Monday, 20 May, 2013

Wave power

The first ocean wave energy-capturing device with a permit to connect back to a public power grid will enter the Pacific next month. How much power could the U.S. potentially harness from the waves crashing into its the coastline? According to researchers, wave energy might be one of our best renewable resources.

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

Pitching the biomechanics The fate of baseball teams valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and followed by millions of rabid fans can come down to the elbow ligaments of a handful of young men who can throw a ball nearly 100 mph. But that doesn’t mean the best science guides their training.
Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Dunewatching, Martian style

New pix from Mars show sand dunes on the move. Mars has been dry for 1.5 billion years; could massive erosion be due to wind? Yes, says a new report that tracked dunes with precise new images. Surprise: dunes move as fast on Mars as on Earth!

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Double the bubble!

High-speed movies of popping bubbles show a ring of “daughter” bubbles forming around the edge. A close look reveals a third generation of “granddaughter” bubbles. How does this happen? Does this matter to real-world medicine and climatology? And can we get paid to play with bubbles?

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Electric eye learns from animal eye!

Lenses cannot project a perfect image on the flat back of a camera, so images are distorted at the edges. A revolutionary camera solves this problem by curving the light detector.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Dig the latest top tech tricks

What you can’t see can still interest you. Archeologists use radar, magnetic, electrical gizmos to see through the ground, find places to dig.

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

The sounds of sax

New study shows that controlling throat shape helps pro players hit the high notes that elude amateurs.

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

It’s snow-time! Dig into our all-flake, no fake feature!

Frosty questions: Are some snowflakes identical? How do flakes form, and how does weather affect their shape? How does ice in the atmosphere affect weather and climate? And where does the jet stream fit in this picture?

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Science Meets Sports

The Why Files looks at kinesiology, sports medicine, psychology and some ancient Olympic history, brought to life.

Thursday, January 26th, 2006

Understanding Volcanoes

How do volcanoes work (p. 2)? How do we predict them (p. 3)? How do they change the landscape (p. 4)? How does life return after the eruption (p. 6)?

Thursday, October 21st, 2004

Star Formation: The Ultimate How-To…

Infrared survey of Milky Way shows massive star formation. How could a supernova cause stars to start?

Thursday, June 24th, 2004

Making of a Racehorse

Scientists work to select and breed first-rate racehorses using biomechanics and computer software. Result? Love that big butt!

Thursday, July 24th, 2003

Particles Get Entangled: Weird Quantum Interaction

Austrian researchers show quantum entanglement across the Danube River, providing new promise in cryptography and computing. At the smallest scale, you can throw out the usual rules of engagement. What’s up with spooky action at a distance?

Thursday, June 26th, 2003

Telescopes: Tomorrow’s Technology

New technology in ground-based telescopes will give better picture of the universe and detect deadly asteroids.

Thursday, June 5th, 2003

T-rex Runs (but Slowly)

Tyrannosaurus rex was no sprinter, new biomechanical study finds.

Thursday, February 28th, 2002