SSS 2009-08-26

Still have some vacation time to burn, but tired of reading bad novels on the beach? Try a book written especially for people whod rather go to the planetarium than to Planet Hollywood. Its called The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technolo

SSS 2009-08-27

A planet has been discovered about 325 light-years away. But whats really interesting is that it shouldnt exist. The planet is called WASP-18b, because it was observed by a project called WASP, the Wide Area Search for Planets. It has 10 times the ma

SSS 2009-08-28

You cant judge a book by its cover. But you can judge a dog by its coat. You can even read right through to its genes. Because a study in the August 27th online issue of Science shows that just three key genes govern the length and texture of dog fur

SSS 2009-08-31

The space shuttle Discovery, mission STS-128, is in orbit right now. With some fascinating people on board. Pilot Kevin Ford became interested in flying when he was a kid and read the book Carrying the Fire, by Michael Collins, command module pilot o

SSS 2009-07-22

This is Scientific American 60-Second Science. I'm Cindey Graber. This will just take a minute. When TV sets die, they usually end up incinerated or in landfills. But now researchers from Englands University of York believe theyve found a valuable us

SSS 2009-08-04

This is Scientific Americans Sixty-second Science. Im Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. Poor old spleen, it never got the recognition it deserved. Until now. Scientists had known that the spleen is part of our immune systems. But it was c

SSS 2009-04-13

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute. The Earths original atmosphere would have been unpleasantdeadly in factto any organisms that breathe oxygen. There wasnt any. Not until about 2.4 billi

SSS 2009-01-01

This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky . Got a minute Happy New Year! And dont feel bad about taking today off. After all, youve traveled far. And Im not talking about the trip home from the party last night. According to N

SSS 2009-11-19

Theres nothing like a good nap. It can refresh your moodand possibly your memory. Because a new study in the journal Science shows that a quick snooze after a mental workout helps to consolidate learning. And that sounds heard during sleep can trigge

SSS 2009-11-20

We humans are known to help out members of our own families. When it comes to business we call it nepotism. Now plants have demonstrated the same predilection, in a study published in the American Journal of Botany. Previous research showed that plan

SSS 2009-11-23

This January, the country Turkey will join a handful of European nations that require visual health warnings on every pack of cigarettes. These images include things like diseased lungs and a foot sporting a toe tag. But maybe a Petri dish overrun wi

SSS 2009-11-24

Here in the U.S., its Thanksgiving week. And many of us are getting ready to stuff our faces, watch football and take advantage of all those Black Friday sales. But eat enough turkey and you may not want to shop. Because a new study, in the Journal o

SSS 2009-11-25

Maybe its happened to you. You think you have a fever. So you pop a thermometer in your mouth and try to breathe through your nose to get an accurate reading. But youre totally stuffed up, so you experience this moment of complete panic because you c

SSS 2009-11-26

Roughly 1,000 years ago, Europe enjoyed several centuries of balmier average temperatures. Dubbed the Medieval Warm Period, it was the last time before the present that agriculture could flourish in Greenland. This era also provided fodder for countl

SSS 2009-11-30

Adults can have a tough time learning a new language. Some opt for language immersion, in which the person spends all their time reading, listening to and speaking the new language. Now research reveals that immersion students do indeed learn the new

SSS 2009-10-21

A nightlight may keep those monsters under the bed. But it may also open the door to the blues. Because a new study reveals that animals exposed to light all night long show signs of clinical depression. If you have access to electricity, you no doub

SSS 2009-10-22

Did you know birds sing in dialect? They do. The song of a great tit from the countryside is a far cry from that of his city cousin. And some song dialects can change nearly as fast as human slangthe Indigo Bunting changes tune from year to year. To

SSS 2009-10-23

Some people eat to avoid being bored. Others to avoid doing something theyd rather not, like preparing a podcast. Now a report says we might eat to avoid fungi. Because warm-bloodedness, a condition that requires a lot of calories, may have evolved t

SSS 2009-10-26

How many times has your mother told you to turn off the lights when you leave a room, or to close the fridge door while you decide what to eat. Well, climatologists are on her side. Because according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Acad

SSS 2009-10-27

If you want to lose weightreally lose it and keep it offlook around your house. How many TV sets are there? And is there an exercise bike or any other similar equipment? The answers could predict the success of your weight loss quest, according to a