Science

BP Spill Caught the Coast Guard Unprepared

Staff / Truthdig Apr 9, 2011 Looking back over the disastrous BP oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico last year, an internal review by the U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that the seagoing service was poorly prepared for such an event and that the cleanup itself was riddled with planning failures. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

No Nukes Is Good Nukes

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Mar 16, 2011 An important lesson that should be reinforced by the ongoing disaster in Japan is to worry more about the elimination of those nuclear weapons designed to explode, and another is to be concerned about the prospect of sabotage of nuclear power plants. Sorry, Mr. President, but there is a dimension of fear properly associated with the word nuclear that is not matched by any oil spill. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

A Warning to the World

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Mar 16, 2011 A reporter, describing the devastation of one city in Japan, wrote: "It looks as if a monster steamroller had passed over it and squashed it out of existence I write these facts as a warning to the world" The reporter was Wilfred Burchett, writing from Hiroshima, Japan, on Sept 5, 1945. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

No Such Thing as Risk-Free Nuclear Power

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Mar 15, 2011 Nuclear power was beginning to look like a panacea -- a way to lessen our dependence on oil, make our energy supply more self-sufficient and significantly mitigate global warming, all at the same time. Now it looks more like a bargain with the devil. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Conservative Brains Have More Fear, Less Courage

Staff / Truthdig Dec 30, 2010 Scientists at University College London went poking around the noggins of a couple of MPs and 90 students and were surprised to discover that the brains of right-wing subjects were more prone to fear and anxiety and less so to courage and optimism when compared with their counterparts on the left. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Dr. Strangelove Redux

Richard Reeves / Truthdig Nov 30, 2010 And now a quote that could come from Dr. Strangelove: "I will stand my artificial intelligence against your human any day of the week and tell you that my A.I. will pay more attention to the rules of engagement and create fewer ethical lapses than a human force." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

How Robots Clean Up an Oil Spill

Staff / Truthdig Oct 11, 2010 Those nerds at MIT have come up with something really amazing (not the first time). It's a swarm of autonomous robots that talk to each other as they make their way around a spill, gobbling up the oil. Why didn't we think of that? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hawking: Human Salvation Lies in Space

Staff / Truthdig Aug 10, 2010 Despite what some global warming naysayers might still insist, it's not looking like planet Earth is going to be a super-comfy place to reside indefinitely. Now, superphysicist Stephen Hawking has suggested an alternative. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hottest Decade Makes Global Warming ‘Undeniable’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 29, 2010 We started calling it "climate change" because it's not all about getting warmer, but when the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s are each, in turn, declared the hottest decade on record, it's safe to say things are heating up. According to the annual State of the Climate report, the evidence is "undeniable." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Full Face Transplant Recipient

Staff / Truthdig Jul 27, 2010 Spanish doctors say they are ready to release "Oscar," the recipient of the first 100 percent face transplant. Previous transplants in France and the United States were only partial. Warning: This video might disturb some viewers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Calling All Future-Eaters

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Jul 19, 2010 We sit passive and dumb as corporations and the leaders of industrialized nations ensure that climate change will accelerate to levels that could mean the extinction of our species. Homo sapiens, as the biologist Tim Flannery points out, are the “future-eaters.”We sit passive and dumb as corporations and the leaders of industrialized nations ensure that climate change will accelerate to levels that could mean the extinction of our species. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

First Stunning Images From NASA’s Solar Observatory

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2010 Nobody told NASA scientists they weren't supposed to look at the sun, so they launched a spacecraft at our nearest star to capture images with 10 times the resolution of HD television. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )