Science

Fishermen Ed Stewart (left) and Tannis Goodsen mend groundfishing nets on Merrill Wharf, in Portland, Maine, last November.

Regulators Ban Cod Fishing In Gulf Of Maine As Stocks Dwindle

2:13pm November 12, 2014

by Anne Mostue

The federal government is shutting down cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine for the next six months. But fishermen, who now face an uncertain future, dispute the government's cod counts.

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A plane flies over the Bardarbunga volcano as it spews lava and smoke in southeast Iceland on Sept. 14. The Bardarbunga volcano system has been rocked by hundreds of tremors a day since mid-August, prompting fears the volcano could explode.

Massive Volcanic Eruption Is Making Iceland Grow

1:29pm November 12, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

The eruption has been going for weeks. So far it hasn't been catastrophic, but it has been creating new ground.

These slides are part of a common screening test for colorblindness. Viewers with normal vision and those with color vision deficiencies usually see the number 12 in this one.

These X's Are The Same Shade, So What Does That Say About Color?

5:33pm November 11, 2014

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Never mind the physics. Color isn't just a particular wavelength of light, it turns out. It's a fascinating mix of context and what's happening outside and inside your head.

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Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome virus particles cling to the surface of an infected cell.

How A Tilt Toward Safety Stopped A Scientist's Virus Research

4:27pm November 11, 2014

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The U.S. government has stopped some experiments with dangerous viruses, saying the risks need to be reconsidered. Key work in one scientist's lab has been halted.

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Researchers had thought comet 67P was shaped like a lumpy potato. But as they drew closer, they realized it was far stranger. This image was taken on Sept. 19 at a distance of around 18 miles from the comet.

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Researchers To Attempt Robotic Landing On Comet's Surface

10:12am November 11, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Putting a probe on a comet's surface would be a first for mankind. But it doesn't look like it will be easy.

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Fraught U.S.-Russia Relationship Could Undermine Nuclear Security

7:08pm November 10, 2014

by Michele Kelemen

A former head of the Los Alamos National Laboratory has worked with Russia for years on securing loose nukes and upgrading facilities in the former Soviet Union. Siegfried Hecker is now writing a book about two decades of of nuclear cooperation.

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Le Laboratoire Cambridge features a restaurant, the Cafe ArtScience. The restaurant's bar features a glass-globed drink vaporizer called Le Whaf.

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Arts

Inhalable Chocolate? Ingestible Ideas From A Lab For The Senses

1:31pm November 10, 2014

by Andrea Shea

A real-life Willy Wonka invites scientists, designers, composers, artists and chefs to collaborate on novel foods and other cultural confections.

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A section of a bike path that uses solar cells to produce electricity is opening for full-time use Wednesday.

Solar Bike Path Opens This Week In The Netherlands

12:39pm November 10, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Integrating solar panels into a bike commuter path, a special roadway outside Amsterdam will generate power that's then funneled into the national energy grid.

Screen grab from the teaser for the Discovery Channel's Eaten Alive.

Science

Discovery's Man-Swallowing Snake Stunt Stretches Credulity

12:13pm November 09, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The channel promises to air an episode featuring a man in a protective suit who is swallowed alive by a giant green anaconda.

How Catchy Songs Lodge Their Hooks In Your Ears

12:13pm November 09, 2014

"Wannabe," by the Spice Girls, is the catchiest song in the U.K., according to a new study. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Ashley Burgoyne, a computational musicologist from the University of Amsterdam.

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