60 Second Science

Congress on cell phones in planes: "We have the technology, but it'd be reaaaaal annoying."France offers "zen-zones" on its high-speed trains, Vienna just ordered public transit users to keep the phone on silent, and more and more U.S. states are banning cell phone use while driving. Emirates Airlines, though, is giving obsessive communicators another place to gab: coach. Beginning in March, the airline rolled out technology designed to let users operate cell phones at low enough levels to avoid completely futzing up the plane's navigation and ending the conference call with a bang. Now in the U.S., we look at the Arab world and say, "You can take your excessive freedoms and shove it. We're on a banning spree." It's not a part of the constant cancer/no-cancer debate over cell phones. (They cause tumors! No they d
» 17 Apr 2008, 2:24 pm

The Monitor #10: The All-Green, Eco-tastic EpisodeWe hit double digits. Champagne all around! In this episode: A timelapse video of the U.S.'s carbon footprint, a plan to turn pollution into DVDs (and fleece Al Gore?), a warning against nanotoxic socks, and a duel between two green-tech press releases. Created, written & designed by John Pavlus / Screencasts produced by Smashcut Media / Music by Jeff Alvarez Subscribe to our original video feed via iTunes or RSS.
» 16 Apr 2008, 10:28 am

In the future we'll all ride the Internet with our 3D camera SegwaysOkay, maybe not, but Mitch Kapor, designer of Lotus 1-2-3, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and generally near-prescient entrepreneur is sending the resources of Kapor Enterprises in that direction. Kapor currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Linden Lab, the makers of Second Life. One of the biggest complaints about virtual worlds--and we'll skip the tired flying penis jokes--is that it's hard to navigate in a 3D environment using a mouse and keyboard. His solution is to use a 3D camera to register movement and let users ride their avatars as if they were riding Segways. Video of developer Phillipe Bossut flapping his hands to fly after the jump. It may look a little strange at first, but you h
» 11 Apr 2008, 1:54 pm

A few words from NexiFrom the people who brought us Kismet… Meet Nexi, an oddly expressive robot from MIT's Media Lab.
» 11 Apr 2008, 10:37 am

The music of disasterIn 1999, Hurricane Gert formed on the eastern side of the Atlantic and began the long trip to Bermuda. Along the way, it happened to pass over a hydrophone (an underwater microphone) planted half a mile deep in the mid-Atlantic. And made a little noise. A hurricane’s intense wind whips the waves into a churning frenzy, and deep below the surface of the ocean the turbulence creates a “rushing sound whose volume is a direct indicator of the storm's destructive power,” according to an MIT press release. MIT engineering professor Nicholas Makris, in a paper from a forthcoming Geophysical Research Letters, takes data from Gert's cacophonous performance and proposes a new way to gauge the destructive power of an oncoming cyclone.
» 11 Apr 2008, 10:25 am

Nature and cognitive enhancement: Beginning of end of drug war?Nature just revealed the results of an informal internet poll of its readers, finding that a full one-fifth have used or currently take drugs or supplements for "cognitive enhancement." 2/3 report taking Ritalin for this "non medical" purpose; 44% have taken the newer stimulant modafinil. But the most interesting finding is that 80% believe healthy adults should be permitted to take these drugs if they wish to do so. Now, this is just an internet poll and we all know the self-selection issues that mar these. However, if 80% of those who care enough to write into Nature on this issue believe that essentially recreational drug use should be legal, the war on drugs has lost a great deal of its legitimacy.
» 10 Apr 2008, 8:16 am

The Monitor #9: showcasing small, cute mammalsWe were down for a week there, but we're back, baby! In this episode: The cutest animal ever to be trained to use tools in a laboratory setting; rogue Olympians whose genes may let them pass doping tests; suspended animation via sewer gas; and a another reason feel superior for buying that overpriced laptop (besides the fact that it fits in an envelope). Created, written & designed by John Pavlus / Screencasts produced by Smashcut Media / Music by Jeff Alvarez Subscribe to our original video feed via iTunes or RSS.
» 8 Apr 2008, 4:45 pm

New blood test can predict futureWhen Charlton Heston passed away last weekend, somehow not from an accidental gunshot wound, he had been battling Alzheimer’s for six years. US-based biotech company Power3 Medical Products claims to have developed a test that can detect Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s six years before the diseases reveal themselves. Had Heston been offered the luxury of such far-sighted diagnosis between the time of his christiological walking tour and ascension to NRA straight-shooter, his most infamous utterance would possibly still be an eventuality. The NuroPro test, despite being in the early stages of development, will be marketed to physicians in the United States and Greece later this year. Its creators claim 90% accuracy, thoug
» 8 Apr 2008, 1:50 pm

This just in: cure for AIDS found in FloridaOf all the hair-brained policies we’ve had to endure as a nation over the past eight years, abstinence-only sex education has to be right near the top of the list. The idea that explaining the complexities of sexual reproduction and disease prevention will prove a greater aphrodisiac than exploding teenage hormones is logic at its most crocked. As a federally mandated ideological agenda item it’s shortsighted and asinine, and, as more than a few folks prognosticated, potentially harmful. But really, how harmful did even the most cynical of us think it could be? Worst case is some kid misses the memo on condoms, goes happily philandering about, ends up like poor Telly from Kids and spends the rest of his life pissed at the world becaus
» 3 Apr 2008, 12:17 pm

Hawaiians sue to stop Large Hadron Collider / save the worldSo I'm a technological optimist. By and large, I think that, ultimately, technology will solve all my problems. That is, of course, if it doesn't destroy the world first. Because, let's face it, science is kind of scary. At the top of my list of things that frighten me (followed shortly by a super-flu that turns people into zombies) is the sort-of-fact that the Large Hadron Collider could spew out strangelets and turn the Earth into a black hole, summon aggressive time travelers from the future, or plop us into a mediocre sci-fi movie. Thank the good lord Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho have their heads screwed on right. They've filed suit in a federal court in Honolulu to stop CERN from powering up the LHC until it's produced safety
» 31 Mar 2008, 2:42 pm

