Interviews

Image Credit: Paul Wicks
Feb 03, 2012 Human World

Semir Zeki: Beauty is in the brain of the beholder

A paper suggests that you can determine what a person finds beautiful just by examining his or her brain state.

Star survey revealed something new about the growth of our Milky Way galaxy.
Jan 31, 2012 Space 2 Comments

Judy Cheng: Milky Way grew from inside out

Astronomer Judy Cheng of UC Santa Cruz was part of a survey of stars called SEGUE-2 that found the inner disk of our Milky Way galaxy grew differently than the outer disk.

Simulation of a galaxy's dark matter halo
Jan 30, 2012 Space 3 Comments

Sukanya Chakrabarti maps dark matter from ripples of passing satellites

Mapping the unseen dark matter halo of a galaxy, using gravitational ripples caused by passing satellite galaxies.

Scientist are studying potential for biofuel production in Southwestern U.S. Image Credit: ka2rina
Jan 26, 2012 Energy 5 Comments

Amelia Wolf: Is US Southwest a good place to grow biofuels?

Biofuel production in the southwestern U.S. can add to the country’s existing biofuels portfolio, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Image Credit:  Wikimedia Commons
Jan 20, 2012 Biodiversity 1 Comment

Kristin O’Brien: Antarctic icefishes have translucent bodies and blood

The blood of an icefish isn’t red. Instead, its blood runs white.

Nina2
Jan 17, 2012 Food 4 Comments

Nina Fedoroff on science for global agricultural challenges

Nina Fedoroff: “One of the biggest challenges is how to raise the grain crops, the soybeans, the corn, the wheat that will thrive in a much harsher climate.”

Gavin Schmidt via MCKIBILLO
Jan 16, 2012 Earth 6 Comments

Gavin Schmidt on communicating climate change

EarthSky’s Science Communicator of the Year says that telling people about how scientists work is a key to communicating the science of climate change.

Photo credit: wikimedia commons
Jan 11, 2012 Health 9 Comments

Jennifer Ackerman on secrets of the common cold

Scientists used to think a cold worked just like a flu, which attacks and kills cells inside the body. But that’s not so, says Ackerman.

Hole-punch cloud image provided by Andrew Heymsfield.  Used with permission
Jan 09, 2012 Earth 7 Comments

Andrew Heymsfield on hole-punch clouds made by jets

Hole-punch clouds are sometimes reported as UFOs. A scientist talks with EarthSky about the connection between hole-punch clouds, jet aircraft and snowfall.

Image credit: photosteve101
Jan 04, 2012 Human World 19 Comments

Daniel Levitin on our musical brain

Music activates neurons in more regions of the brain than almost anything else scientists know of and causes the release of neurochemicals in our brains.