science

As NASA explores the possibility of sending astronauts to an asteroid, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working on a tethering system that could help explorers with the prospect of walking on a surface without much sticking power.

Gravity is almost nonexistent on an asteroid, which can be as small as a speck of dust or as big as tens of miles in diameter. Two MIT researchers have proposed the idea of a lightweight rope that could be tied around a small asteroid--one that's larger than a few kilometers--deployed most likely with the use of a remote-controlled … Read more

It might be time to stow away that candy dish--and, for that matter, the cookie jar, gumball dispenser and bowl of nuts--because we humans are powerless to resist such things, according to a recent CNN article featuring research taking place at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab.

A book by Cornell researcher Brian Wansink says people will basically eat whatever food is in front of them. The book, called Mindless Eating, says that when it comes to overeating, convenience and visibility are bigger factors than how good food looks or how hungry a person is.

"We can say '… Read more

In computer science circles, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch is known as a virtual-reality expert, co-founder of the university's Entertainment Technology Center and director of the Alice Software Project, which exposes students from middle school through college to programming.

But he is fast becoming familiar to a broader audience as a man with little time to live and much wisdom to impart. Pausch, a 46-year-old father of three, has pancreatic cancer and, most likely, just a few months left.

In the last week, he has gained national attention for an inspiring and sometimes upbeat talk, titled "How to … Read more

PASADENA, Calif.--When PayPal founder Elon Musk entered the commercial space business in 2002, he was apparently not welcomed with open arms by the old guard.

But here at the 50 Years in Space conference Friday, Musk was in a much different position with his Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which is developing a series of rocket launchers and has a space-transportation contract with NASA.

"Thanks for being in the business, you give us fresh life. We need it," Robert Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said following Musk's morning speech at CalTech.… Read more

An environmental group on Wednesday named the world's worst-polluted areas, and Asia dominated the list.

The 10 most polluted places span seven countries and affect the health of roughly 12 million people, according to the U.S.-based environmental group Blacksmith Institute, which worked with the Green Cross Switzerland to formulate its 2007 list. Among the sites in Asia were: Linfen, China; Tianjin, China; Sukinda, India; and Vapi, India.

The industrial city of Tianjin accounts for more than half of China's lead production; and according to Blacksmith, more than half the country's total output of pollution. In … Read more

If you're anti-Barbie and also against the death penalty, you'll have mixed feelings about a middle-schooler's Barbie Doll Electric Chair Science Project. At least we can all agree on the importance of science in the classroom. While I'm trying to keep all things Barbie away from my 2-year-old daughter, I certainly think she ought to leave middle school understanding the fundamentals of electricity. And if we have to send Barbie to the chair for that to happen, so be it. The step-by-step guide on Instructables expertly shows how to construct an electric chair for your Barbie … Read more

In an update to NASA archive news posted earlier this week, the space agency has officially announced plans to develop a massive online archive of photography, film and video from its 50-year history. The archive will be developed under a five-year agreement with the Internet Archive, which will host the free site and help compile the imagery, according to NASA. The agency said it signed a nonexclusive Space Act agreement with the Internet Archive to develop the project, which will come at no cost to taxpayers.

The site, NASAImages.org, has yet to launch, and NASA did not say when … Read more

Web design purists who favor simplistic pages like Google.com can take heart. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed software that can measure the clutter of a page or map, and potentially point designers in a direction that's less eye-crossing.

Ruth Rosenholtz, principal research scientist in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), and her colleagues developed a mathematical model of what makes an object harder or easier to see in visual display. That model incorporates measures of an object's color, contrast and position on the page. The team then used it … Read more

With the space shuttle Endeavour safely back on the ground, NASA is working on showing the world its photo album.

The space agency and the Internet Archive said Tuesday that they plan to scan and archive more than 12 million NASA photographs and 100,000 hours of film and video footage for free access online, under an five-year agreement. As part of the deal, the Internet Archive will host the media album on a new Web site, Nasaimages.org.

The two organizations didn't say when the site will officially launch, but the project will presumably be well underway and … Read more