Featured news

On science blogs: the brain — yours, mine, and theirs

So, what is the Brain Activity Map? Herewith, some speculations and even possible answers. The emphasis seems to be on neuroscience technology that can monitor large groups of neurons simultaneously. Also: Download the Universe's birthday, more on Obamacare, the Mediterranean diet, and, best of all, free online MIT bio course taught by Eric Lander & Co..

From ScienceWriters: NASW's grant and fellowship database

You have a great idea for a book, a longform narrative article or an investigative piece, but the payment the publisher offers won’t cover the cost of the project. Skimpy funding doesn’t have to mean the end of the project, though. There are grants, fellowships, and other resources available to help you turn great ideas into reality. A new database from NASW can get you started.

A pen that's more than just a pen

Helen Fields sure likes her Livescribe pen and she writes about it for the Science Writers' Handbook. It costs $120 to $200, and to use it, you have to write on special pads that cost $25 per pair. But for that, you get a pen that automatically synchronizes your handwritten notes to your audio recordings: "I find the pen particularly useful for checking quotes," Fields writes. You can pre-order the NASW-funded Handbook from the NASW Bookstore.

Walking through walls: Crossing boundaries to make scientific progress

Transcending traditional academic boundaries is key to continued progress at the intersection of nanotechnology, biotechnology and other scientific fields, but the organizational structure at many institutions hinders that kind of collaboration.

Lunging leviathan: A look at the blue whale’s 360-degree spin

The blue whale — owner of the world’s largest mouth — has some newly discovered prey-catching tricks. In a Jaws-like fashion, the whale ambushes huge patches of prey from below with a powerful 360-degree barrel roll.

Electronic implants meld body, brain and machine

Electronic implants to treat hearing loss, blindness and immobility are no longer limited to science fiction, scientists say. Researchers from the U.S. and Europe spoke February 17 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston to present new developments in this field of bionic medicine.

On science blogs: The human brain, journalism, Darwin's finches

The moral of the Jonah Lehrer story: Science writing is impossible because of the human brain. Nevertheless, lobbying for the Brain Activity Map. The Darwin finch genome project. Obamacare news: the Republicans are bringing us socialized medicine.

Beautiful science: The art of mathematical modeling

Mathematical modeling is no longer a tool reserved for scientists. Artists and architects are now using it to create sculptures, abstract graphs and digital seashells that visualize mathematical equations and concepts.

Vitamin D levels determined how human skin color evolved

It may seem the sun wages a constant war against our skin. Harmful UV radiation burns us, damages our DNA, and can sow the seeds for melanoma. But the sun is essential to our healthy development and our immune systems, because sun-exposed skin produces Vitamin D. During the long-ranging human exodus from Africa, says anthropologist Nina Jablonski, Vitamin D levels in the body played a key role: driving the evolution of our species' skin color.

View All News