http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/-t1.htm What's new in the world of Science. Mon, 11 May 2009 23:57:59 GMT 10 http://i18.servimg.com/u/f18/11/65/21/31/banner10.jpg http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/-t1.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/right-whales-set-a-birthing-record-t18501.htm Outspoken Right whales set a birthing record The Associated Press BOSTON — Right whales gave birth to a record 39 calves this spring. The New England Aquarium said Friday that the birth surge breaks the old record of 31. The total of 39 also shows much improvement from 2000, when one calf was born. Each birthing season is important because right whales number fewer than 400 and are among the most endangered whales in the world. Having a calf is no easy task for the 50-foot-long whales, ... Science News Mon, 11 May 2009 23:57:59 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/right-whales-set-a-birthing-record-t18501.htm#21762 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/right-whales-set-a-birthing-record-t18501.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stephen-hawking-hospitalized-reported-very-ill-t18299.htm Outspoken Stephen Hawking hospitalized, reported very ill By ROBERT BARR Associated Press Writer LONDON – Stephen Hawking, the British mathematician and physicist famed for his work on black holes, was rushed to a hospital Monday and was seriously ill, Cambridge University said. Hawking has been fighting a chest infection for several weeks and was being treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, the university city northeast of London, the university said. "Professor Hawking is ... Science News Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:55:12 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stephen-hawking-hospitalized-reported-very-ill-t18299.htm#21525 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stephen-hawking-hospitalized-reported-very-ill-t18299.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/astronauts-tinker-with-urine-to-water-machine-t15218.htm Outspoken Astronauts tinker with urine-to-water machine By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press Writer HOUSTON – Astronauts tinkered Sunday with a troublesome piece of equipment designed to help convert urine and sweat into drinkable water, which is vital to allowing the international space station crew to double to six. Station commander Michael Fincke and space shuttle Endeavour astronaut Donald Pettit changed how a centrifuge is mounted in a urine processor, which is part of the newly delivered ... Science News Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:19:49 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/astronauts-tinker-with-urine-to-water-machine-t15218.htm#17994 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/astronauts-tinker-with-urine-to-water-machine-t15218.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-view-inside-bacteria-could-improve-health-t15156.htm Outspoken New View Inside Bacteria Could Improve Health LiveScience Staff LiveScience.com The bacterial cell wall, a primary target for the potent antibiotic penicillin, has been imaged for the first time in 3-D to show exactly how it gives bacteria their structural support and protection. Bacterial cells rely on a surrounding cage-like net, a molecular bag of sorts, to prevent rupturing and to maintain their structural strength, especially as they multiply. However, efforts to image such ... Science News Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:14:35 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-view-inside-bacteria-could-improve-health-t15156.htm#17920 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-view-inside-bacteria-could-improve-health-t15156.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stress-warps-brains-and-behavior-researchers-say-t15155.htm Outspoken Stress warps brains and behavior, researchers say By Robert S. Boyd McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — Scientists have discovered how stress — in the form of emotional, mental or physical tension — physically reshapes the brain and causes long-lasting harm to humans and animals. "Stress causes neurons (brain cells) to shrink or grow," said Bruce McEwen , a neuroscientist at Rockefeller University in New York . "The wear and tear on the body from lots of stress changes ... Science News Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:11:08 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stress-warps-brains-and-behavior-researchers-say-t15155.htm#17919 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/stress-warps-brains-and-behavior-researchers-say-t15155.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/herod-may-have-been-buried-among-lavish-artwork-t15095.htm Outspoken Herod may have been buried among lavish artwork By STEVE WEIZMAN Associated Press Writer HERODIUM, West Bank – King Herod may have been buried in a crypt with lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday. The scientists found such paintings and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the ancient Jewish monarch was buried there. Ehud Netzer, head of Jerusalem's Hebrew University ... Science News Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:44:31 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/herod-may-have-been-buried-among-lavish-artwork-t15095.htm#17857 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/herod-may-have-been-buried-among-lavish-artwork-t15095.