It's not you, it's physics: The Wallpaper ProblemThere you are again, at the 11th hour, wrapping that present. Off comes the price tag, ‘snip’ goes the scissors, and you peel off a piece of tape. Except that the tape, sensing your hurry, tapers down to a point and leaves with a useless, triangular piece. So you try again, once you find the point that was left on the tape roll. And once again, you find your piece of tape narrowing, narrowing, narrowing. The same *!@#$ phenomenon happens with wallpaper, too. You can’t just peel it off in a nice, even swath; no, it has to peel away from the wall in those deterministically infuriating triangles. Well, for what it's worth, it’s not you, it’s physics. Now, an MIT mathematician and his international team of colleagues off
» 31 Mar 2008, 12:55 pm

EurekAlert!

Prescribed burns may help reduce US carbon footprintThe use of prescribed burns to manage western forests may help the United States reduce its carbon footprint.Results of a new study find that such burns, often used by forest managers to reduce underbrush and protect bigger trees, release substantially less carbon dioxide emissions than wildfires of the same size.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Researchers find new chemotherapy combination shows promise in endometrial cancerResearchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that in a small study of women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, gemcitabine and cisplatin, when used in combination, produced a response rate in fifty percent of patients.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Chemists influence stem-cell development with geometryUniversity of Chicago scientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells. The new approach is a departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who focus instead on uncovering the role of proteins in controlling the fate of stem cells.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Targeting blood vessels, immune system may offer way to stop infection-caused inflammationTreating virulent influenza, sepsis, and other potentially deadly infections long has focused on looking for ways to kill viruses and bacteria. But new research from the University of Utah and Utah State University shows that modulating the body's own overeager inflammatory response to infection may help save more lives.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

First parasitic nematodes reported in biofuel cropsResearchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois have discovered widespread occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in the first reported nematode survey of Miscanthus and switchgrass plants used for biofuels.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Getting turned onScientists have identified a mechanism that switches on an extremely important process for the proper functioning and survival of our body's cells. Specifically, the fast-track transportation pathway of "cargo" to and from the surface of the cell
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

DNA nanotechnology breakthrough offers promising applications in medicineA team of McGill Chemistry Department researchers led by Dr. Hanadi Sleiman has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of nanotubes.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Duke technique is turning proteins into glassDuke University researchers have devised a method to dry and preserve proteins in a glassified form that seems to retain the molecules' properties as workhorses of biology.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Layered graphene sheets could solve hydrogen storage issuesStacked sheets of graphene may be a promising material for capturing and storing hydrogen for future fuel-cell systems according to recent research at NIST and the University of Pennsylvania.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

International team of scientists reports discovery of a new planetAn international team of scientists, including several who are affiliated with UC Santa Barbara, has discovered a new planet the size of Jupiter. The finding is published in the March 18 issue of the journal Nature.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Modified home video game shows promise for improving hand function in teens with cerebral palsyRutgers engineers have modified a popular home video game system to help teenagers with cerebral palsy improve their hand functions. In a pilot trial conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine, the system improved the teens' abilities to perform a range of daily personal and household activities. The modified system with custom-developed software and games provided exercise routines aimed at improving hand speed and range of finger motion.
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Live Science

Carbon Capture & SequestrationCaptured Carbon Can Pump New Energy
» 17 Mar 2010, 2:13 pm

What Science and Art Have In CommonClimate scientist who proposed cloud whitening also writes plays, poems.
» 17 Mar 2010, 1:07 pm

Pregnant Male Fish Can Choose AbortionMale gulf pipefishes – one of the only species whose males can become pregnant – can selectively abort embryos from less attractive females, new research finds.
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:01 pm

National Broadband Plan Not Ambitious Enough, Experts SayThe National Broadband Plan that the FCC unveiled Tuesday calls for Internet download speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mpbs) to be available in 100 million U.S. homes by 2020.
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:05 am

Prehistoric Shark Attack ReconstructedA prehistoric shark attack was pieced together from bite marks found on the remains of the victim, a dolphin.
» 17 Mar 2010, 9:58 am

Why Do Some Clovers Have Four Leaves?Four-leaf clovers sometimes pop up among the three-leaf kind due to a genetic mutation.
» 17 Mar 2010, 9:18 am

New Toyota Troubles: Copycat Complaints?Copycat complaints often occur in the wake of widely publicized events, especially of defective or tampered products.
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:47 am

Kids These Days: Study Exposes 'Generation Me'Today's teens have similar values and attitudes as generations past.
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:33 am

NASA Crashes Helicopters to Improve SafetyA cushioning device called a deployable energy absorber (DEA) is being tested by NASA on helicopters that have to make crash landings.
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:24 am

As National Health Worsens, Women Prefer More Manly FacesWomen in the least healthy nations are more likely to choose men with masculine faces, which is a sign of health.
» 16 Mar 2010, 4:59 pm

National Geographic News

St. Patrick's Day Facts: Shamrocks, Snakes, and a SaintSt. Patrick was born in Britain, stout may be good for your heart, and there's a shamrock shortage in 2010. Learn more in our roundup of St. Patrick's Day facts.
» 16 Mar 2010, 2:58 pm

Space Photos of the Week: Spring Auroras, Starlets, MoreAuroras spring to life, the Milky Way enters middle age, a Mars moon gets its close-up, and more in the week's best space pictures.
» 16 Mar 2010, 2:21 pm

