http://topicfire.com/Science 2013-05-24T11:11:11+00:00 text/html 2013-05-24T17:35:38+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/bridge-collapse-washington-state-sends-two-cars-plunging-skagit-river <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/bridge-collapse-washington-state-sends-two-cars-plunging-skagit-river"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Screen%20Shot%202013-05-24%20at%2010.50.39%20AM.png" /></a><br />The collapsed I-5 span over Washington's Skagit River No one was killed, but it's just another example of how badly American infrastructure is crumbling. It's been a rough week for bridges around the U.S. At about 7 p.m. local time in Washington state yesterday a bridge spanning the Skagit river... text/html 2013-05-24T17:08:59+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/bbcs-new-radio-can-alter-computer-generated-scripts-fly <a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/bbcs-new-radio-can-alter-computer-generated-scripts-fly"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/radio_0.jpg" /></a><br />Upgrade Radio AlfvanBeem via Wikimedia Commons A responsive radio could add localized, real-time weather updates, adjust background noise levels and more. BBC's Future Media North Lab has created a responsive radio that's capable of changing the broadcast you hear based on your location, your proximity to the device and other... text/html 2013-05-24T16:35:22+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=186450897&ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=186450897&ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/22/kobo_town_band_photo_paul-wright_sq-e49da95a83756607d3800f4f6b1ee63132b4818a.jpg?s=16" /></a><br />North Carolina State University biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues surveyed people's pillow cases, refrigerators, toilet seats, TV screens and other household spots, to learn about the microbes that dwell in our homes. Among the findings, reported in the journal PLoS One, homes with dogs had more diverse bacterial communities, and... text/html 2013-05-24T16:21:50+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/asteroid-hauling-rocket-may-be-ion-propelled <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/asteroid-hauling-rocket-may-be-ion-propelled"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/xenon-propulsion.jpg" /></a><br />Ion Propulsion Thruster An ion propulsion thruster, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, that's being considered for NASA's Asteroid Retrieval Initiative. This thruster uses xenon ions. NASA/JPL-Caltech A look at possible propulsion for NASA's plan to bring an asteroid home for study. When NASA sends a rocket out to tow... text/html 2013-05-24T16:04:11+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/can-new-female-arousal-drug-help-bored-women-get-it <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/can-new-female-arousal-drug-help-bored-women-get-it"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/coupleinbed.jpg" /></a><br />Desire G.dallorto via Wikimedia Commons The "female Viagra" has to tackle more than just a physical malfunction. Since Viagra came on the scene in the late '90s, men with sexual disfunction have been able to pop a pill and get busy to their hearts' content. For women, it's harder: There's... text/html 2013-05-24T15:34:32+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/brazilian-government-invests-robocops-2016-olympics <a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/brazilian-government-invests-robocops-2016-olympics"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/irobot510.jpg" /></a><br />iRobot 510 PackBot iRobot The same robots used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan come to Brazil. Brazil has a big couple of years coming up: the FIFA World Cup and the pope are both coming to Brazil in 2014, and the summer 2016 Olympic Games will be... text/html 2013-05-24T14:36:51+00:00 http://www.wired.com/ http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/museum-collection-insects/ <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/museum-collection-insects/"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/05/Libellula-luctuosa.jpg" /></a><br />A citizen science project called Calbug, which launched this week, hopes to recruit volunteers to help digitize field notes for more than a million insect and spider specimens held by nine natural history museums in California. text/html 2013-05-24T14:32:46+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182678715/can-anyone-learn-to-be-a-master-memorizer?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182678715/can-anyone-learn-to-be-a-master-memorizer?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/22/rememberances1_sq-495c7939ced81c2ffdd04940ebb087cf6412e2b6-s11.jpg" /></a><br />Some people can memorize thousands of numbers, the names of dozens of strangers or the precise order of cards in a shuffled deck. Science writer and U.S. Memory Champion Joshua Foer shows how anyone can become a memory virtuoso, including him.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-24T14:32:45+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182676143/how-do-experiences-become-memories?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182676143/how-do-experiences-become-memories?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/22/rememberances1_sq-495c7939ced81c2ffdd04940ebb087cf6412e2b6-s11.jpg" /></a><br />Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman goes through a series of examples from vacations to colonoscopies. He explains how our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness differently.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-24T14:32:44+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182671574/can-eyewitnesses-create-memories?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182671574/can-eyewitnesses-create-memories?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/n6735.NPR/news_science;agg=700000;sz=300x80;ord=763399908" /></a><br />Forensic psychologist Scott Fraser studies how we remember crimes. He describes a deadly shooting and explains how eyewitnesses can create memories that they haven't seen. Why? Because the brain is always trying to fill in the blanks.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-24T13:21:48+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/24/186324864/whos-the-best-drinker-dogs-cats-or-pigeons?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/24/186324864/whos-the-best-drinker-dogs-cats-or-pigeons?