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/shuttle-is-carrying-destiny-s-new-toilet-t14953.htm Outspoken Shuttle Is Carrying Destiny's New Toilet By Joel Achenbach Washington Post Staff Writer The grand drama of humankind's conquest of space has featured as a recurring subplot the mystery of how people in zero gravity can possibly go to the bathroom. The latest twist in that narrative is about to take place high above Earth, where astronauts will deliver to the international space station a new toilet, officially known as the waste and hygiene compartment, plus a contraption that can recycle ... Science News Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:50:19 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/shuttle-is-carrying-destiny-s-new-toilet-t14953.htm#17680 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/shuttle-is-carrying-destiny-s-new-toilet-t14953.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/lebanon-finds-2900-year-old-phoenician-remains-t14859.htm Outspoken Lebanon finds 2,900 year old Phoenician remains Reuters News Service BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese and Spanish archaeologists have discovered 2,900-year-old earthenware pottery that ancient Phoenicians used to store the bones of their dead after burning the corpses. They said more than 100 jars were discovered at a Phoenician site in the southern coastal city of Tire. Phoenicians are known to have thrived from 1500 B.C. to 300 B.C and they were also headquartered in the coastal area ... Science News Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:41:28 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/lebanon-finds-2900-year-old-phoenician-remains-t14859.htm#17575 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/lebanon-finds-2900-year-old-phoenician-remains-t14859.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/brisk-walk-can-curb-chocolate-cravings-t14857.htm Outspoken Brisk Walk Can Curb Chocolate Cravings By Andrea Thompson Senior Writer LiveScience.com Assuming you'd want to avoid chocolate, a short, brisk walk could help curb your cocoa cravings, a new study suggests. While chocolate is fine as an occasional indulgence (and dark chocolate in small doses could even help the heart), too much of a good thing can be bad for the body. Researchers at the University of Exeter had 25 regular chocolate eaters abstain from their favorite snack ... Science News Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:28:16 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/brisk-walk-can-curb-chocolate-cravings-t14857.htm#17573 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/brisk-walk-can-curb-chocolate-cravings-t14857.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/greece-unearths-neolithic-home-household-equipment-t14233.htm Outspoken Greece unearths Neolithic home, household equipment Reuters News Service ATHENS (Reuters) – Archaeologists in northern Greece have unearthed the ruins of a Neolithic house, a rare find that offers valuable information about everyday life 6,000 years ago, the Greek culture ministry said Friday. A kitchen area with two ovens, clay pots and stone tools, and two more rooms show stone age farmers processed grains in the house, which appears to have burned down. "This is a rare ... Science News Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:58:45 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/greece-unearths-neolithic-home-household-equipment-t14233.htm#16848 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/greece-unearths-neolithic-home-household-equipment-t14233.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/starquakes-seen-inside-faraway-stars-t14181.htm Outspoken Starquakes Seen Inside Faraway Stars SPACE.com Staff For the first time, quaking inside a star other than our sun has been recorded. The starquakes, as astronomers call them, offer a window into the mysterious inner workings of stars. Scientists have studied similar quakes inside the sun. And they've had evidence of starquakes from very massive neutron stars. But they had not see the trembling inside another star before. The new observations were made using the European ... Science News Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:30:48 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/starquakes-seen-inside-faraway-stars-t14181.htm#16793 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/starquakes-seen-inside-faraway-stars-t14181.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/india-readies-1st-moon-mission-in-asian-space-race-t14092.htm Outspoken India readies 1st moon mission in Asian space race By GAVIN RABINOWITZ and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press Writers NEW DELHI – Scientists have better maps of distant Mars than the moon where astronauts have walked. But India hopes to change that with its first lunar mission. Chandrayaan-1 — which means "Moon Craft" in ancient Sanskrit — is scheduled to launch from the Sriharikota space center in southern India at 8:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday in a two-year mission aimed at laying ... Science News Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:41:33 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/india-readies-1st-moon-mission-in-asian-space-race-t14092.htm#16695 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/india-readies-1st-moon-mission-in-asian-space-race-t14092.