Sid Perkins

Sid Perkins is a freelance science writer based in Crossville, Tenn.

All Stories by Sid Perkins

  1. Earth

    9/11 ash, and more, found in river muck

    Sediment cores pulled from the Hudson River near the World Trade Center site contain a thin layer of metal-rich ash and pulverized debris.

  2. Humans

    Budget Boosts and Busts: R&D for Defense, NASA garner funding rise

    The President's $2.23 trillion federal budget proposal contains nearly $123 billion to fund federal research and development, an increase of about $8 billion over last year’s proposal.

  3. Earth

    Dust devils produce magnetic fields

    Scientists who chase dust devils report that the tiny twisters can produce a small magnetic field that changes magnitude between 3 and 30 times per second.

  4. Earth

    Enjoy the beach. . .while it’s still there

    Up to a quarter of the structures within 500 feet of America's coastlines may be lost to erosion in the next 60 years, according to a report issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week.

  5. Earth

    Kilauea: 20 years on, it’s still erupting

    As of Jan. 3, Kilauea—Hawaii’s Energizer Bunny of volcanic activity—has been erupting continuously for two decades.

  6. Earth

    Electronic Jetsam

    Oceanographers are developing and deploying a variety of seafaring probes—including drifters, gliders, and scientific torpedoes—that will enable them to explore and monitor the ocean remotely.

  7. Astronomy

    In the Beginning: Dark matter builds galaxies, feeds quasars

    Cosmologists say they have found compelling evidence that massive galaxies were already in place when the universe was less than a billion years old.

  8. Paleontology

    Wings Aplenty: Dinosaur species had feathered hind limbs

    A team of Chinese paleontologists has discovered fossils of a small, feathered dinosaur that they say had four wings.

  9. Earth

    Snow alga may be sizable carbon sink

    A common microorganism that adds a reddish tinge to some patches of snow may be a significant consumer of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

  10. Earth

    Northern Vents: Arctic shows surprising hydrothermal activity

    A recent survey along a midocean ridge beneath the Arctic icepack unveiled an unexpected abundance of hydrothermal activity.

  11. Humans

    Unfounded Fear: Scared to fly after 9/11? Don’t reach for the car keys

    A new analysis of transportation in the United States shows that flying remains a much safer way to travel than driving, even when airline fatalities resulting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are included.

  12. Earth

    Sulfur Studies: Early Earth’s air was oxygen-poor

    Analyses of ancient sulfide minerals and the modern organisms that create sulfides are giving scientists a better idea of what Earth's atmosphere and oceans may have been like billions of years ago.