Aug 25 2010

How Much Did Darwin Get Wrong?

Tag: Animal Evolution, Animal Science, Everyday Science, EvolutionMichael Reilly @ 8:59 pm
A new study argues that evolution is a bit more complex than Charles Darwin first realized. But should we really say he was "wrong"?

Aug 17 2010

Report: Nearly 80 Percent of Spilled Oil Still Threatens Gulf

Tag: Animal Research, Conservation, Everyday Science, Oceanography, PollutionMichael Reilly @ 2:11 pm
The vast majority of oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster is still in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a report released yesterday. This is in direct contradiction to previous government findings that argued only a quarter of the oil ...

Aug 02 2010

Shark Attacks: What Are the Odds?

Turns out you're more likely to be killed digging in the sand at the beach or wrestling with a vending machine than in a shark attack.

Jul 08 2010

How Much Plastic is in the Ocean?

Tag: Conservation, Everyday Science, Oceanography, PollutionMichael Reilly @ 11:01 pm
The first estimate of how much plastic is in the global ocean has yielded some staggering numbers.

Jul 06 2010

Is Global Warming Causing the Heatwave?

As the eastern U.S. sizzles, climate data are piling up that the heatwave is a directly result of global warming.

Jun 30 2010

Flooded Farmland to Give Birds Safe Refuge From Oil Spill

Tag: Conservation, Engineering, Everyday Science, Natural DisastersMichael Reilly @ 3:44 am
A new federal government program aims to provide migratory birds oil-free places to roost.

Jun 23 2010

Bacteria Turn Coal and Oil Into Renewable Energy

Underground microbes have been found converting waste CO2 and coal into natural gas. Left in the ground, the dirty fossil fuel might be transformed into a source of renewable energy.

Jun 21 2010

What Do Thousands of Barrels of Oil Look Like?

Tag: Everyday Science, Geophysics, Natural Disasters, PollutionMichael Reilly @ 5:01 pm
Using a violent video game to simulate what 25,000 barrels of oil would look like stacked three miles high brings home the scale of the disaster in the Gulf.

Jun 21 2010

Is Not Predicting an Earthquake a Crime?

Tag: Earthquakes, Everyday Science, GeophysicsMichael Reilly @ 1:08 am
Italian scientists and officials are being investigated for manslaughter charges because they didn't predict a quake that destroyed much of L'Aquila, Italy in 2009.

Jun 16 2010

Why Lithium Can’t Save Afghanistan

Tag: Everyday Science, Geology, Mining, MountainsMichael Reilly @ 3:53 am
The country has been called "the Saudi Arabia of lithium," but the label is just plain wrong, for a number of reasons.

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