Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Source: ESA Venus Express Mission Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. Read more…

The light and dark of Venus PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Saturday, February 23, 2008 Source: ESA Venus Express MissionImages Venus Express has revealed a planet of extraordinarily changeable and extremely large-scale weather. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report: No. 105STATUS REPORT Date Released: Saturday, December 8, 2007 Source: ESA Venus Express Mission 28 Nov 2007 09:10 Report for Period 11 November to 17 November 2007 The activities during this week cover routine operations in Quadrature. Read more…

NASA Science and Technology Definition Teams for Venus mission architectureSTATUS REPORT Date Released: Friday, November 30, 2007 Source: NASA HQ Dear Colleagues: In response to recommendations from the NASA Advisory Council's Planetary Science Subcommittee and to findings from the Venus... Read more…

Climate and Evolution PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Thursday, November 29, 2007 Source: ESA Venus Express MissionImages Today, Venus is a hellish place of high temperatures and crushing air pressure. Venus Express is showing that this was not always the case. Read more…

Caught in the wind from the Sun PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Thursday, November 29, 2007 Source: ESA Venus Express MissionImages Venus Express has exposed the true extent to which the Sun strips away the atmosphere of Venus. Read more…

The restless atmosphere of Venus PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Thursday, November 29, 2007 Source: ESA Venus Express MissionImages Venus Express has studied the true extent of Venus's restless atmosphere. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report - November 2007STATUS REPORT Date Released: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Source: ESA Venus Express Mission 19 Nov 2007 10:14 An anomaly in the solar array drive circuitry, already known on Mars Express, was detected on Venus Express for the first time on 23 August... Read more…

Cows contribute to global warming by releasing methane gas. Argentine scientists are looking to reduce the amount of methane gasbeing emitted from its cows so they have embarked on a research project. The study involves placing a strange looking gas-collecting contraption on the back of the cow being studied. The study is being conducted by Argentina's National Institute of Agrarian Technology. You can read about the study here. Yes, basically cow farts are being collected in a plastic tank on the back of a cow for additional study. Below is a video about the project from Reuters. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

This National Geographic video shows a massive school of jellyfish. These jellyfish are 95% water, brainless and have been around for 65 million years. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Dylan, a hatchling loggerhead sea turtle who was rescued on Jekyll Island almost 10 years ago, was released back into the ocean last week. Dylan had been learning the skills she needed to return to the wild this past year - including identifying and capturing natural prey such as blue crabs, horseshoe crabs and whelks. Veterinarians at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center have been pleased with Dylan's progress according to a news release. The loggerhead sea turtle is threatened worldwide and is under consideration for being reclassified as "endangered" due to diminishing populations in the Western Atlantic Ocean. We are very pleased with Dylan's progress," said Dr. Terry Norton, Director of Veterinary Services and Interim Director of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. "She has come a long way in the last year and has been a great representative of sea turtle education and conservation, helping to spread the word about the plight of the sea turtle and the marine ecosystem. We are glad to see her depart for her real home at sea and are excited to watch her travels once she is released." "The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is an exciting project initiated by the Jekyll Island Foundation and the Jekyll Island Authority. The Center reflects our commitment to conservation, preservation and education," said William Lattimore, Jr., Chairman of the Jekyll Island Foundation. "This is a very special event for the entire community. Dylan's release is indeed an appropriate finale for Sea Turtle Weekend, the anniversary celebration of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center." After outgrowing her tank at the Tidelands Nature Center in Jekyll Island, a partnership was formed with the Georgia Aquarium, where Dylan was relocated in November 2005. She returned to Jekyll Island in May of 2007, arriving at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center shortly before its official public opening, becoming the second patient. "The Georgia Aquarium's partnership with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has been important and hugely successful," said Ray Davis, Senior Vice President of Zoological Operations at the Georgia Aquarium. "We loved having Dylan in Atlanta and were sad to see her go, but it is certainly important that she will be released and continues to educate and inspire the future stewards of our oceans." You can read more about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center here. For another look at rescued loggerheads being released into the wild check out the BBC's diary about the release of two loggerheads that washed up on UK and Ireland coasts earlier this year. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

The sound of jelly wobbling has been recorded for the very first time in history reports New Scientist. Here's the video which was recorded in a soundproof chamber in London. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Reuters reports that NASA scientists believe it is possible that Martian soil could support life. One scientist mentioned the possibility of growing asparagus in it - if the soil were in your backyard. "Flabbergasted" NASA scientists said on Thursday that Martian soil appeared to contain the requirements to support life, although more work would be needed to prove it. Scientists working on the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which has already found ice on the planet, said preliminary analysis by the lander's instruments on a sample of soil scooped up by the spacecraft's robotic arm had shown it to be much more alkaline than expected. "We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life whether past present or future," Sam Kounaves, the lead investigator for the wet chemistry laboratory on Phoenix, told journalists. "It is the type of soil you would probably have in your back yard, you know, alkaline. You might be able to grow asparagus in it really well. ... It is very exciting for us." NASA cautioned that these were preliminary results and additional testing would be needed. The Mars Phoenix rover also plurked the news about the soil chemistry. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander may be on the verge of a big discovery. The picture above reveals a photograph of a white substance that may be ice, salt or some other material. Here are NASA's notes on the photograph: This color image was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on the 19th day of the mission, or Sol 19 (June 13, 2008), after the May 25, 2008, landing. This image shows one trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" after two digs (dug on Sol 18, or June 12, 2008) by Phoenix's Robotic Arm. The trench is 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) wide and 35 centimeters (13.8 inches) long. At its deepest point, the trench is 7 to 8 centimeters (2.7 to 3 inches) deep. White material, possibly ice, is located only at the upper portion of the trench, indicating that it is not continuous throughout the excavated site. According to scientists, the trench might be exposing a ledge, or only a portion of a slab, of the white material. Red Orbit reports that a mission scientist believes the mysterious white stuff is ice but says until it disappears (melts) they can't be 100% certain. "We think it's ice. But again, until we can see it disappear ... we're not guaranteed yet," mission scientist Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis said Monday. One of the ovens on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander continued baking its first sample of Martian soil over the weekend, while the Robotic Arm dug deeper into the soil to learn more about white material first revealed on June 3. "The oven is working very well and living up to our expectations," said Phoenix co-investigator Bill Boynton of the University of Arizona, Tucson. Boynton leads the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA), or oven instrument, for Phoenix. Red Orbit also reports that the rover's oven is working well which is good news because initially there were reports of a struggle to get Mars dirt into the oven. You can keep up with all of the Phoenix Lander's adventures on Twitter and Plurk. The frequent updates are posted from the point-of-view of the lander. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

There are some interesting robots in this video from New Scientist. It includes robots based on animals including robotic salamander, a water strider robot, mechanical cockroaches and some cool self-configuring robots. The cockroach bot actually communicates with real roaches. The self-configuring bot manages to regroup itself so it can slide under an obstacle. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

The Assocated Press reports that a marble bust of Caesar was found in the Rhone river several months ago by France's Culture Ministry. The statue shows Caesar with wrinkles and a balding hairline. A 5.9 foot marble statue of Neptune was also recovered from the river. The life-sized bust showing the Roman ruler with wrinkles and hollows in his face is tentatively dated to 46 B.C. Divers uncovered the Caesar bust and a collection of other finds in the Rhone near the town of Arles -- founded by Caesar. Among other items in the treasure trove of ancient objects is a 5.9 foot marble statue of Neptune, dated to the first decade of the third century after Christ. Two smaller statues, both in bronze and measuring 27.5 inches each also were found, one of them, a satyr with his hands tied behind his back, "doubtless" originated in Hellenic Greece, the ministry said. Michel L'Hour, who heads the Department of Subaquatic Archaeological Research, told the AP that they have barely skimmed the surface of the site meaning more exciting discoveries may await. Times Online has more details about the discovery. Photo source: Culture Ministry, C. Chary Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