Mutant All-Black Penguin FoundAn all-black king penguin—a very rare mutant—was spotted and filmed on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Video.
» 16 Mar 2010, 1:12 pm

Half-Male, Half-Female Chicken Mystery SolvedIt was a tough egg to crack, but scientists have discovered that half-male, half-female chickens possess a mixture of genetically male and female cells.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:37 am

Extended Daylight Saving Time Not an Energy Saver?An extra month of earlier mornings might be reducing use of artificial light, but other types of energy consumption more than offset the reduction, some studies suggest.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:13 am

$20-Million Prize for Renewable Ocean Energy AnnouncedScotland's head of state unveiled the largest challenge prize to date for spurring advances in marine renewable energy, part of a bid to combat climate change.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

Roll-Up Solar Cells Printed Like MoneySheets of flexible solar power cells have been "printed" using presses that normally churn out money—a technology that could help slash energy costs, experts say.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

Watermelon Juice May Be Next "Green" FuelStep aside, corn: Another summertime picnic favorite might be the next big thing in ethanol production, a new study suggests.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

U.S. Energy Secretary: Change Can Happen FastSteven Chu spoke with National Geographic magazine about his goals for the next four years, which include quick improvements and long-term developments.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

Presented By:» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

New Shock Absorber Turns Pothole Power Into ElectricityComing (maybe) to a hybrid near you: new technology that could help run a vehicle off the energy generated by bumps in the road.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:12 am

New Scientist

Personalised cancer trial promises better drugs fasterTesting several drugs at once and allowing doctors to adapt treatments to patients' responses should make trials more efficient
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:34 am

Cosmic clocks: Relativity's final testPulsars tick with absolute regularity. So if these stellar corpses' timekeeping is off, something must be warping space-time
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

Polluting ships have been doing the climate a favourNew restrictions on sulphur emissions from shipping will save thousands of lives – but cutting back will take another brake off global warming
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

The predictioneer: Using games to see the futureThe CIA says Bruce Bueno de Mesquita's political predictions come true 90 per cent of the time. So how does he do it?
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

Zoologger: Pregnant males are pro-choice for abortionMale Gulf pipefish are left holding the babies: they get pregnant and rear offspring in their bodies. But selective abortion gives them the last word
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

First quantum effects seen in visible objectA tiny strip of metal visible to the naked eye has been induced to oscillate and not oscillate at the same time in a quantum superposition
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

Today on New Scientist: 17 March 2010All today's stories on newscientist.com at a glance, including: relativity's ultimate test, the positive side of shipping pollution, and how to see the future using games
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:00 am

Fake dark matter could show what real stuff is likeAn exotic material mimics the dynamics of theoretical particles called axions that could account for dark matter
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:48 am

Science is not an economic problem - it's a solutionFunding science is essential to the economy, not just a luxury for boffins
» 17 Mar 2010, 6:00 am

Sounds from another dimensionPhysics, art and music come together in this remarkable 5D opera
» 17 Mar 2010, 5:00 am

Algae's solar electrons hijacked to steal powerSticking an electrode into a photosynthesising cell makes it possible to draw off power from light
» 17 Mar 2010, 3:18 am

New York Times - Science News

New Finding Puts Dog Origins in Middle EastA discovery strengthens the link between the first animal to enter human society and the subsequent invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago.
» 17 Mar 2010, 1:31 pm

High-Speed Rail Gains Traction in SpainThe Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE, has made train travel in Spain the way to go, both environmentally and in comfort and convenience.
» 15 Mar 2010, 10:50 pm

In a Desert in China, a Trove of 4,000-Year-Old MummiesChinese archaeologists unearthed a 4,000-year-old cemetery in Xinjiang Province that seemed to be a vanished people’s paean to the pleasures or utility of procreation.
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:40 am

Findings: Chasing the Sound Barrier, in a Leap From 23 Miles UpFrom a helium balloon, Felix Baumgartner, no stranger to high jumps, intends to break the speed of sound in free fall.
» 15 Mar 2010, 10:08 pm

ABE, Robot Explorer of the World’s Oceans, Is Lost at SeaThe autonomous underwater vehicle, which had come out of semi-retirement to help researchers study the seafloor off the coast of Chile, was lost at sea.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:14 am

50 Years After Defect Tragedy, Finding Answers on How Thalidomide Caused DefectsResearchers trying to decipher the drug’s effects have discovered surprising clues to how normal limbs develop.
» 16 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Books on Science: “Insectopedia,” by Hugh RafflesA new book is as inventive, wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the insect world itself.
» 15 Mar 2010, 9:39 pm

Gaps in Dealing With Cancer in TeenagersExperts see a gap in treatment between pediatric and adult care.
» 15 Mar 2010, 9:30 pm

Scientist at Work: Dr. Thomas R. Frieden: At C.D.C., Obama’s Appointee Wields a Big BroomThe former New York City health commissioner has rapidly reversed many of the Bush administration’s policies at one of the world’s top health agencies.
» 15 Mar 2010, 4:20 pm

Drug Helps Diabetics, Trial FindsA generic anti-inflammatory drug from the aspirin family helped patients in a clinical trial lower their blood sugar.
» 15 Mar 2010, 9:40 pm

Essay: For Obese People, Prejudice in Plain SightStigmatizing fat people has become not just acceptable but, in some circles, de rigueur.
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:34 am

NPR - Health and Science

Obama Policy Shelves Most Bush-Era Stem Cell LinesPresident Obama's stem cell policy, announced a year ago this month, opened up federal funding for more stem cell lines created from human embryos. But now, scientists are facing a bitter irony — a few popular stem cell lines that could be studied with federal money under President Bush are suddenly off-limits.
» 15 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Bacteria On Your Fingertips Could Identify YouWe all have bacteria growing on our skin, and the kind and number we carry around is unique to each person. Now, researchers say bacterial "fingerprints" could be a valuable forensic tool.
» 15 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Naughty Kids More Likely To Report Chronic Pain As AdultsMiddle-aged adults who behaved badly as kids were more likely to have chronic pain than grownups who were angels, a British study finds. A disruption in the brain may be the common thread.
» 15 Mar 2010, 11:31 am

Temporary Hearing Loss May Rewire Kids' BrainsResearch shows hearing loss in one ear during critical periods of brain development can rewire the auditory cortex, changing the way the brain processes sound. After hearing is restored, the brain eventually catches up.
» 15 Mar 2010, 8:48 am

On-Demand Body Parts: Inventing The Bio-PrinterA medical invention currently in development may one day be able to create new organs, right there in the hospital. The 3-D bio-printer takes cells from a patient's failing organ and "prints out" a new organ — almost like a 3-D ink-jet printer. Guy Raz explains how the device works with the man who developed the prototype, Gabor Forgacs.
» 14 Mar 2010, 12:00 pm

Celebrate Pi Day With Your Own 'Pi-Ku'It's March 14 — or 3/14 if you write down the date in the m/d format. And that means it's time to celebrate that mysterious mathematical relationship between a circle's diameter and its circumference: 3.1415926535...
» 14 Mar 2010, 6:00 am

Haiti's Geology Slowly Giving Up Its SecretsResearchers studying the origin of the recent deadly earthquake have found signs of an actual fault rupture offshore, and figured out what triggered a small tsunami. But not all the causes of the natural disaster were, in fact, natural.
» 13 Mar 2010, 12:00 pm

The Mad Hatter's Secret Ingredient: MathThe first numbers that come to mind when thinking about Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland might be how much money the movie is raking in at the box office. But mathematicians say the books are full of algebraic lessons — such as why a raven is like a writing desk.
» 12 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Ancient Shipwrecks A Wonder Of 'Baltic Triangle'A dozen ancient shipwrecks have been discovered in the Baltic Sea, just east of Sweden. The well-preserved ships are hundreds of years old. The oldest wreck may date back 800 years.
» 12 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

Can Biotech Crops Feed The Developing World?Biotech has promised innovations like drought-resistant corn and vitamin-packed cassava to the developing world. But how has it delivered on those dreams? Ira Flatow and guests discuss the status of those projects, and how "technologies in a seed" fit in with other agricultural improvements.
» 12 Mar 2010, 10:00 am

The Secret Life Of CavesPigmentless grotto salamanders, blind Ozark cavefish and parasitic horsehair worms are a few of the animals living in Missouri's 6,000-plus caves. Ira Flatow and three expert spelunkers look at the biology, geology and history of underground attractions in the "Cave State."
» 12 Mar 2010, 10:00 am

Physics Today

The complex dynamics of Jupiter's red spotPhysics Today: New thermal images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot have provided the first detailed interior weather map of the giant storm system. Image credit: NASA/JPL/ESO and NASA/ESA/GSF The observations reveal that the reddest color of the Great Red Spot...
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:32 am

Analyzing smuggled uraniumThe Economist: Between 1992 and 2007, according to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory physicist Ian Hutcheon, 17kg of highly enriched uranium was seized from smugglers around the world, along with 400 grams of plutonium. In neither case is that enough for...
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:33 am

Haiti earthquake devastation partly caused by deforestationNPR: Geologists working in Haiti say they've been able to trace the exact location of the earthquake fault that gave way on 12 January and killed more than 200,000 people. They've also discovered that decades of deforestation in Haiti actually...
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:29 am

Cooling down computer chips on the chipPhysics Today: Heat is the bane of computer manufacturers as it places severe limits on how fast computer chips can run. Some computer systems, such as Intel's Pentium desktops, have fans that blow cool air onto the circuit boards. Other...
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:14 am

The physics of scoring in basketballwashingtonpost.com: March Madness—the annual NCAA basketball playoff spectacle—begins in earnest this week. The Washington Post takes a look at research started by Peter Brancazio, a former physics professor at Brooklyn College, who in the 1980s wrote a book on the...
» 16 Mar 2010, 9:02 am

An airborne weightless science labSPACE.com: A commercial company is offering researchers a chance to fly in a plane that simulates weightless and low-gravity environments like the Moon, Mars, and Earth-orbit. Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) announced the new program, known as ZERO-G Weightless Lab, on...
» 16 Mar 2010, 8:28 am

Directing light at the nanoscaleNature News: If quantum computing networks are ever to become a reality, physicists must find a way to direct and harness the light emitted in quantum experiments without using cumbersome apparatus. Now Holger Hofmann, at the Department of Quantum Matter...
» 16 Mar 2010, 8:18 am

The mathematical premise of Alice in WonderlandNPR: Author Lewis Carroll was also a math teacher in Oxford, England, and mathematicians say Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass are full of algebraic lessons—such as why a raven is like a writing desk. That's the...
» 15 Mar 2010, 11:41 am

Building a view of Earth from NASA's old data tapesScience: On 23 September 1966, NASA's Nimbus II satellite soared over Earth in a polar orbit every 108 minutes, taking pictures of cloud cover and measuring heat radiated from the planet's surface. The data documented the extent of polar ice...
» 15 Mar 2010, 11:12 am

Solar activity cycle influenced by changing magnetic fieldsScience News: From 2008 through the first half of 2009, the Sun had a puzzling dearth of sunspots, flares, and other storms, extending the usual lull at the end of the 11-year solar activity cycle for an extra 15 months....
» 15 Mar 2010, 11:09 am

Weighing superheavy atomsNature News: Using a special trap, researchers have captured and weighed three isotopes of the superheavy element nobelium—the heaviest element so far to have its mass measured directly....
» 15 Mar 2010, 5:18 am

