Lasers and Robotics Push Push "Smart" Wheelchair Technology to the Cutting Edge
One of the latest attempts to build a commercially viable smart wheelchair is leveraging lessons learned from the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
> Slide Show: On a Roll: Autonomous Navigation Lasers and Robotics Push "Smart" Wheelchair Technology to the Cutting Edge

NEWS
Interior Secretary Outlines How to Use North American Continent to Combat Climate Change
The U.S. Department of Interior plots a new use for public lands by using them as carbon sinks to abate global warming

SOLAR AT HOME
Should you add batteries to your solar array?
Today, with net-metering, we let the grid "store" power for us. Nevertheless, batteries can still play a role in a home solar system by providing standby power during blackouts

GREENWIRE
Mercury Common in U.S. Adults
Bisphenol A widespread too, but lead is down

CLEANTECHNICA
Enwave Cools Downtown Toronto Elegantly, Thanks to Accident of History
Many big cities like New York City, Hong Kong and Toronto are ideally situated to use nearby cold water for carbon-neutral district air-conditioning

EARTHTALK
Searching for the Best Way to Go Green When Traveling
When planning a trip, there are transportation and accommodation options that can help shrink your carbon footprint

CLEANTECHNICA
U.S. to Become World Leader in Solar PV Market?
A new comprehensive study of the photovoltaic market in each state and in the U.S. as a whole comes to some interesting and hopeful conclusions

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Daily Digest

FEATURES
Triple-Drug Cocktail in the Works for Hepatitis C Therapy
Drugs that are specific to hepatitis C will soon go from trial to clinic, giving more patients hope, but a vaccine is still elusive

OBSERVATIONS
A tool-wielding octopus? This invertebrate builds armor from coconut halves
The dexterous octopuses were observed stockpiling discarded coconut halves, carrying them (with some difficulty), and later using the oversize pieces to build protective armor
> Related Video: Smart octopus can use tools

NEWS
How to Make Plastic with Less Petroleum-Just Add CO2
Using technology developed at Cornell University, Novomer gets additional funding to develop a plastic-manufacturing process that requires less oil by folding in carbon dioxide

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
If Time Flew, You Had Fun
A study finds that if people believe that time has flown, they also think they had more fun

NEWS
Lost Giants: Did Mammoths Vanish Before, During and After Humans Arrived?
Three studies seem to disagree as to when mammoths, saber-toothed cats and other North American megafauna disappeared

OBSERVATIONS
Mimicking red blood cells to improve drug delivery
By devising a flexible, biodegradable microparticle that looks and acts like a red blood cell, engineers have created a material that they think could be more effective at delivering drugs and imaging substances

EARTHTALK
What Will It Take to Make the Copenhagen Conference a Success?
When nations meet in Copenhagen to hash out an agreement to ward off the anticipated cataclysmic effects of global warming, they will be backed by scientific and economic studies. But do they have the political will to ratify what needs to be done?

NEWS
Crowd Forcing: Random Movement of Bacteria Drives Gears
In the swimming motions of aerobic bacteria against asymmetric gears, apparent randomness can yield directed motion

SOLAR AT HOME
Solar panels for the rest of us
Akeena Solar announced that Lowes's California stores would begin selling Andalay solar panels, which, because they incorporate an inverter, output AC rather than DC current

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Crack Research: Good news about knuckle cracking.
One man's long, noisy, asymmetrical adventure gets him a high five

MIND MATTERS
Portrait of a Multitasking Mind
What happens when you try to do three things at once?

