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All Stories by Science News
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Science Future
May 28, 2008 – June 1, 2008 The World Science Festival, an event-filled celebration and exploration of science in modern life, in New York City. See www.worldsciencefestival.com. August 1, 2008 Total solar eclipse, visible in Asia. Visit NASA’s site for more at eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
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Earth
BOOK LIST | A Grain of Sand: Nature’s Secret Wonder
Beautiful photos of sand grains up close reveal surprising diversity. Text describes a sand grain’s journey from mountain to beach. A GRAIN OF SAND Voyageur Press, 2008, 112 p. $20.
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Planetary Science
BOOK LIST | Titan Unveiled
Astronomer Lorenz and science writer Mitton provide the details of what we know so far about Saturn’s moon. TITAN UNVEILED Princeton University Press, 2008, 243 p., $29.95
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Astronomy
BOOK LIST | Archimedes to Hawking: Laws of Science and the Great Minds Behind Them
Pickover, who has authored 40 books on many aspects of science and mathematics, discusses how the works of great minds from Archimedes to Stephen Hawking have changed humankind’s understanding of the universe. BIG IDEAS, AND BIG THINKERS, IN COSMOLOGY Oxford University Press, 2008, 514 p., $27.95.
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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary . . .
How does her garden grow? From fertile dirt with rusty nails, beer, and bacteria. At least according to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Now that spring has arrived, green thumbs are itching to get out and get planting, and this hands-on science museum in California has put together a Web site for experienced and budding […]
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Humans
From the April 9, 1938, issue
Mining limestone to make steel, a bright little bulb, setting a new record on the sun and finding buried thermos bottles.
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Humans
Letters from the April 12, 2008, issue of Science News
Dark star In “From Dark Matter to Light: New models of galaxy formation show the gastro in physics” (SN: 3/22/08, p. 186), Ron Cowen says that gas is where the action is since dark matter predominantly responds to only gravity. Because dark matter responds to gravity, wouldn’t it, like gas, be pulled into the star-making […]
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Earth
Sense of Wonder Contest
Rachel Carson aficionados will recognize The Sense of Wonder as the title of one of that environmentalist’s books. The Environmental Protection Agency is using that title to invite people young and old—literally and collaboratively—to explore that sense in poetry, essays, and photography. It’s inviting submissions from intergenerational teams “that best express the ‘Sense of Wonder’ […]
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Humans
From the April 2, 1938, issue
The science of tall tales, a fluorine-spouting volcano under ice, and viruses show signs of life.
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Humans
Letters from the April 5, 2008, issue of Science News
Follow the glow “State of the Universe: Microwave glow powers cosmic insights” (SN: 3/15/08, p. 163) brings up a question. This glow should be stronger in one direction, which can point us to the center of the universe. Is this possible? Donald BurrNovato, Calif. Studies of the microwave glow reveal that Earth is moving surprisingly […]
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Humans
From the March 26, 1938, issue
Ambitious plans for two World Fairs, helium replaces hydrogen as flying gas, and slowing down a fabled insect speedster.