Public Library of Science

Call for Designs: The PLoS Computational Biology 2010 T-shirtThis year’s ISMB will be the debut of the newest addition to the PLoS T-shirt collection and we want you to design it. We have heard tales of PLoS T-shirts being spotted across the globe; from Hawaiian mountain-tops to the historic streets of Cambridge, England – we know you enjoy wearing them. We want the T-shirt to feature an eye-catching design which appeals to the computational biology community and encapsulates a recent advance or innovation in the field. Unleash your inner artist and send us the design for 2010. The T-shirt design specifications file below contains all the information you need to format your design appropriately; please follow the specifications closely as we will be unable to consider any images which do not meet
» 16 Mar 2010, 8:13 am

PLoS Computational Biology at ISMBAt the end of last month we were pleased to hear that our workshop proposal, entitled ‘Where and How to Get Published’ had been accepted by Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) 2010. We hope that a wide range of perspectives on how best to get research published will make this workshop invaluable to those just starting out on their careers. We are very excited that our involvement in the International Society for Computational Biology’s annual meeting is set to continue and more details will follow when the timing of the workshop is confirmed in May. Attendees should also be on the look out for our Conference Postcards; we look forward to hearing from some of you about the most outstanding sessions or posters of this summe
» 11 Mar 2010, 3:32 am

New user functionality - referenced PDFs via PubgetThe new year is in full swing and we are continuing to add functionality to the articles that we publish. This time we're adding links, via Pubget, to the PDFs of citing articles (as recorded by Cross Ref). Pubget is a search engine for life-sciences PDFs. If Pubget have found a PDF which is freely available then you will now be able to access it via our site with just one click. Their database contains 3 million free PDFs, plus tens of millions of subscription only PDFs (naturally we wish that everything was freely available but sadly that is still not the case). Now, when you look at citations to any article as recorded by CrossRef (which are accessed via the 'CrossRef' link in the 'Cited in' section of any article's Metrics tab), a PDF i
» 2 Mar 2010, 9:33 am

Announcing PLoS EzReprint - new and improved!We've had a reprint service for a while but to use it, folks had to add all the article information to the order themselves which made it time consuming and difficult to use. Now, we're proud to introduce EzReprint, the next generation of print on demand, designed for people who want to generate 25 or more high quality reprints of most of the articles. You can find the link to this service in the top right of almost every PLoS article. It is near the option to print it using your desktop printer (which is, of course, still your best bet if you need some copies for any purpose, available to you thanks to open access). To do this, simply download the PDF and send it to your printer. In the new system, all the article information is pre-
» 25 Feb 2010, 11:58 am

PLoS Pathogens featured in This Week in VirologyIn their Feb. 7, 2010 TWiV podcast Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Vincent Racaniello, PLoS Pathogens Community Editor, consider ‘recent outbreaks of mumps in the UK, US, and Israel, protection of mice against 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus by 1918-like and classical swine H1N1 vaccines, and a virus-like particle vaccine for chikungunya virus.’ They discuss the recent PLoS Pathogens article “Protection of Mice against Lethal Challenge with 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus by 1918-Like and Classical Swine H1N1 Based Vaccines”, co-written by long-time Pathogens editor Adolfo García-Sastre, as well as well as a review piece also published in the journal, “Crossing the Line: Selection and Evolution of Virulence Traits.” Download the podcast
» 10 Feb 2010, 9:08 am

New spring range now available in the PLoS StoreWhen we launched the PLoS store back in November 2009, we promised to continually update it with new designs and merchandise. We've been true to our word. For the last couple of months, we've been creating our Spring range, so now you, your home, office or lab and the kids in your life can look cool and support the PLoS cause. Over the years, folks have continually asked us for a Future PLoS Author kids range - you are never too young (or old) to get behind Open Access. As you can see from the adjacent photo of Pete and his daughter, we road tested these designs and products on our own kids. When we were told by the eloquent three year old of one of our team that she couldn't read the words on the tees because they were too fancy, we change
» 5 Feb 2010, 10:29 am

Details on Outage and Recovery of PLoS Journal WebsitesUnitedLayer, our collocation facility for the production servers, experienced an outage yesterday. From UnitedLayer: "A series of power brownouts occurred today at 2:56 PM PST due to PG&E instability related to the recent storms. Our 300KVA UPS system is not working as designed, the temporary repairs from last week did not hold. We anticipate a faulty motherboard." A number of our servers (all powered by the 300KVA UPS) lost power at that time. Our large disk array (2TB of storage) that is the file server for both Fedora and Mulgara had a boot failure and refused to power up. Russ went to the colo and restarted the disk array which went into an automatic rebuild of the disks. This took about three hours to complete. Russ then starte
» 20 Jan 2010, 10:52 am

PLoS Journals Outage - January 19, 2010The PLoS journal websites are experiencing an outage due to a hardware malfunction after our colocation (United Layer) experienced a brown out due to lightning. We're working to resolve the problem and hope to have the journal websites back online soon. Trackback URL for this post: http://www.plos.org/cms/trackback/508
» 19 Jan 2010, 4:57 pm

Announcing a new PLoS Collection, Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP)Today, PLoS is delighted to publish a Collection of articles highlighting biologging research from the Tagging of Pacific Predators group (TOPP), a Census of Marine Life (COML) project. Advances in electronic marine tracking technology, also known as biologging, allow researchers to take measurements from free-swimming marine animals as they move undisturbed through their environment. Recent technology improvements, including electronic tag miniaturization and enhanced animal movement models, have revolutionized understanding of the ecology of marine top predators. This has permitted observations well beyond the reach of standard measurement techniques, and provided extensive data on the animals' behavior at the scale of and within the con
» 14 Jan 2010, 2:00 pm

PLoS ONE indexed by Web of ScienceToday we learned that by the end of this week PLoS ONE (in keeping with all other PLoS journals) will be indexed by the Web of Science – this is an important literature discovery tool that many people use and so we are pleased to be indexed. PLoS ONE is also indexed by a host of other services such as PubMed, MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Scopus, Google Scholar, the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), EMBASE, AGRICOLA, PsycINFO, Zoological Records, FSTA (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), GeoRef, and RefAware. Initially, coverage in the Web of Science will include new PLoS ONE articles plus those published in 2008 and 2009, and will be expanded to the articles published in 2006 (when PLoS ONE was launched) and 2007 in the coming weeks. I
» 5 Jan 2010, 12:16 pm

Science Alert

Obesity shows scare kidsReality TV shows on obesity are making children worried about growing up obese, according to a new study.
» 18 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Recycled AC cuts emissionsRemanufacturing old air compressors instead of buying new can help the environment and save money, according to a new study.
» 18 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Most Aussies not racistResearch has found that most South Australians get along with different races – but 12% openly identify as being racist.
» 18 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Heat makes butterflies earlyButterflies are emerging earlier in spring because of climate change, according to a new study – it’s not just a coincidence.
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Protein starves cancer cellsResearchers have found a protein that blocks the formation of blood vessels – and fights cancer as well as a leading cancer drug.
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Swimming helps older womenA new study has found that swimming is better exercise than walking for older women, for both fitness and weight control.
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Ball catchers track motionResearchers have a new theory on how people figure out where a ball will land, based on tests with an outfielder and a virtual ball.
» 16 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Rogue star set on collisionAccording to calculations, a star is likely to collide with the solar system in 1.5 million years, causing comets and asteroids to fall on our planet.
» 15 Mar 2010, 6:09 pm

Resistance good for teensA fitness study has found that resistance training can benefit the muscular health of both girls and boys during adolescence.
» 15 Mar 2010, 5:55 pm

Human 'germ print' foundScientists have discovered that humans leave a trail of unique - and lasting - bacteria behind them in their daily lives.
» 15 Mar 2010, 5:43 pm

Sea volcanoes stash carbonA new study has found undersea volcanoes release iron, improving plankton growth – which takes carbon out of the atmosphere.
» 15 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

Science Blogs

Attack of the killer tomato fungus driven by mobile weapons package [Not Exactly Rocket Science]In Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story, Dr Henry Jekyll drinks a mysterious potion that transforms him from an upstanding citizen into the violent, murderous Edward Hyde. We might think that such an easy transformation would be confined to the pages of fiction, but a similar fate regularly befalls a common fungus called Fusarium oxysporum. A team of scientists led by Li-Jun Ma and Charlotte van der Does have found that the fungus can swap four entire chromosomes form one individual to another. This package is the genetic equivalent of Stevenson's potion. It has everything a humble, Jekyll-like fungus needs to transform from a version that coexists harmlessly with plants into a Hyde-like agent of disease. In this guise, it infects so man
» 17 Mar 2010, 3:25 pm

Photo of the Day #880: Ebony langur [Laelaps]An ebony langur (Trachypithecus auratus), photographed at the Bronx Zoo. Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagination
» 17 Mar 2010, 3:19 pm

Technology Musings [Greg Laden's Blog]A couple of unrelated technology things. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagination
» 17 Mar 2010, 1:30 pm

Annals of "I'm not anti-vaccine," part 1 [Respectful Insolence]Kent Heckenlively shows us why AoA is "not anti-vaccine": Bruesewitz v. Wyeth has the potential to move all that in a new direction. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act simply states, "No vaccine manufacturer shall be liable . . . if the injury or death resulted from side-effect that were unavoidable even though the vaccine was properly prepared and was accompanied by proper directions and warnings." What does that mean in plain English? The example I've always heard used in reference to such a standard is dynamite. Now we all know what dynamite does. It blows up. So, if you light a stick of dynamite, wait over it, and it blows up, you're out of luck. By its very nature dynamite is an inherently unsafe product. But if you hav
» 17 Mar 2010, 1:00 pm

Highlights of the Geological Society of America NE/SE Section Meeting [Highly Allochthonous]I've just returned to Charlotte after spending a few days in Baltimore, Maryland attending the combined Northeastern and Southeastern Section Meetings of the Geological Society of America. It was a really good conference, with lots of cool science, good people, and a fun setting. I tried to tweet some highlights of the conference as I went, but for those of you not following me (@highlyanne) on Twitter, I've attempted to reassemble the conference based on my 140 character soundbites. Note that the unofficial conference hashtag (a way of following topics on Twitter) was #geoBAL, so I incorporated that into most of my messages. There wasn't a lot of users of the hashtag, but I did get sneak peeks into some of the other sessions. Below the
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:59 pm

Frankfurt Nebligen Morgen [Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)]tags: Frankfurt Nebligen Morgen, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, cities, travel, environment, image of the day Frankfurt Nebligen Morgen. Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Image: GrrlScientist, 24 February 2010 [larger view] Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagination
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:59 pm

Channel 7 doesn't pluck the pigeons, they just lead them to slaughter [White Coat Underground](This piece appears today at Science-Based Medicine and is re-posted here today because I like it and I'm lazy. --PalMD) A couple of years ago, a number of us raised concerns about an "investigative reporter" at a Detroit television station.  At the time I noted that investigative reporters serve an important role in a democracy, but that they can also do great harm, as when Channel 7's Steve Wilson parroted the talking points of the anti-vaccine movement.  Wilson has since been canned but apparently, not much has changed.  While performing my evening ablutions, I stumbled upon the latest abomination. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagi
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:37 pm