OBSERVATIONS
WISE, NASA's infrared surveyor, launches successfully
Following a monthlong checkout, the satellite is designed to spend nine months surveying the sky in the infrared wavelengths that are largely blocked by the planet's atmosphere and hence inaccessible to ground-based observers

OBSERVATIONS
4G networks open for business (sort of) in Norway and Sweden
Fourth-generation broadband wireless networks are a few years away from widespread use, but the technology (10 times faster than anything available today) got a boost Monday when Nordic telecommunications operator TeliaSonera opened the first commercial 4G network

GREENWIRE
U.S. Drinking Water Widely Contaminated
EPA finds 202 unregulated chemicals in 45 states

CLEANTECHNICA
Gold Nanoparticles Could Lend Green to Fabrics and Fragrances
A team of Harvard scientists has discovered that gold nanoparticles could be used to produce fabrics and fragrances. The process is cheaper and more energy efficient, and it emits fewer pollutants than conventional production methods

IMAGE GALLERY
Mars orbiter lines up both Martian moons in one photo
As Mars Express cycled through its orbit, Phobos passed through its line of sight roughly 11,800 kilometers away, partially obscuring Deimos as the smaller moon cruised more slowly through its orbit some 26,200 kilometers from the spacecraft

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Daily Digest

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Looking for Life in the Multiverse
Universes with different physical laws might still be habitable
> Related: Life Quest: Could Parallel Universes Be Congenial to Life?

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Mercury Fillings Seem Safer over Time
A study finds that mercury on the surface of dental fillings slowly turns to an inert sulfide compound, which should keep the mercury from harming the nervous system

FEATURES
Bugs Inside: What Happens When the Microbes That Keep Us Healthy Disappear?
The human body has more microbial than human cells, but this rich diversity of micro-helpers that has evolved along with us is undergoing a rapid shift--one that may have very macro health consequences

NEWS
Subcontinental Smut: Is Soot the Culprit Behind Melting Himalayan Glaciers?
Greenhouse gases alone cannot explain the warming climate in the Himalayas. New studies are pointing to soot

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Does Inflammation Trigger Insulin Resistance and Diabetes?
It's not just obesity--more evidence links inflammation with type 2 diabetes

NEWS
U.S. Unveils a $350-Million Energy-Efficiency Initiative at Copenhagen
Solar lanterns and more efficient appliances are part of a new U.S.-led effort to deploy clean energy across the globe to combat climate change and other ills

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
Our Bodies, Our Culture
How we understand the location of our own body in space is culturally dependent

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Conditional Consciousness: Predicting Recovery from the Vegetative State
Tests reveal patients in vegetative states can form new memories

OBSERVATIONS
Climate change is ridding the world's tropical mountain ranges of ice
The Altiplano, or high plain, of Bolivia and Peru is getting a new climate. In the past 60 years temperatures have risen, rainfall patterns have changed and soils are drying out

GREENWIRE
Nanotech Group Targets Energy Security
Getting nano-solar cells, batteries, across the "valley of death" is key

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Will the U.S. military do right by the dugong?
Environmentalists fear a plan to build a 2.5-mile-long airfield in Okinawa could doom a rare manateelike species to extinction

EARTHTALK
Green Architecture: What Makes a Structure a "Living Building"?
A Pacific Northwest organization has the defined an environmentally sound structure as one that generates its own energy, captures and treats all of its water, operates efficiently, and is aesthetically pleasing

CLEANTECHNICA
300-Million-Year-Old Limestone Cave to Cool Data
Researchers are trying to find the best way to use natural conditions and engineering designs to make the perfect environment for electronic documents

VIDEO
Boeing 787 makes maiden flight
Boeing's revolutionary lightweight 787 Dreamliner, constructed mostly of composite materials, took to the skies for the first time, marking a new era in air transport

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Daily Digest

FEATURES
SciAm's 2009 Gadget Guide: 10 Tech Toys You Deserve after a Tough Year
This year will be remembered for the federal economic stimulus package, Wall Street bailouts, and just possibly a fun new gadget or two
> Slide Show: SciAm's 2009 Gadget Guide: 10 Tech Toys You Deserve after a Tough Year

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Smaller Fingers Mean More Sensitive Fingertips
A study finds that people with smaller fingers have more sensitive fingertips, probably due to a higher concentration of touch receptors in a given area

OBSERVATIONS
Owning the climate: Will geoengineering help combat climate change?
With little hope of reducing carbon emissions enough, some scientists think radical solutions may become necessary: artificial, eternal volcanoes; using saltwater mist to increase cloud cover; even flotillas of mirrors in space

NEWS
Worlds Away: Astronomers Begin to Uncover Nearby "Super-Earths"
A trio of studies presents evidence for the more elusive small planets orbiting nearby stars

OBSERVATIONS
Lonely senator says Copenhagen necessary for climate action in U.S.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry made the trip to say that without action toward a global agreement in Copenhagen, it will be difficult for many senators to reassure constituents that U.S. action won't reduce economic opportunity

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Earth-Like Planets May Be Made of Carbon
Could extrasolar planets consist of graphite and diamond?

OBSERVATIONS
Spread globally, infect locally: Model predicts transmission of flu
Researchers created a model to predict when and where a H1N1 will strike, based on the patterns of human mobility on both a global scale that focuses on air travel and on a local level focusing on daily commuting

CLEANTECHNICA
COP15: Consensus Reached on Setting Up Climate Innovation Centers for Technology Transfer
India's proposal to set up a network of global climate innovation centers for the creation of affordable clean-energy technologies for the developing and poor countries has gained approval "in-principle" at the Copenhagen conference

EARTHTALK
Wipe or Wash? Do Bidets Save Forest and Water Resources?
Popular everywhere except North America, where Americans use 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper annually, switching to bathroom bidets could save some 15 million trees

GREENWIRE
Debate Rises on Whether to Ban Chlorine
Transporting the chemical to water treatment plants could be a terrorist risk; substitutes sought

CLEANTECHNICA
Konarka's Power Plastic Turns Buildings into Power Plants
A Massachusetts-based company has launched a pilot project that will integrate its proprietary Power Plastic solar panels into the nonloadbearing exterior wall of a building

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Daily Digest

NEWS
Orphanages Rival Foster Homes for Quality Child Care
Contrary to popular melodramas and musicals, orphanages in many countries seem to take care of abandoned children just as well as adoptive homes

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
Copenhagen and Everywhere Else
ScientificAmerican.com's David Biello is in Copenhagen at the climate conference, and he'll tell us what's going on. And the Wildlife Conservation Society's Steven Sanderson discusses his article, "Where the Wild Things Were," worldwide conservation and the Everglades

NEWS
Dark Matter Researchers Still in the Dark as Underground Search Returns Uncertain Results
Detectors buried deep within a mine registered two potential signals of dark matter, but either or both could have been background noise

OBSERVATIONS
Humans feasting on grains for at least 100,000 years
Although cupcakes and crumpets were still a long way off during the middle Stone Age, new evidence suggests that at least some humans were eating starchy, cereal-based snacks much further back in history than previous research has suggested
> Related Podcast: Grain Use Well before Modern Agriculture

NEWS
Eyes Wide Shut: Earth's Vital Signs Soon to Go Unmeasured as Satellites Fail
NASA's fleet of Earth Observing System orbiters is on borrowed time due to a lack of planning and underfunding
> Related: With One Space Observatory Down, NASA Uses Another to Map CO2

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Trying to keep Rudolph, and his fellow reindeer, from going down in history
Populations of one North American reindeer subspecies, the Peary caribou, have dropped nearly 85 percent since the late 1960s--from 50,000 to fewer than 7,800 today

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Kool-Aid Psychology: Realism versus Optimism
How optimism trumped realism in the positive-psychology movement

NEWS
IEA: Energy Revolution Required to Combat Climate Change
The International Energy Agency has analyzed exactly what it would take to limit greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

NEWS
Black-and-White TV: Nonverbal Racial Bias Found in Popular Television Shows
Facial expressions and body language may reinforce racism

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The "Problem" with a Public Interest in Science
A humorous warning for the media coverage of science

GREENWIRE
Disease Decimating Bats in Northeastern U.S.
White-nose syndrome continues to baffle

NEWS
Some airborne particles pose more dangers than others
New evidence suggests that breathing nickel and other metals can lead to lung and heart damage, and even death

EARTHTALK
Growing Up: Skyscraper Farms Seen as a Way to Produce Food Locally--And Cut Greenhouse Emissions
Could growing crops on high-rise buildings feed growing urban populations, thereby sparing the need to cultivate more and more tracts of land?