PETA is offering a $1 million prize to the first contest participant able to create in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012. The contestant must do both of the following: Produce an in vitro chicken-meat product that has a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat-eaters and meat-eaters alike. Manufacture the approved product in large enough quantities to be sold commercially, and successfully sell it at a competitive price in at least 10 states. Judging of taste and texture will be performed by a panel of 10 PETA judges, who will sample the in vitro chicken prepared using a fried "chicken" recipe from VegCooking.com. The in vitro chicken must get a score of at least 80 when evaluated in order to win the prize. Slate reports that the idea has created quite a stir even in PETA's own office. If this idea repels you as a carnivore, imagine how it feels to a vegetarian. PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk tells the New York Times that the prize offer caused "a near civil war in our office" and that "we will have members leave us over this." Newkirk observes, "In any social cause community, there are people who strive for purity." This contest may or may not lead to tasty lab-grown chicken meat but it is getting many journalists to think and write about the issue. Articles have appeared in U.S. News, The Star, The Atlantic, L.A. Times, Time and even Pork magazine. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Every octopus romance resembles a Shakespearean tragedy. A new study has found that octopuses have a complex love life that includes courtship, hand holding, jealousy and even murder. The study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, who journeyed off the coast of Indonesia found that wild octopuses are far from the shy, unromantic loners their captive brethren appear to be. The scientists watched the Abdopus aculeatus octopus, which are the size of an orange, for several weeks and published their findings recently in the journal Marine Biology. They witnessed picky, macho males carefully select a mate, then guard their newly domesticated digs so jealously they would occasionally use their 8-to-10-inch tentacles to strangle a romantic rival. The researchers also observed smaller "sneaker" male octopuses put on feminine airs, such as swimming girlishly near the bottom and keeping their male brown stripes hidden in order to win unsuspecting conquests. Here's a video from Reuters about the study. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Here is Al Gore's brand-new slideshow (which premiered here on TED.com). In the slideshow Al Gore presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting. In the presentation Gore briefs the audience on the latest climate change data that shows a worsening problem. The data shows that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting. Al Gore also compares the climates of Earth and Venus and explains the Greenhouse effect. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Pygmy seahorses look very much like the gorgonian coral they live their entire lives on. These tiny seahorses are only 2 centimeters long. Here's a video clip from National Geographic that shares a little more information about these small but fascinating creatures. The seahorses in the video clip are a reddish color but the Wikipedia entry says there is also a yellow species of pygmy seahorse. Posted in Animals Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

The Wall Street Journal's Matthew Rose reports in the video below that bamboo has become a huge problem in Hillsboro, Virginia. A type of bamboo called running bamboo can be as problematic as kudzu. It grows extremely quickly and spread rapidly. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Earth Hour 2008 is expanding from 2007 when Sydney went black for one hour to promote the idea of easing the pressure on the Earth's energy resources. You can also visit the website for Earth Hour 2008 here and the here. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Reuters reports in the video below that archaeologists have discovered bones, fossils and stone tools from the earliest known humans, or hominids, in Europe. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that humans were active in Europe about 1 million years ago but they had never found any human remains - until now. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

The light from an exploding star trillions of miles was recently observed by astronomers. The huge star that exploded was estimated to be 150 times as massive as the Sun. A gargantuan explosion ripped apart a star perhaps 150 times more massive than our sun in a relatively nearby galaxy in the most powerful and brightest supernova ever observed, astronomers said on Monday. And there is one such star in our own Milky Way galaxy that appears to be on the brink of dying in just such a supernova. The exploding star's dramatic death may have come in a rare type of supernova reserved for "freakishly massive" stars that astronomers had speculated about but never previously witnessed. The supernova, designated as SN 2006gy, occurred 240 million light years away in a galaxy called NGC 1260, and was studied using observations from NASA's orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as earthbound optical telescopes. It was the brightest supernova ever observed by Chanda. This video shows how Chandra observes an exploding star. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…