Lecture notes [Highly Allochthonous]Some wag in the comments to my last post not-so-subtly noted the slight lack of blogging activity from yours truly in the last few weeks. There are actually three inter-related reasons for this impromptu break. Firstly, I've been lecturing three times a week for most of the last month, so quite a few of my evenings have been spent preparing for them. Secondly, I had to fight off a bout of stomach flu, which meant that the times when I wasn't preparing for lectures I didn't really feel like doing anything. Thirdly, my days at work have been spent in the lab trying to get our new magnetometer working properly. All this has meant that my blogging muse has had to get used to being crowded out. Lecturing has, as usual, left me feeling rather
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:35 pm

No! Edward Tufte would never! [bioephemera]Mark Goetz makes me LOL: Via lots of places, most recently Pollster. Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagination
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:21 pm

The annual Bio-Link summer fellows forum is coming [Discovering Biology in a Digital World]Every June, an incredible event takes place. Biotechnology educators gather in Berkeley, California, from across the US, to discuss new trends in biotechnology education, learn from each other and share information about educating students for the biotechnology workforce. There are tours of local biotech companies like Genentech and local research institutes like the cancer center at UCSF. New kits and techniques can be tried and practiced in hands-on workshops. And instructors get to practice new bioinformatics techniques like analyzing Next Generation DNA sequencing data or working with data from microarrays. This year Bio-Link has 18 fellowships to attend the conference. The fellowships cover registration costs, accommodations and
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:10 pm

Want a free USB thumbdrive thingie? [Greg Laden's Blog]There's almost no on answering the Collective Imagination Question today, so this is your chance! Click here. And while you are over there, have a look at my latest post on Japanese Ring Tone Therapy. Read the comments on this post... Also check out the featured ScienceBlog of the week: Collective Imagination
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:00 pm

Science Friday

SciFri Newsbriefs:Clues To Biofuel Production In A Gribble’s Gut?A hungry marine crustacean excels at turning wood into energy.
» 14 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

SciFri Video:Happy π DayFriday 3.14 is Pi Day and we're celebrating. We hit the streets of New York City to spread some holiday cheer. You might be surprised how many π enthusiasts are lingering outside of New York University's math department. PS - it's also Einstein's birthday.
» 14 Mar 2010, 3:31 am

SciFri Video:Creating A Living BuildingWhat is the future of sustainable architecture? Washington University's Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, MO, achieves the Living Building Challenge--a set of green guidelines that measure a building based on its performance. The building's architect Dan Hellmuth, of Hellmuth & Bicknese Architects in St. Louis, and Kevin Smith, associate director of Tyson Research Center, point out some of the Center's greenest features.
» 12 Mar 2010, 6:00 am

SciFri Blog:Loco for localBebbo is crazy about the idea of locally produced food—with good reason...
» 11 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

SciFri Radio:Cave ScienceReady to go spelunking? Live from the cave state--that's Missouri--we'll get an inside look at the biology, geology, and history of the underground attractions that gave the state its name.
» 11 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

SciFri Radio:Genetically Modified CropsHas biotech delivered on its promise to feed the developing world? In this hour, live from St Louis, we'll talk about genetically engineered crops.
» 11 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

SciFri Radio:Green BuildingHow can you make your building design greener?
» 11 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

SciFri Newsbriefs:The Curious Case Of The California Tiger SalamanderA salamander native to Texas is wreaking havoc on the wetlands of Northern California.
» 9 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

SciFri Video:Gating Caves For Bat SafetyCliff Cave near St. Louis was gated in October 2009 during the National Cave Gating Workshop.
» 9 Mar 2010, 7:31 am

SciFri Blog:This Just In: We Want More Science NewsThose doyens of the digital world have just discovered something that you already know: We Want MORE Science News! Because you are on this web site and listent to SciFri audio and watch our
» 8 Mar 2010, 2:20 pm

SciFri Video:How To Make A Junk GuitarSo you want to jam like a rock star, but you don't want to shell out for an electric guitar? Make one yourself. Sound artist Ranjit Bhatnagar explains the art of a DIY instrument he calls a "junk guitar." You can piece one together using little more than a plank of wood, some wire, a magnet and a guitar string. Forget the air guitar solos. Plug in. Rock out.
» 5 Mar 2010, 11:51 am

ScienceNOW

Roundup 3/17: Recharge Needed EditionInnovation in Europe is behind compared with the United States and Japan, and while...
» 17 Mar 2010, 4:00 pm

Genetic Testing for Cancer Risk Not Clinically UsefulTesting genetic risk factors improves risk estimates, but only slightly
» 17 Mar 2010, 3:02 pm

Varmus to Head Cancer Institute After All?The Cancer Letter , a trusted Washington, D.C.-based newsletter, is reporting that the White...
» 17 Mar 2010, 2:55 pm

Among Seahorses, Mr. Moms Play FavoritesMaternal male fish sacrifice offspring from less desirable females
» 17 Mar 2010, 2:13 pm

New Ways the U.S. Could Target SootScientists at a hearing yesterday held by the House of Representatives Select Committee on...
» 17 Mar 2010, 2:23 pm

New Cancer Approach: Fast, Cheap, and RadicalFrustrated by the cost and the dead-slow pace of drug development, a group of...
» 17 Mar 2010, 1:27 pm

Quivering Gizmo Ushers in Quantum MachinesDevice that makes the slightest possible motion could be stepping stone to much weird quantum mechanical states of motion
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:31 am

Hobbit Ancestors Arrived on Flores EarlyHomo floresiensis forebearers may have colonized island more than 1 million years ago
» 17 Mar 2010, 11:42 am

Red Tape Holding Up Stem Cell Work?Stem cell researchers are worried that they'll have to stop work with some of...
» 17 Mar 2010, 10:25 am

