Science

Scientists to Begin Testing Artificial Volcano to Curb Climate Change

Staff / Truthdig Sep 15, 2011 Researchers in the U.K. will begin an experiment next month that, by imitating a volcanic eruption, could eventually lead to a climate-cooling method that would work by putting sun-reflective particles into the stratosphere. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Earth-Like Planet May Exist

Staff / Truthdig Sep 13, 2011 European astronomers said Monday that they may have found a celestial body with the right characteristics to host life: a "Goldilocks" planet circling a star at a distance that is not too hot, not too cold, but just right for liquid water to exist. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Black Hole Swallows Up a Star

Staff / Truthdig Aug 25, 2011 Scientists say that, for the first time, they have witnessed a black hole swallowing a distant star. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Get Ready for Medicinal MDMA

Staff / Truthdig Aug 22, 2011 A team of scientists in Britain is championing the cancer-fighting properties of Ecstasy, the touchy-feely party drug that makes you feel great whether or not it's punching holes in your brain. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jodie Foster Helps Fund the Search for Alien Life

Staff / Truthdig Aug 17, 2011 The Allen Telescope Array in Northern California was shut down due to government budget cuts, but more than 2,400 donors, including "Contact" star Jodie Foster, gave enough money to keep the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute-run facility open a little longer. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Circumcision Gadget Is Easier and Safer, but Does It Hurt?

Staff / Truthdig Aug 8, 2011 It has been shown that heterosexual men are significantly less likely to spread HIV when they are circumcised. Rwanda hopes to circumcise 2 million men across the spectrum of ages using a new device that promises to be cheaper, safer and easier than alternatives. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

If You’re Under 35, You’ve Never Experienced ‘Normal’ Earth Climate

Staff / Truthdig Aug 2, 2011 Physical scientist Robert Grumbine crunches some numbers to determine that "the last time the global mean was below the climate normal was March 1976." Basically Grumbine is looking for "normal" climate, and he sees things diverging after 1940. So tell us, old-timers, what was it like before the planet started melting? (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Look Homeward, Angels: California and the Rise and Fall of America’s Space Program

Deanne Stillman / Truthdig Jul 30, 2011 While much of the coverage of the end of the space shuttle age has focused on Florida, the launching pad for many missions, it should be recalled that another region of the country was equally important: the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County and, in particular, the Mojave city of Lancaster.The little-known Mojave city of Lancaster may have been one of the most powerful places in the world. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

A New Space Race

Staff / Truthdig Jul 21, 2011 More than 40 years after man first stepped foot on the moon, a new race to that pie in the sky has begun, this time by groups of entrepreneurs looking to cash in on private ventures and $30 million in prizes offered by Google. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Scientists Find the ‘Holy Grail of Heart Research’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 8, 2011 Researchers in the U.K. have found a way to make the hearts of mice repair themselves -- a feat that the British Heart Foundation calls the "holy grail" (when applied to humans, we're guessing). (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

This Is What It Looks Like When a Black Hole Destroys a Galaxy

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2011 And you think you've got problems. Take a look at nearby galaxy Centaurus A, which is in a losing battle with a black hole nearly 55 million times bigger (in terms of mass) than our sun. As it dies, its guts are being sprayed out in a trail of carnage 2 million light-years long, and NASA has the intergalactic snuff film to prove it. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Rogue’ Planets Found Roaming Through Space

Staff / Truthdig May 19, 2011 What happens when planetary bodies go rogue? Well, that's one universal mystery that scientists didn't actually know of until a team of Japanese researchers claimed to have found 10 such free-range roamers -- and what's more, they might be shockingly common in space. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )