Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. Letters

    Fractious debateRachel Ehrenberg’s feature story on hydraulic fracturing “The Facts Behind the Frack,“ (SN: 9/8/12, p. 20) spurred a big response from readers. We received letters voicing strong opinions on both sides of the fracking debate. The article was intended as an overview of what science has to say about the risks of fracking and, due […]

  2. Science Future for November 3, 2012

    November 8–16 Take in nine days of science-based films during the Imagine Science Film Festival at several locations around New York City. This year’s films explore the mind, brain and time. See bit.ly/SFimfilm November 17 A new exhibit called “Our Global Kitchen” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City explores issues […]

  3. Science Past from the issue of November 3, 1962

    PAST-SEEKING CAMERA — A camera that can “see” what already has happened as well as what is happening may have provided the United States with information on missile bases in Cuba…. Special photographic plates are sensitive to heat (infrared) radiation and the past presence of objects is shown differentially. This is only one of the […]

  4. Fifty Minerals That Changed the Course of History by Eric Chaline

    From alabaster to zinc, this book highlights the scientific, cultural and commercial significance of a bevy of alloys, metals, rocks and gemstones. Firefly, 2012, 224 p., $29.95

  5. Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola

    Spectacular imagery enhances this detailed guide to 249 species of owls, including sections on owl biology, evolution and behavior. Firefly, 2012, 512 p., $49.95

  6. The Science of Human Perfection: How Genes Became the Heart of American Medicine by Nathaniel Comfort

    A historian finds parallels between the 19th century eugenics movement and the rise of modern human genetics. Yale Univ., 2012, 316 p., $35

  7. The Spine of the Continent: The Most Ambitious Wildlife Conservation Project Ever Undertaken by Mary Ellen Hannibal

    A journalist travels the length of the Rockies documenting efforts to create a massive wildlife corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico. Lyons Press, 2012, 272 p., $24.95

  8. Wonderful Life with the Elements: The Periodic Table Personified by Bunpei Yorifuji

    An artist explains the properties of the elements by drawing them as quirky characters in this fun guide to the periodic table. No Starch Press, 2012, 206 p., $17.95

  9. Letters

    Consider numbers I have been a faithful subscriber to Science News for a long time, since I subscribed for my kids in the 1960s. I don’t have a degree but was a naval aviator for 32 years. I just cannot get used to converting kilometers per hour to miles per hour each time I encounter […]

  10. SN Online

    MATTER & ENERGY Chemists find more evidence of the existence of ununtrium in “News in Brief: Japanese lab lays claim to element 113.” Guenter Wieschendahl/Wikimedia CommonS ON THE SCENE BLOGMiddle-schoolers tackle scientific challenges at the Broadcom MASTERS competition. Read “Building a funner mousetrap.” HUMANS Pastoralists may have constructed England’s ancient stone monuments. See “Herders, not […]

  11. Science Future for October 20, 2012

    November 3 The dress code is caveman chic at the Orlando Science Center’s Neanderthal Ball. Enjoy wine, music, fine dining and a “diamond dig” at this upscale event. Details at bit.ly/SFball November 7 Cocktails accompany a  discussion by biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson, who studies medicinal African plants, as part of the American Museum of Natural […]

  12. Science Past from the issue of October 20, 1962

    U.S. NOW HAS CAPABILITY FOR TWIN SPACE SHOT  —  The United States now can equal the Soviet manned twin space shot, SCIENCE SERVICE learned at Cape Canaveral. The systems and power to do this are now available, J. Merritt, operations director of Project Mercury at Cape Canaveral, said. Although we do not have the vehicle […]