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-secret-of-how-the-titanic-sank-t14003.htm Outspoken The Secret of How the Titanic Sank New evidence has experts rethinking how the luxury passenger liner sank By Justin Ewers U.S. News and World Report For decades after the disaster, there was little doubt about what sank the Titanic. When the "unsinkable" ship, the largest, most luxurious ocean liner of its time, crashed into an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912, it took more than 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers to the bottom. As the ship slipped into the North Atlantic, ... Science News Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:38:00 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-secret-of-how-the-titanic-sank-t14003.htm#16595 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-secret-of-how-the-titanic-sank-t14003.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/problems-prompt-nasa-to-wait-on-restarting-hubble-t13999.htm Outspoken Problems Prompt NASA to Wait on Restarting Hubble By Marc Kaufman Washington Post Staff Writer NASA yesterday suspended a plan to restart the Hubble Space Telescope by using long-dormant backup equipment onboard after the effort ran into problems. Agency scientists said they remain optimistic that they will overcome the difficulties, but they said they do not yet know why the computer that controls all the science instruments shut down as the backup equipment was powering up. ... Science News Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:05:55 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/problems-prompt-nasa-to-wait-on-restarting-hubble-t13999.htm#16591 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/problems-prompt-nasa-to-wait-on-restarting-hubble-t13999.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-rules-to-protect-north-atlantic-right-whales-t13788.htm Outspoken New rules to protect North Atlantic right whales By Maite Jullian Boston University Washington News Service WASHINGTON — The endangered North Atlantic right whale soon will benefit from greater protection thanks to a new regulation that will reduce the speed at which large commercial ships can travel along the East Coast. Although the regulations won’t affect ships traveling in Maine waters, the state’s lobstermen’s association welcomed the news as recognition that both fishing ... Science News Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:33:20 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-rules-to-protect-north-atlantic-right-whales-t13788.htm#16351 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/new-rules-to-protect-north-atlantic-right-whales-t13788.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/bad-connection-caused-atom-smasher-shutdown-t13661.htm Outspoken Bad connection caused atom smasher shutdown By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS Associated Press Writer GENEVA – A bad electrical connection likely caused the malfunction that sidelined the world's largest atom smasher days after it was launched with great fanfare, a senior scientist said Monday. The fault was probably a poor soldering job on one of the particle collider's 10,000 connections, said Lyn Evans, project leader of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Nuclear Research ... Science News Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:10:54 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/bad-connection-caused-atom-smasher-shutdown-t13661.htm#16212 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/bad-connection-caused-atom-smasher-shutdown-t13661.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/penguins-ride-air-force-jet-to-south-atlantic-t13660.htm Outspoken Penguins ride air force jet to South Atlantic By TALES AZZONI Associated Press Writer SAO PAULO, Brazil – More than 370 penguins that mysteriously washed up on Brazil's equatorial beaches were flown south on a huge air force cargo plane and released closer to the frigid waters they call home, animal advocates said Monday. Onlookers cheered as the young Magellanic penguins were set free on a beach in southern Brazil and scampered into the ocean, the International Fund for Animal ... Science News Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:05:57 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/penguins-ride-air-force-jet-to-south-atlantic-t13660.htm#16211 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/penguins-ride-air-force-jet-to-south-atlantic-t13660.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/future-of-flagship-mars-mission-up-in-the-air-t13659.htm Outspoken Future of flagship Mars mission up in the air By ALICIA CHANG AP Science Writer LOS ANGELES – Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet. NASA has already sunk $1.5 billion into the Mars Science Laboratory, which is pricier than expected. The mega-rover will roam the surface and drill into rocks for clues to whether ... Science News Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:13 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/future-of-flagship-mars-mission-up-in-the-air-t13659.htm#16210 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/future-of-flagship-mars-mission-up-in-the-air-t13659.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/japanese-duo-us-scientist-win-nobel-for-particle-physics-t13648.htm Outspoken Japanese duo, US scientist win Nobel for particle physics by Pia Ohlin AFP News Service STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa of Japan and Yoichiro Nambu of the United States won the 2008 Nobel Physics Prize Tuesday for groundbreaking theoretical work in fundamental particles. The three were lauded for their work in explaining anomalies in concepts of the nature of matter and the origins of the Universe, created in the "Big Bang" 14 billion years ago. Nambu, ... Science News Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:06:25 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/japanese-duo-us-scientist-win-nobel-for-particle-physics-t13648.htm#16199 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/japanese-duo-us-scientist-win-nobel-for-particle-physics-t13648.