CLEANTECHNICA
Waste Heat from Data Center to Warm a Conservatory
Just as data farms need to have that warmth removed day in and day out, greenhouses, by contrast, need a supply of consistent warmth, summer and winter

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Daily Digest

NEWS
U.S., China, India and Other Nations Arrive at Nonbinding Agreement at U.N. Climate Summit
A new draft agreement from both developed and developing countries might prove the key to combating climate change
> Related Blog: Draft text of new "Copenhagen Accord"
> Related Podcast: Copenhagen's Carbon Debt
> Related Podcast: Accord of Sorts in Copenhagen

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Lighter Drinks Avoid Heavy Head
A study finds that lighter colored spirits, such as vodka, may cause lesser hangovers than darker drinks, such as bourbon

NEWS
New Map Reveals Tsunami Risks in California
The map, released close to the fifth anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, will be helpful in emergency response planning

OBSERVATIONS
How Santa Does It: Clones, Wormholes and Memory-Elimination Devices
In The Truth about Santa: Wormholes, Robots, and What Really Happens on Christmas Eve, veteran science writer Gregory Mone has for the first time uncovered the advanced technological tricks that Santa must rely on to make real what was once mere fantasy

ASK THE EXPERTS
Does Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy Work?
Athletes such as Tiger Woods and the Pittsburgh Steelers's Hines Ward have undergone platelet-rich plasma therapy, but is there evidence that the treatment really speeds the healing of injuries?

FEATURES
Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways
A wide range of organisms generate their own light to seek mates, sustenance and survival--inspiring researchers and moviemakers alike
> Slide Show: Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How to Cure 1 Billion People?--Defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases
The poorest people are not only poor. They are also chronically sick, making it harder for them to escape poverty. A new global initiative may break the vicious cycle

OBSERVATIONS
Could ocean acidification deafen dolphins?
Changing marine chemistry may be altering the deep sea's acoustic environment, according to a new paper

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
Bonus Bogus Brainteaser
The Totally Bogus Quiz for this week

NEWS
World's First Fuel Cell Ship Docks in Copenhagen
Can fuel cells and natural gas help reduce emissions from shipping?

CLEANTECHNICA
Robot Corps to Repair Nation's Water Mains
With over two million miles of aging water mains to maintain, the U.S. is on the brink of a water supply precipice. Developing robotic water main repair devices that can work faster than human crews could help resolve the problem

IMAGE GALLERY
Titan lake shines in sunlight
NASA's Cassini probe has snapped the first images of sunlight reflected off one of the hydrocarbon lakes at Saturn's moon Titan

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
In 100 Heartbeats Jeff Corwin tackles causes and costs of species extinctions
Conservationist Jeff Corwin is known for often bringing a goofy passion to his television projects for Animal Planet and other networks. His latest effort displays no less passion, but switches out most of the jokes for gravitas

VIDEO
Mayon close to erupting
The Philippines's most famous volcano has been raised to alert level 3 as the mountain threatens to erupt

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Daily Digest

FEATURES
The Top 10 Science Stories of 2009
A hominid ancestor, swine flu, the world's biggest laser system and other highlights that defined this year in science
> Slide Show: The Top 10 Science Stories of 2009

SCIAM EXCLUSIVES VIDEO
COP15 Part 1: Chaos in Copenhagen
Nature editor Olive Heffernan reports on the organizational disaster that has left hundreds of registered delegates excluded from the U.N. negotiations on climate change
> Part 2: A climatologist's take on Copenhagen
> Part 3: For forests, a deal almost done
> Part 4: The final hours

OBSERVATIONS
Bird-like dinosaur used venom to subdue prey
Examining specimens from the two known Sinornithosaurus species, researchers found the creatures had features reminiscent of today's rear-fanged snakes

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Fall in Love and Stay That Way (Preview)
Nothing is more fulfilling than being in a successful love relationship. Yet we leave our love lives entirely to chance. Maybe we don't have to anymore
> Related: How Science Can Help You Fall (and Stay) in Love

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Water Blankets Forming Planets
A study finds much more molecular water in regions where planets are forming around young stars. The mechanism to keep the water from being destroyed by UV radiation appears to involve some of the water molecules shielding the rest

MIND MATTERS
The Mechanics of Mind Reading
Can a brain scanner decode your inner thoughts?

