All Stories by Science News
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19433
I don’t think anyone should be surprised that squirrels have figured out how to say “nyah, nyah” to rattlesnakes. After all, it’s what they’ve been saying to cats, dogs, and bird-feeder owning humans for years. R. Kelly WagnerAustin, Texas
- Humans
From the June 23, 1934, issue
Young desert hawks in their nest, properties of newly found element 93, and the effect of high pressure on phosphorus.
- Astronomy
Tracking Solar Activity
Part of the Student Observation Network, this NASA Web site offers information and activities related to solar flares and storms. Vividly illustrated online tutorials provide guidelines and background for observing sunspots, recording radio waves, collecting data from magnetometers, and viewing auroras. Learn how to make a sunspot viewer or magnetometer. See live images of the […]
- Humans
Letters from the June 26, 2004, issue of Science News
Theory and practice Like physicists, mathematicians have always been divided into theorists and experimentalists (“Math Lab: Computer experiments are transforming mathematics,” SN: 4/24/04, p. 266: Math Lab). And, as with the physicists, the two groups of mathematicians have not gotten along very well. Still, in physics, there has always been an understanding that both groups […]
- Humans
From the June 16, 1934, issue
Fanciful creations of the photographer's art, the possible addition of element 93 to the periodic table, and a Triceratops skull on display.
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Backyard Nature
Naturalist Jim Conrad has created a friendly, nicely illustrated introduction to studying nature, starting in your own backyard. The Web site features information on plants, animals, and fungi that might thrive in a backyard. It also provides basic information on ecology, geology, naming and classifying living things, and other topics. Look for the list of […]
- Humans
Letters from the June 19, 2004, issue of Science News
Scan or scam? Using laser technology that has an apparent resolution of only about half a centimeter is somewhat laughable (“Laser scanners map rock art,” SN: 4/3/04, p. 222: Laser scanners map rock art). I also wondered whether the “fresh coat of desert varnish” was an April fool joke. Actually, I really look forward to […]
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19432
Does it really take a team of scientists running computer simulations to come up with the common sense that the greater the common surface area of two objects that touch, the more efficient the stacking? The closer objects are to being flat, the more efficiently they will stack. Hence ellipses will, of course, stack more […]
- Humans
From the June 9, 1934, issue
Mexican archaeology, dry ice for shrinking metals, and choosing optimal flight paths for airplanes.
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19431
Horvath and Toffel’s comparison of the environmental impacts of the paper versus the electronic editions of the New York Times is a bit misleading. A personal digital assistant isn’t good for advertising or newspaper browsing. In other words, the PDA users aren’t getting a comparable product. Still, the day is probably not too far off […]
- Physics
Corralling the Mass Maker: Hunting ground shifts for elusive particle
Hunters of the most eagerly sought particle in high-energy physics, the Higgs boson, are gleaning fresh clues about where and how to look from a new finding about another fundamental particle called the top quark.
- Physics
Light Projects
This colorful, interactive Web site provides a lively introduction to the nature of light and spectra. A product of Project LITE (Light Inquiry Through Experiments) at Boston University, the site offers a variety of applets, activities, and materials on topics ranging from color mixing and afterimage effects to moire patterns and geometrical optics. A fascinating […]