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/23/dog.jpg" /></a><br />Dogs and cats don't tilt their heads back and guzzle water like us humans do. They certainly can't use straws, and lapping can sometimes be messy. And pigeons? Well, one bird trio in Australia took cues from humans on how to use a water fountain.» E-Mail This     » Add to... text/html 2013-05-24T11:32:52+00:00 http://www.wired.com/ http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/this-week-in-wild-animals-6/ <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/this-week-in-wild-animals-6/"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/05/bobcat_ap_twiwa.jpg" /></a><br />A roundup of odd ways humans and wild animals crossed paths this week compiled by Jon Mooallem, author of the upcoming book Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America. text/html 2013-05-24T09:03:29+00:00 http://www.sciencealert.com.au/ http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132405-24410.html <a href="http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132405-24410.html"><img src="http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/images/stories/DTKUTOO_immune-cells_Shutterstock.jpg" /></a><br />By targeting specific cells in the body, scientists can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system. text/html 2013-05-24T08:03:49+00:00 http://www.sciencealert.com.au/ http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132305-24403.html <a href="http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20132305-24403.html"><img src="http://www.sciencealert.com.au/images/stories/Dezz_reef-fish_Flickr.jpg" /></a><br />Scientists have gained new insight into the evolutionary ecology of social and mating systems in fish. text/html 2013-05-24T02:06:59+00:00 http://www.wired.com/ http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/double-disk-dark-matter/ <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/double-disk-dark-matter/"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/05/milkyway-1.jpg" /></a><br />A small percentage of the dark matter in our universe might be able to interact with itself through an as yet unknown dark force, forming dark atoms and possibly even emitting dark light. text/html 2013-05-24T02:06:12+00:00 http://news.sciencemag.org/ http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/scienceshot-why-some-cockroaches.html?rss=1 <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/scienceshot-why-some-cockroaches.html?rss=1"><img src="http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/assets/2013/05/22/sn-cockroaches.jpg" /></a><br />Some of the insects have evolved to hate the taste of a glucose-baited traps text/html 2013-05-24T01:30:53+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186359665/evolution-saves-cockroaches-from-taking-the-bait?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186359665/evolution-saves-cockroaches-from-taking-the-bait?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/23/ap13052302644-e49ffc7513452d450f2927e1eb802d3adee3740c-s6-c30.jpg" /></a><br />A new study unravels the mystery of a peculiar transformation: sometime in the 1990s, the insects developed a sudden aversion to sweet-tasting poisons.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-24T01:01:05+00:00 http://www.dailygalaxy.com/ http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/05/ring-nebula-hubble-reveals-its-true-shape.html <a href="http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/05/ring-nebula-hubble-reveals-its-true-shape.html"><img src="http://www.dailygalaxy.com/.a/6a00d8341bf7f753ef01901c7fd6d7970b-500wi" /></a><br />                 The iconic  Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star shown below reveals a new twist. "The nebula is not like a bagel (NRAO... text/html 2013-05-23T22:34:38+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/researchers-find-bacteria-freezing-arctic-ice-which-good-news-mars-too <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/researchers-find-bacteria-freezing-arctic-ice-which-good-news-mars-too"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/ellesmere-island.jpg" /></a><br />Ellesmere Island Wikimedia Commons Bacteria discovered at -15ºC, the coldest temperature bacteria have ever grown in, could indicate bacteria survive under similar conditions on Mars. A team of researchers in the Canadian Arctic is reporting on an interesting find: bacteria that thrive at -15 degrees Celsius. That is the coldest... text/html 2013-05-23T22:30:43+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186294402/the-weight-of-a-med-students-subconscious-bias?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186294402/the-weight-of-a-med-students-subconscious-bias?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/23/istock_000005040475small_wide-6e9fa0d22ef1c4dd87137dba3dd599c169461914-s6-c30.jpg" /></a><br />A test of third-year medical students in North Carolina revealed biases against the obese. The author of the study says these thoughts, often subconscious, could affect how doctors treat their patients and whether those patients trust them.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-23T21:31:29+00:00 http://news.sciencemag.org/ http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/podcast-friendly-viruses-weaning.html?rss=1 <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/podcast-friendly-viruses-weaning.html?rss=1"><img src="http://video.sciencemag.org/img/science-video-portal-banner-tiny.jpg" /></a><br />An audio roundup of some of our favorite stories of the week text/html 2013-05-23T20:33:11+00:00 http://www.popsci.com/ http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/army-updates-battery-charger <a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/army-updates-battery-charger"><img src="http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Army%20Battery%20Charger.jpg" /></a><br />Army Battery Charger U.S. Army It charges eight batteries and two USB devices at once. Battery chargers are finally getting a military upgrade. This is big! Not in a literal sense-that honor goes to the previous battery charger used by the U.S. Army, which was the size of a suitcase... text/html 2013-05-23T20:31:49+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186304710/researchers-find-bird-flu-is-contagious-among-ferrets?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/23/186304710/researchers-find-bird-flu-is-contagious-among-ferrets?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/23/ferretsearch_wide-3b0e26ee5c7cd9f437686c7b99f4694754e6496c-s6-c30.jpg" /></a><br />The virus's ability to move between these mammals might not bode well for humans. So far, it appears that H7N9 doesn't pass easily between people, but it could mutate over time and pose more of a threat.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us text/html 2013-05-23T20:31:03+00:00 http://news.sciencemag.org/ http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/whales-freed-from-fishing-gear-m.html?rss=1 <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/05/whales-freed-from-fishing-gear-m.html?rss=1"><img src="http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/assets_c/2013/05/sn-whales-thumb-200xauto-17269.jpg" /></a><br />The effects of being trapped persist long after emancipation text/html 2013-05-23T20:30:37+00:00 http://www.npr.org/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186310919/noaa-predicts-above-average-hurricane-season?ft=1&f=1007 <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/05/23/186310919/noaa-predicts-above-average-hurricane-season?ft=1&f=1007"><img src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/05/23/sandy_goe_2012302_1745_lrg_wide-3d8e17a4a8cb51615ade5ff792ca72aa6aaab2ea-s6-c30.jpg" /></a><br />Forecasters predict as many as six major hurricanes in the Atlantic this year due in part to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us