NEWS
Inflated Expectations: Crowd-Sourcing Comes of Age in the DARPA Network Challenge
The M.I.T. and Georgia Tech teams proved most successful in using social networks to pinpoint the locations of 10 red weather balloons scattered throughout the U.S.

OBSERVATIONS
Scenes from the front
Videos of the Copenhagen climate summit

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
AIDS Vaccine: Mixed Result, Possible Future
Despite questions, AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand spreads optimism

OBSERVATIONS
Going the distance: A new study finds that the reward center in the brains of depressed people lacks endurance
The region activated after depressed participants looked at images associated with positive emotions. But the activity eventually faded, suggesting that a depressed person's reward center cannot sustain happiness

GREENWIRE
Molecular Breeding Makes Crops Hardier and More Nutritious
Markers, knockouts and other technical advances improve breeding without modifying genes

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
On the horns of a dilemma: Last-ditch effort aims to save nearly extinct northern white rhino--But is it too late?
Only eight northern white rhinos exist in the world, all in captivity--until recently. Four of those animals were flown to Kenya, where it is hoped that living in their natural environment will inspire them to breed

EXTREME TECH
Hoisting One for Wind Power: Climbing Crane Expected to Keep Vestas Turbines Spinning
A Danish wind-power provider develops its own technology to maintain towering turbines in gusts roaring at up to 15 meters per second
> Slide Show: Hoisting One for Wind Power: Climbing Crane Expected to Keep Vestas Turbines Spinning

CLEANTECHNICA
AP Interactive Map of Climate Emissions, Indications and Pledges
A very beautifully designed interactive map via the AP Climate Pool shows which countries were naughty and which countries were nice when it comes to their greenhouse gas emissions, and also shows each nation's pledges to do better in the future

IMAGE GALLERY
Bug-Ugly: Snakefly Snatches "Ugliest Bug" Title
Compiled by Arizona State University, along with Northern Arizona University, the contest has been extolling ugly bugs since 1997, awarding its highest honor in 2008 to the tick

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Truth about Nanobacteria (Preview)
Once believed to be the smallest pathogens known, nanobacteria have now proved to be something almost as strange. They do play a role in health—just not the one originally thought

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Lighter Drinks Avoid Heavy Head
A study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research finds that lighter colored spirits, such as vodka, may cause lesser hangovers than darker drinks, such as bourbon. Cynthia Graber reports

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Nano-Risks: A Big Need for a Little Testing
The EPA must act swiftly to evaluate the possible health risks of nanotechnology

CLEANTECHNICA
Cheap Solar Watering Troughs for Iowa Cattle
Solar arrays can provide energy to pump water to watering troughs for cows, improving water quality on remote pastures and saving money too

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Gal Gamers Geekier Than Guys
A study in the Journal of Communication found that women who engage in a role-playing game online actually spend more time in the alternate reality than the guy players do. Karen Hopkin reports.

GREENWIRE
Giant Carp, 100 pounds, Could Devastate Great Lakes
Electrocution, poison no match for invader

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
How Science Can Help You Fall (and Stay) in Love
Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina introduces the November/December issue of Scientific American MIND

CLEANTECHNICA
US Dairy Industry to Help USDA Meet 25 Percent by 2020 Copenhagen Target
The US Dairy industry announced that it is partnering with the US Department of Agriculture to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 by greatly ramping-up the use of anaerobic digesters

OBSERVATIONS
Scientific American editor in chief Mariette DiChristina honored as one of
The National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) has selected Scientific American editor in chief Mariette DiChristina as one of its "Three Wise Women" of 2009

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
Remembering That Person's Name
Recent research finds that we all have a tough time remembering names as we age. But for those with early Alzheimer's the decline is significant and includes forgetting biographical information as well. Christie Nicholson reports

NEWS
Mars Moil: One Mission Revived as Others Fight for Life or Await Possible Resurrection
On the frontier of planetary exploration, nothing is easy

