Life on Europa
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
August 12, 2013 CommentIs there life on Europa, Jupiter's moon? Perhaps - but we may not know for years, or even decades, depending on the outcome of NASA budget wars that broke out before Congress went home for its August recess.
Bee Colony Collapses Are More Complex Than We Thought
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
August 7, 2013 CommentScientists have been trying to discover why millions of beehives have collapsed and died during the past six years. The reason for the phenomenon - known as Colony Collapse Disorder - according to a new study, may be much more complex and disconcerting. Dozens of different types of chemicals may be combining to wreak havoc on the pollen that the bees collect for their hives.
New 'Brown Ocean' Effect Could Make Hurricanes Even Stronger When They Reach Land
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
July 30, 2013 CommentAs we head into the teeth of hurricane season, scientists have identified a new phenomenon that could intensify a tropical cyclone's strength once it reaches land. It's called the "brown ocean" effect, and it could signal a new level of potential devastation for hurricanes as they make landfall.
Why 'Blackfish' May Be the Best Documentary of the Year
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
July 22, 2013 CommentBefore getting into the science and the controversy, I'll make a prediction: "Blackfish" - the documentary that takes a critical look at SeaWorld's killer whales, premiered at the Lincoln Center in New York this weekend and hits theaters nationwide shortly – will win the Academy Award for best documentary. It's that good, and precisely the type of film that wins this award each year.
Spying on Americans
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
July 8, 2013 CommentIt wasn't all that long ago that the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, testified before Congress that the National Security Agency wasn't "wittingly" spying on millions of Americans.
The Chinese Academies of Science Incident
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
June 24, 2013 CommentA curious thing has happened recently with several of the more notorious deny-the-science propaganda think tanks and hired guns with a history of fabricating and prevaricating on even the most basic scientific principles to deliberately confuse public debates – they're being called out.
Icebergs Get the Headlines, but Warm Oceans Are the Major Reason for Ice Loss in Antarctica
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
June 17, 2013 CommentStartling video and pictures of massive, intact pieces of ice breaking off from the continent of Antarctica – known as "calving" – are some of the most iconic, vivid images in our minds. The ice shelves that break off to become icebergs have fostered a general belief that the loss of mass on Antarctica is mostly due to this calving process.
Is More Global Warming Hiding in the Oceans?
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
May 29, 2013 CommentThe HMS Challenger set sail 135 years ago. It was the world's first scientific survey of ocean life. But the HMS Challenger also studied ocean temperatures along the way by dropping thermometers attached to Italian hemp ropes hundreds of meters deep – an effort that has been used as a baseline for global warming in oceans since pre-industrial times.
CISPA Rolls Along
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
May 6, 2013 CommentAnonymous has had an extraordinary run of success lately. It somehow managed to hack into North Korea's closed Internet network – twice – which must have agitated its military leadership to no end. It also used social media tools to bring to light the hideous acts at the center of teen suicides in several communities in North America.
It's Time to Worry About the New Chinese Bird Flu
Tweet Share on FacebookBy JEFF NESBIT
April 26, 2013 CommentIt's time for the world's public health officials to pay very close attention to the new bird flu outbreak in China first detected in March. To put it bluntly, there are now some seriously dangerous developments occurring around the new disease outbreak in China that infectious disease specialists and international public health specialists need to track closely.