All Science
- Is it really cheaper to mine platinum from an asteroid?
A new company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires and Hollywood moguls seeks to extract precious metals from asteroids. Is doing so really cheaper than mining metals on Earth?
- Humongous rogue European satellite spotted hurtling through space
Envisat, a massive European satellite that lost contact with the ground earlier this month has been photographed by a French satellite.
- Google billionaires announce scheme to mine asteroids
A new company backed by some of the world's most prominent billionaires, including three Google executives, plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for precious metals.
- Why James Cameron and Larry Page want to mine asteroids
Google execs and filmmaker Cameron are investing in a space mining venture. The goal: create space-based refueling stations on asteroids
- Corn pricing affected by global warming, federal mandates not helping, study finds
Researchers out of Purdue and Stanford University have found evidence that small temperature increases over the next two decades could have a surprisingly drastic impact on the volatility of corn prices. And federal biofuel mandates may make things worse.
- Humongous exploding fireball in sky probably a meteor, say scientists
For many people in Nevada and northern California, Sunday morning was disrupted by a sonic boom and a fireball streaking across the sky.
- DARPA hypersonic glider skin peeled off, says Pentagon
Darpa Hypersonic Glider: The Pentagon has explained why it aborted the DARPA hypersonic glider last year. Apparently, the unmanned craft's skin started to peel off as it reached speeds of Mach 20.
- Lyrid meteor shower lights up sky around world
Clear skies and the absence of a bright moon this past weekend made for a spectacular Lyrid meteor shower, which dazzles skywatchers around the globe.
- Will visitors be allowed on board the Space Shuttle Discovery?
On Thursday, NASA handed the world's most traveled space shuttle over to the Smithsonian. Visitors won't be able to walk its decks, but they will be able to experience the shuttle's interior through interactive images.
- Bumblebee gecko species a 'striking surprise,' say scientists
Bumblebee gecko: A new species of gecko, dubbed the 'bumblebee gecko,' after its yellow and black markings, has been discovered in Papua New Guinea.
- Mexico's 'smoking mountain' lives up to its name
Mexican officials have raised the alert level for the volcano, Popocatépetl, as it spews ash and steam into the air and onto nearby communities.
- Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates
Polar bears were previously thought to have split from brown bears some 150,000 years ago. But a study of the bears' mitochondrial DNA indicates that they became a distinct species about 600,000 years ago.
- Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at its new home
In a public ceremony, NASA officially delivered the Space Shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Thursday.
- Bizarre cosmic ray mystery deepens
Humongous space explosions known as gamma ray bursts have been ruled out as a source of the universe's most intense cosmic rays, a new study has found.
- Did egg-laying lead to the dinosaurs' demise?
New research suggests that dinosaurs' reproduction through egg-laying may have been a fatal weakness.
- As extreme weather events increase, so does acceptance of climate science
A new survey finds that a majority of Americans believe that weather in the United States is getting worse, and they are linking it to global warming.
- How do they remove the Space Shuttle Discovery from its carrier aircraft?
Very carefully.
- Humongous solar flare erupts from sun
A spectacular solar flare erupted on the sun Monday, kicking up a massive amount of plasma.
- Space Shuttle Discovery lands, for the last time, in Washington, D.C.
After saluting the nations capital from atop a modified jumbo jet, the Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at Dulles International Airport to be handed over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
- Troublesome Karakoram glaciers getting bigger, new study suggests
Despite the global temperature increase and the overall shrinking of the world's glaciers, some glaciers in the Karakoram mountains have actually grown over the past decade, according to a new study.