All Science
Why there are no more woolly mammothsLast week, a video allegedly showing a live woolly mammoth stirred frenzied speculation over its authenticity. Even though it was quickly debunked, it captured the popular imagination. What is it about these shaggy elephants that enchants us, and why did they disappear from the earth?
Hawk-eyed scientists spot world's smallest chameleonA chameleon that could rest on the head of a match has been discovered by scientists on a island off Madagascar. The scientists also announced the discovery of three more species of tiny chameleons.
NASA to exchange 'flagship' missions for small-ball projectsNASA is drastically scaling back its Mars exploration initiatives in exchange for smaller, more efficient missions, agency officials say.
Will 2012 be the year scientists find the 'God Particle'?Researchers at CERN are cranking up the power on their Large Hadron Collider, in a last-ditch attempt to uncover the Higgs Boson, the so-called God Particle thought to be responsible for giving matter the property of mass. This will be their last chance to find the elusive particle before the particle-smasher is shut down for an upgrade.
Is NASA giving up on Mars?NASA's 2013 budget includes deep cuts to its planetary science mission, particularly its efforts to send spacecraft to Mars. Instead, the space agency will focus on human spaceflight and infrared astronomy. Is NASA now heading down the wrong path?
Will Japan hold a referendum to scrap nuclear power?A year an earthquake and a tsunami caused the world's worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century, a group of activists in Osaka, Japan, are seeking to hold a referendum that would ban nuclear power for Osaka.
Why you shouldn't expect a hoverboard any time soonResearchers at NYU say they have made a breakthrough in understanding how insects manage to remain in one place in the air. But building vehicles that can do the same is a tall order.
Obama's NASA budget favors a space telescope over Mars explorationThe proposed 2013 federal budget shifts funding away from missions to Mars and emphasizes manned spaceflight and astronomy.
Shocker: Video of live woolly mammoth not entirely authenticFootage from a Russian filmmaker's personal history project was altered to create a widely discussed – and now thoroughly debunked – sighting of a woolly mammoth.
NASA calls for new spaceships to taxi astronauts to space stationNASA is looking for two private firms to design and build 'space taxis' to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
What makes a planet livable? Five things scientists look for. Scientists have so far detected at least 550 planets outside the solar system – and another 2,000-plus await confirmation. But how to pick out the ones that may be Earth-like havens for life? Here's what one team looks for in assessing any planet's potential habitability and its similarity to Earth's properties.- Mars budget cuts 'irrational' says former NASA science chief
NASA faces deep budget cuts, forcing it to eliminate some missions to explore Mars. The cuts will allow the agency to continue its plans to build a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA moon waypoint could be first deep-space human outpostAccording to a Feb. 3 memo from William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, a team is being formed to develop a cohesive plan for exploring a spot in space known as the Earth-moon libration point 2.
Obama to slash NASA budget. Will space exploration suffer?NASA’s planetary science division would shoulder a heavy share of the cut. Under the president’s proposal, its budget would drop from $1.5 billion to $1.2 billion, a 20 percent reduction.
Red Planet meets red ink: budget ax could chop two NASA Mars missionsThe budget to be released by President Obama Monday is expected to include a one-third cut in NASA's Mars program, in part to pay for other cost overruns within the agency.
- Remarkably blurry video captures live 'woolly mammoth'
A spectacularly low-quality video from Siberia appears to capture a woolly mammoth, an animal that has been extinct in mainland Russia for about 10,000 years. Either that or it's a bear with a fish in its mouth.
Purple squirrel spotted in Pennsylvania. Did it fall into a portable toilet?Purple squirrel: A couple in Jersey Shore, Pa., spotted a squirrel with a purple hue. Speculations as to how the animal got that way include pokeberries, fracking fluid, and a portable toilet.
Mars missions cancelled? NASA budget could prompt deep cuts.While exactly how much money is allocated to NASA is unknown, insiders expect a significant reduction in the portion slotted for robotic exploration of Mars and other solar system bodies.
Enormous subglacial Lake Vostok could hold clues for alien lifeSince drilling through miles of ice to reach the massive underground lake, scientists have begun to speculate on what exists, or lives, in the frigid freshwater.
Scientists unravel mystery of zebra stripesWhy do zebras have stripes? One study suggests that the animals' distinctive vertical black-and-white pattern may have evolved to confuse biting insects.