OBSERVATIONS
Obama chooses Howard Schmidt to coordinate national cybersecurity
President Obama on Tuesday introduced Howard Schmidt as the new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator

EXTREME TECH
Hoisting One for Wind Power: Climbing Crane Expected to Keep Vestas Turbines Spinning [Slide Show]
A Danish wind-power provider develops its own technology to maintain towering turbines in gusts roaring at up to 15 meters per second

CLEANTECHNICA
Solar Giant — First Solar — Exceeding Wall Street Expectations, & More
One of the solar industry's corporate giants, First Solar, announced recently that it expects sales for fiscal year 2010 to reach between $2.7 billion and $2.9 billion. This is about $300 to $500 million more than Wall Street expectations

NEWS
World's First Fuel Cell Ship Docks in Copenhagen
Can fuel cells and natural gas help reduce emissions from shipping?

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Daily Digest

FEATURES
Polynomial Plot: Simple Math Expressions Yield Intricate Visual Patterns [Slide Show]
Plotting the roots of run-of-the-mill polynomials yields dazzling results

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Find X and Say Your Work
A study in the Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology found that students who worked out math problems out loud got more accurate results, and faster. Karen Hopkin reports.

FEATURES
When Fear Makes Us Superhuman
Can an extreme response to fear give us strength we would not have under normal circumstances?

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
How are memories saved?
Michael Rugg, director of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine, provides an explanation

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How Asteroids Built the Continents (Preview)
Did asteroid strikes during the earth's youth spawn the earliest fragments of today's landmasses?

CLEANTECHNICA
China Requires Utilities to Buy All the Electricity Generated By Renewable Energy Companies
This weekend the main Chinese legislature adopted an amendment to the renewable energy law, requiring that utilities must buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators

FEATURES
7 "Hot" Products: Radioactive Gifts and Gadgets of Yesteryear [Slide Show]
With another holiday shopping season upon us, here is a look back at some of the consumer items of the early 20th century that had some gift givers and receivers radiating more than just smiles

OBSERVATIONS
Supersonic bathtub physics: What happens when discs are pushed through water?
Sonic booms can occur in fairly routine settings: for example, it is a sonic boom you hear when a whip cracks. But in your bathtub?

CLEANTECHNICA
Nation's Largest University-Sited Solar Panel System, in Florida
The largest solar panel array at a university was just launched this week at Florida Gulf Coast University

NEWS
Vitamin C Boosts the Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Adding ascorbic acid to culture medium could help overcome the main roadblock in reprogramming human, mouse cells into iPS cells

CLEANTECHNICA
Two of the Country's Biggest Solar Power Plants Get Utility Contracts
Major power companies in Florida and New Mexico announced this week that they would start buying large amounts of energy from certain solar power producers soon

CLEANTECHNICA
Shipping Goes Up, Pollution Goes Down: U.S. EPA Issues Final Rule for Diesel Emissions
Diesel pollution from the shipping industry should be expected to soar in the near future as shipping traffic increases, but the U.S. EPA has just taken an important step toward nipping the emissions trend in the bud

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Man convicted for killing and eating China's last Indochinese tiger
The last Indochinese tiger in China was killed and eaten by a man who has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his crime

CLEANTECHNICA
Another Economy Might Be Beginning Escape From Fossil Energy Dependence
Another nation has reduced greenhouse gas emissions, while not taking an economic hit. Canada's top 10 industrial greenhouse gas emitters reduced their emissions by 9% in a year, while the economy grew in the meantime by 0.5%

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Daily Digest

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Are Social Networks Messing with Your Head? (Preview)
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and their cousins have evolved from college fad to global ubiquity in seven short years. Whether they are good for our mental health is another matter

CLEANTECHNICA
World's Fastest High-Speed Train Is Now Running in China
The world's fastest high-speed train, averaging 217 mph, was just launched in China. It blows away the competition, but may not be so special for long

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Climate Numerology: How Much Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Is Safe?
Trying to find a "safe" level for atmospheric carbon dioxide

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Natural Pot-Like Compound Could Fight Obesity
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that endocannabinoids, compounds naturally found in the body related to pot's active ingredient, could inform the effort to control appetite. Cyntia Graber reports.

