Certain interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar have led to a widespread pop culture phenomenon declaring the arrival of the Apocalypse. Maya specialists and other scientists have dismissed the prophesied dangers, but this has not prevented the notion from taking hold. It may be that preparing for the End Times is a natural human drive that helps meet some basic psychological needs.
Discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1655, Titan remained very difficult for astronomers to study in depth for more than three centuries, until the 2004 arrival of the Cassini-Huygens mission at the Saturn system and the amazing Huygens landing on 14 January 2005. Even though Titan has unveiled essential clues about its recent activity, others will be necessary to understand better its atmospheric cycle, as well as its potential role in the formation of organic materials essential to the appearance of the building blocks of life.
February 4th, marks World Cancer Day, a time to increase awareness and unity in the fight against this disease, responsible for 13% of all deaths worldwide in 2008. Breast cancer, in particular, kills more women than any other type, but research into diverse aspects of the disease continues to progress. Here, we take the opportunity to look at recent advances in understanding breast cancer risk and, from there, to controlling this disease.
The United Nations Decade on Biodiversity has begun; the mission has been defined and targets established. The task is huge, however, and will require creative solutions from every possible angle. Genetics will play its role by revealing how species work on the most fundamental level, allowing scientists to choose the best strategies for their protection, make them stronger, more resilient, and better able to defend themselves.
In an unprecedented move, a U.S. biosecurity review board has asked the authors of two studies creating dangerous airborne strains of the H5N1 avian flu virus—possibly transmissible among humans—not to publish the details of their experiments. Even among scientists, the decision has sparked a great deal of disagreement over the best action to take, now and going forward.
The research world has been up in arms recently, following the introduction of a bill to the US Congress that would restrict public access to the results of governmentally funded studies. The Research Works Act (RWA) is not the first of its kind to be proposed, but the threat to the dissemination of knowledge is so real that scientists are not taking it lightly. MyScienceWork joins them in opposing this harmful, regressive move, and offers this look at recent debate surrounding the RWA.
Monday, at the European Space Agency’s Paris headquarters, Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, provided a recap of ESA’s activities in 2011 and presented the missions to expect in the coming year, as well as the ESA philosophy underlying it all.
With the end of 2011, another year of science has drawn to a close. For the last 12 months, the world of research has been churning away productively, making it almost impossible to say which discoveries will have the most significant impact, in the near future or down the road. Nevertheless, three laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program have chosen the work from the past year that struck them the most, and tell us why.
Far from the image of “lab rats”, resisting contact with the outside world, many scientists maintain a demanding schedule of international travel. Whether to present their work, cultivate collaborations, or cement relationships with colleagues, these researchers are always on the move. But all of this transport takes a toll on the environment and on the budget. What value does it add, and is it still justified?
Why is it that, every year at Christmas, we faithfully festoon our homes in red and green? It’s tradition, yes, but why? A chemist and art historian at the University of Cambridge has proposed a surprising explanation, based on his study of the meaning of colors in the medieval world.
