Science

Science

Don't Be A Stupid Cupid! Hear How Not To Buy A Selfish Valentine's Day Gift

6:39pm February 12, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Social scientists have been studying Valentine's Day gifts, and research shows: The more you love someone, the more likely you might be to give selfish gifts.

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The Laser Interferometer Gravity-Wave Observatory measures tiny changes in the lengths of each of its 2.5-mile-long arms. The arms stretch and squeeze as gravity waves pass by.

Science

Einstein, A Hunch And Decades Of Work: How Scientists Found Gravitational Waves

5:27pm February 12, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

Behind the headlines and news conferences announcing the discovery were decades of hard work, hundreds of scientists and more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funds.

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A maroon oriole rests on a branch in a rain forest in Fuyuan in Taiwan's eastern county of Hualien.

Ready, Set, Watch: The Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Today

4:45pm February 12, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The annual event invites bird-watchers of all levels to count the birds in their backyards, and submit the data to researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.

The Philae lander, seen here heading to a comet's surface after leaving the Rosetta spacecraft in 2014, isn't expected to send any more signals, the European Space Agency says.

Science

History-Making Philae Lander Faces 'Eternal Hibernation' On Comet

12:10pm February 12, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A tweet issued by the European Space Agency includes a cartoon showing the Rosetta orbiter thinking about its little lander taking a nap on the comet's cold surface.

The Smithsonian is sharing images of astronaut graffiti aboard the Apollo 11 command module, including this tribute to the spacecraft.

Astronaut 'Graffiti' Seen For The First Time In Decades

10:36am February 12, 2016

by Russell Lewis

The crew of Apollo 11 drew a calendar on the wall of their command module, as well as a tribute to the spacecraft, and jotted down numbers and other information from mission control communications.

Science

SciWorks Radio - Understanding Why We Teach Evolution

9:53am February 12, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

Some of the great scientific theories unify our knowledge and have fundamentally changed the way we look at the world.

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A reconstruction of a Neanderthal man (right) based on skull found at the La Ferrassie rock shelter in Dordogne Valley, France. He's face to face with a male Homo sapien.

Science Seeks Clues To Human Health In Neanderthal DNA

11:20pm February 11, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

Some of the genetic variations in human DNA that have been linked to quick clotting or depression or diabetes lie within or near the genetic stretches we picked up from Neanderthals, a study finds.

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A simulation shows gravitational waves coming from two black holes as they spiral in together.

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In Milestone, Scientists Detect Gravitational Waves As Black Holes Collide

6:33pm February 11, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

A U.S.-led team says it has seen waves in space-time from two black holes merging together. It is the first time humanity has directly detected such waves.

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Russ Finch holds up half of a Cara Cara orange grown in his geothermal greenhouse in Alliance, Neb.

Citrus In The Snow: Geothermal Greenhouses Grow Local Produce In Winter

5:10pm February 11, 2016

by Grant Gerlock

Greenhouses could make local fruits and vegetables more available year-round, but they're energy intense. In the Midwest, some growers tap into the Earth's internal heat to warm the structures.

Science

Physicist Reacts To Discovery Of Gravitational Waves

4:29pm February 11, 2016

For Cal Tech scientist Yanbei Chen, the announcement of the discovery of gravitational waves wasn't a surprise. He first heard the news in September, but had to keep it secret for months.