Japan Maps Out Big Science PlansTOKYO—For the first time ever, Japanese scientists have produced a roadmap of where they...
» 17 Mar 2010, 9:29 am

Science Shot: Jupiter's Great Red Spot Turns on the HeatGiant Jovian storm is slightly warmer than its surroundings
» 17 Mar 2010, 9:09 am

Scientific Blogging

The Cost Of Biological Entropy ManagementInformation processing and entropy management - that's what organisms are about, right? Information and entropy are terms that get people excited, and yet it's extremely difficult to integrate formal ideas about information, free energy, entropy, etc. (much of this from modern statistical mechanics) into a meaningful biological framework. People (including myself) love to toss around terms like entropy and information, but in most cases I have encountered, efforts to apply these concepts to molecular/cellular biology are hopelessly vague and unhelpful. Once you get beyond the level of individual proteins in biology, it's difficult to apply some of the traditional concepts of physical chemistry. read more
» 17 Mar 2010, 2:34 pm

The Fallacy Of The AverageThe Fallacy Of The Average A fallacy is a pattern of logical reasoning which appears on its surface to be a pattern of sound reasoning.  The fallacy of the average is based on the false notion that the effect of a thing averaged out on a large scale is equivalent to an effect of the same thing on a small scale. A drop of rain falling anywhere in the Pacific is self-evidently insignificant as a matter of scale. But what if that single drop of rain falls into the mains supply circuit of a radio? read more
» 17 Mar 2010, 9:09 am

Netherton Syndrome NS Or Bamboo HairNetherton syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis of unknown cause characterized by: erythroderma, trichorrhexis invaginata (TI) (bamboo hair), ichthyosis linearis circumflexa (ILC), atopic diathesis and failure to thrive. The syndrome is named either as Netherton or as Comel and Netherton. read more
» 17 Mar 2010, 8:15 am

Who Was Saint Patrick?If you're a student of culture, a number of things have likely piqued your curiosity; like why so many modern people get drunk about ancient religous stuff. Take Mardi Gras, for example - go to any Mardi Gras celebration and 98% of people there will be Protestants, so they haven't fasted for Lent in over 400 years, and 85% won't know why they are getting drunk at all, but they still act like they are getting ready to starve for 40 days - if by starving we mean not having yards of beer for 11 straight hours.  It's a real mystery but at least it gets people thinking about religion and its relationship to Brazilian strippers. read more
» 17 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

UV Exposure Stabilized In 1998, Satellite Data ShowNew satellite data reveal that the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching Earth's surface increased markedly from the period 1979 to 1998 and then stabilized, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.   The primary culprit: decreasing levels of stratospheric ozone, a colorless gas that acts as Earth's natural sunscreen by shielding the surface from damaging UV radiation. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

Controlled Burns Could Cut US Carbon EmissionsA new study in Environmental Science and Technology suggests that controlled burns release substantially less carbon dioxide emissions than wildfires of the same size and could be used to help the United States reduce its contribution to climate change. Drawing on satellite observations and computer models of emissions, the researchers concluded that widespread prescribed burns can reduce fire emissions of carbon dioxide in the Western U.S. by an average of 18 to 25 percent, and by as much as 60 percent in certain forest systems. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

Study Links Smoking Bans And Fewer Heart AttacksLegislation restricting or banning smoking in public places reduces heart attacks, a study in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health suggests. The study examined trends in acute heart attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand following the enactment of legislation which made smoking illegal in all workplaces including bars and restaurants. Three years after a smoking ban in all workplaces was introduced hospital admissions for heart attacks among men and women aged 55-74 fell by 9 per cent. This figure rose to 13 per cent for 55-74 year olds who had never smoked. Overall, the research showed heart attacks among people aged 30 and over fell by an average of 5 per cent in the three years following the ban. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

The Key To Silk's Pound-For-Pound Toughness: Beta-Sheet CrystalsThe key to silk's pound-for-pound toughness, which exceeds that of steel, is its beta-sheet crystals, the nano-sized cross-linking domains that hold the material together, say researchers writing in Nature Materials. Using computer models, researchers simulated how the components of beta sheet crystals move and interact with each other. They found that an unusual arrangement of hydrogen bonds--the "glue" that stabilizes the beta-sheet crystals--play an important role in defining the strength of silk. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

Fastest Color Vision Belongs To BumblebeesBees see the world almost five times faster than humans, giving them the fastest color vision of all animals, according to new research appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience. The ability to see at high speed is common in fast-flying insects; allowing them to escape predators and catch their mates mid-air. However, until now it wasn't known whether the bees' full colour vision was able to keep up with their high speed flight. This research sheds new light on the matter; suggesting that although slower, it is also much faster than human vision. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

Video Games Help Teens With Cerebral Palsy Regain Hand FunctionIndiana and Rutgers researchers have modified Playstation 3 video game systems to help teenagers with cerebral palsy improve their hand functions. In a pilot trial with three participants, the system improved the teens' abilities to perform a range of daily personal and household activities. The modified system combined the gaming console with a Fifth Dimension Technologies 5 Ultra sensing glove, a flat-panel television, mouse, keyboard and digital subscriber line modem for Internet communication. Researchers reprogrammed the Playstation console using the open-source Linux operating system and developed games written in Java3D. read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 10:00 pm

Calliope Art AttackI'm launching a satellite to make music from the ionosphere. But what would that look like, in a dramatic sense? In an evocative sense? In a perfect world, I could just ask a couple of children to draw me their impression of what 'a satellite making music out of the ionosphere' would look like. Since we live in a perfect world, I did that. The absolute coolest thing to come out of this was a new Calliope tagphrase: 'Around the world in 48 beats'.    'Around the world in 48 Beats', by Ivy and read more
» 16 Mar 2010, 12:41 pm