OBSERVATIONS
Music to the (ringing) ears: New therapy targets tinnitus
Many people with tinnitus might soon be able to find refuge in the very indulgence that often started the ringing in the first place: music

CLEANTECHNICA
New Glitter-Sized Photovoltaic Cells Use Less Silicon, Generate More Electricity
Researchers have come up with a new photovoltaic cell no bigger than a flake of glitter, but it uses 100 times less silicon to generate the same amount of electricity as conventional solar cells

MIND MATTERS
Diary of a High Functioning Person with Schizophrenia
Legal scholar Elyn Saks talks about her struggles with, and surprising triumphs over, mental illness

OBSERVATIONS
What could have stopped the Christmas bomber?
Could the device worn by the would-be Christmas bomber have been detected? The technology answer is simple: Yes

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Curlew quest: Volunteers in 35 countries to search for a 'lost' bird species
Like looking for a needle in an entire field of haystacks, volunteers and scientists will fan out across Europe, Africa and Asia this winter to try to find a rare bird species that has not been seen in nearly a decade

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Daily Digest

VIDEO
Airport body scanner 'essential'
Dutch showcase new, improved airport body scanners after a Nigerian allegedly tried to blow up a passenger jet over the U.S. on Christmas Day.

NEWS
Are Engines the Future of Solar Power?
Stirling engines might be the best way to harvest the power provided by the sun

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
I Learned It at the Movies--Hollywood as a Teacher
Even films that are historically inaccurate can be a valuable teaching tool

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
NYC High Schoolers Find Fake Food Labeling with DNA
Working with professional gene sequencers, high school students Brenda Tan and Matt Cost identified food frauds and unusual animal species in the city. The research will appear in the journal BioScience. Adam Hinterthuer reports.

OBSERVATIONS
Combating climate change by observing the earth
As part of the U.S. charm offensive at the recent Copenhagen summit on climate change, a roughly one meter-diameter orb helped display a decade's worth of climate data collected by NASA satellites

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
The Science Talk Quiz: "Totally Bogus"
Here are four science stories, but only three are true. See if you know which story is TOTALLY BOGUS.

EXTREME TECH
Hybrid Solar Panels Combine Photovoltaics with Thermoelectricity
Columbia University and N.Y. engineering firm Weidlinger Associates are developing a layered approach that will draw electricity from the sun's energy in multiple ways

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Nuclear Doomsday Clock Still Ticks
As long as opportunities and excuses for nuclear aggression persist, the world will never be safe from annihilation

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
South Asian Threat? Local Nuclear War = Global Suffering (Preview)
Worry has focused on the U.S. versus Russia, but a regional nuclear war between India and Pakistan could blot out the sun, starving much of the human race

NEWS
Gingko Doesn't Slow Cognitive Decline in Elderly
Taking the herbal supplement for six years did not keep older adults any sharper

IMAGE GALLERY
Mars Polar Lander wreck may be hidden in plain sight
A Mars-bound lander that disappeared 10 years ago and has yet to be found may be hidden in an image such as this

CLEANTECHNICA
New 'Cap & Rebate' Climate Bill Proposal Will Give You $1,100 a Year?
A new climate bill proposal with bi-partisan and moderate-Democrat support changes a few critical features from previous proposals, but it still seems to keep to the aim

NEWS
What a Colored Square Taught Me about Defeating Fear
A fear conditioning study finds a way to drive away frightful memories

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Daily Digest

FEATURES
Ten Science Letdowns of the New Millennium [Slide Show]
Few flying cars and no fountains of youth: Since 2000, many old science goals have remained as far away as ET's signals

EXTREME TECH
New Drone Spies Combat Targets from the Stratosphere
The U.S. military hopes Sanswire-TAO's STS-111, which looks like a cross between a weather balloon and a dirigible, will stealthily gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance info

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Readers Respond to "The Social Cure"--And More...
Letters to the editor about the September/October 2009 issue of Scientific American MIND