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/filipinos-draw-power-from-buried-heat-t13560.htm Outspoken Filipinos Draw Power From Buried Heat By Blaine Harden Washington Post Foreign Service ORMOC, Philippines -- Ferdinand Marcos, the despot who ruled here for 21 years, is remembered mainly for the staggering quantity of his wife's shoes. But there is another Marcos legacy, and it is drawing new attention at a time of high oil prices, global warming and urgent questions about the role of government in alternative energy development. Reacting to the early 1970s oil shock, Marcos ... Science News Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:17:43 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/filipinos-draw-power-from-buried-heat-t13560.htm#16098 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/filipinos-draw-power-from-buried-heat-t13560.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/genetic-link-found-to-colon-cancer-in-study-t13491.htm Outspoken Genetic link found to colon cancer in study By Andrew Stern Reuters News Service CHICAGO (Reuters) - A gene related to a hormone secreted by the body's fat cells may lower the risk of colon cancer, a discovery that could reassure people with a family history of the disease, researchers said on Tuesday. The gene variation, shared by about half of all those in the study, likely helps control how much of the hormone adiponectin fat cells secrete, the researchers reported in the Journal ... Science News Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:35:21 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/genetic-link-found-to-colon-cancer-in-study-t13491.htm#16023 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/genetic-link-found-to-colon-cancer-in-study-t13491.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/us-spacecraft-poised-to-fly-past-mercury-next-week-t13490.htm Outspoken U.S. spacecraft poised to fly past Mercury next week By Will Dunham Reuters News Service WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A NASA spacecraft will whiz over Mercury's crater-scarred surface next Monday, getting a look at the third of the planet closest to the sun that has never been seen close-up before. It is a return engagement for the car-sized MESSENGER probe, which darted past Mercury on January 14 during its ongoing mission to explore the small and rocky sun-baked world. MESSENGER ... Science News Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:33:27 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/us-spacecraft-poised-to-fly-past-mercury-next-week-t13490.htm#16022 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/us-spacecraft-poised-to-fly-past-mercury-next-week-t13490.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/northeast-co2-on-auction-block-t13289.htm Outspoken Northeast CO2 on auction block By Karen Matthews The Associated Press NEW YORK — Greenhouse gases went on sale Thursday as 10 Northeastern states, including Maine, held the nation’s first auction of pollution credits aimed at curbing global warming. “It is time really to turn the tide on global warming,” said New York Gov. David Paterson, who opened the auction by ringing the ceremonial bell at the New York Mercantile Exchange. “And we hope that we’ve done this today.” The ... Science News Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:48:42 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/northeast-co2-on-auction-block-t13289.htm#15794 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/northeast-co2-on-auction-block-t13289.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/nasa-delays-hubble-mission-by-5-days-ike-blamed-t13252.htm Outspoken NASA delays Hubble mission by 5 days, Ike blamed By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is delaying next month's shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope because of problems stemming from Hurricane Ike and replacement parts for the observatory. Space shuttle Atlantis is now set to blast off late at night on Oct. 14 for the last visit to the orbiting telescope, officials said Wednesday. Liftoff had been scheduled for the wee hours of Oct. 10, technically ... Science News Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:18:31 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/nasa-delays-hubble-mission-by-5-days-ike-blamed-t13252.htm#15756 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/nasa-delays-hubble-mission-by-5-days-ike-blamed-t13252.htm http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-bizarre-creatures-of-madagascar-t12885.htm Outspoken The Bizarre Creatures of Madagascar By David W. Krause Stony Brook University LiveScience.com This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Not in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the fossil riches that we would discover on our first expedition to the island of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, back in 1993. And now, 15 years later, we continue to dig up spectacular specimens from the badland hills ... Science News Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:21:28 GMT http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-bizarre-creatures-of-madagascar-t12885.htm#15347 http://kennebecvalleypodium.forumotion.com/science-news-f29/the-bizarre-creatures-of-madagascar-t12885.htm