Thursday, 9 February, 2012

Space shuttle Columbia has crashed, raising questions about research on the space shuttle and the International Space Station. Should we do space science by robots or manned vehicles?

Hubble Space Telescope is fixed, will add to history of discovery. Get a gander of galaxies, quasars, gamma ray sources, and other greatest hits of the greatest spyglass.

New research into alternative and complementary medicine shows effects of St. John’s wort, hypnosis and the placebo effect.

Are the Galapagos islands the birthplace of evolution theory and evolution science? What did Darwin learn there, and how are they being preserved nowadays?

What is the secret of scientific creativity? What does it take to come up with the big discoveries? How do some institutions come up with more than their share of Nobels?

What happens during the preparation and mounting of dinosaurs? What happened during the epic struggle over Sue, the queen of the T rexes? Can you do science with a jackhammer?

Tropical botanists strive to save rain forest plants and ecosystems. What is the role of plants in traditional society? Can plant-derived chemicals become a valuable commodity — and help preserve natural places?

The dangers of fieldwork to natural and social scientists: Volcanoes, viruses, armed revolutionaries, wackos behind the wheel…

Stray light interferes with the work of astronomers — and it’s a waste of energy. How to stop light pollution.

Uses of infrared radiation in cars, astronomy and meteorology.