OBSERVATIONS
Undertakers' New Year's message to drunk drivers: It's your own funeral
In the days leading up to New Year's Eve, people in Rome, Georgia, outside Atlanta, could see an unusual type of campaign to discourage drunk driving

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
In the 12 Months of 2009
David Biello offers a semi-musical look back at the year just had by the Earth and its people

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
MIND Reviews: The Human Brain Book
The Human Brain Book packs an astonishing amount of information between its oversized covers, proving interesting and informative for both experts brushing up on the basics and new­­bies looking to learn more about the brain

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Restoring Cells' Potential Is Method of the Year
The journal Nature Methods is calling its "Method of the Year" the technique that now allows researchers to take an adult cell and make it behave as a pluripotent stem cell, which can become any kind of differentiated body cell. Cynthia Graber reports.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Recommended: Secrets of the Universe: How We Discovered the Cosmos
Books and recommendations from Scientific American

CLEANTECHNICA
Copenhagen Actions and Pledges Are Not Final till January 31st
We actually won't know the final success or failure of Copenhagen climate summit until February. The last day of January is when each nation's final pledges and commitments are due to be "written in" to the non-binding Copenhagen Accord

OBSERVATIONS
Russian space chief makes vague threat to vaguely threatening asteroid
Anatoly Perminov, the head of Russia's space agency, said today that Russia will consider deflecting the near-Earth asteroid Apophis from its present path, according to news reports

CLEANTECHNICA
New Micro-Machine Harvests Energy from Vibrations
Highways, train stations and even dance floors could yield a rich trove of clean, sustainable energy

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Daily Digest

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Do Cardiovascular Implants Get Enough Testing?
A study points out that many implantable cardiovascular devices appear to get FDA premarket approval without what the authors consider to be sufficient published test results

EXTREME TECH
Faster Than a Speeding Carrot: A Racing Car Made Entirely from Recyclables and Vegetable By-Products
Biomaterials researchers build a Formula 3 racing car from recyclables and compostable materials that has been clocked at 238 kilometers per hour

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Computers Can't Show You the Monet
A study finds that computer programs for identifying works of art fall far short of even nonexpert human judges, because of our ability to psychologically evaluate scenes

OBSERVATIONS
Good mutations: Stalking evolution through genetic mutation in plants
A new study has uncovered the rate of the plant's spontaneous mutations as they happen across generations-a finding that could help illuminate the evolutionary history of plants and selective breeding efforts in the future
> Related: Prion evolution takes lessons on diversification from viruses

NEWS
Molecular Wheels Need Hubs to Form
Chemists catch nanometer-scale structures self-assembling around transient templates

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
Powerful and Bad in 2009
Recent research finds that a feeling of entitlement to power can inspire hypocrisy

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Gaming for Profits: Real Money from Virtual Worlds (Preview)
Online fantasy games enable developing world entrepreneurs to make a living by trading stashes of make-believe gold for hard cash

CLEANTECHNICA
Chinese Company Considers a Future with Nuclear Cargo Shipping
Shipping giant Cosco is looking into the feasibility of running a cargo shipping fleet using nuclear power

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Genetic analysis reveals parasitic origin of contagious cancer devastating Tasmanian devils
The deadly cancer that puts Tasmanian devils at risk of extinction may have originated in another species, according to research

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
How does background noise affect our concentration?
Mark A. W. Andrews, director and professor of physiology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa., replies

SOLAR AT HOME
Tools for doing your own energy audit
I recently went around the house checking how much power our electronic appliances and adaptors consumed in standby mode. Bracing myself for a torrent of waste, I was pleasantly surprised that most devices drew less than one watt

CLEANTECHNICA
Clean Tech Investors Have Faith in 2010
Even without a strong, legally binding agreement in Copenhagen, investors have faith in clean tech and say that a couple of other things are more important than the international agreement for 2010 clean tech investment

VIDEO
Airport body scanner "essential"
The Netherlands showcases new, improved airport body scanners after a Nigerian allegedly tried to blow up a passenger jet over the U.S. on Christmas Day