Science

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California's Mojave Desert will power about 140,000 homes and be a boon to the state's renewable energy goals. But it was no slam dunk. Now, California is trying to bring conservationists and energy companies together to create a smoother path for future projects.

Echolocation: Birds do it, bats do it, and now even educated people do it. A team of researchers has devised an algorithm that could give the rest of us a way to discover our surroundings without using our eyes.

Over drinks in the light of a full moon, a group of Swiss sleep researchers recently realized they could put a bit of folklore about the moon's disruptive effect on sleep to the test. The answer surprised them and didn't quite win over some other scientists in the field.

Since the 1930s, Louisiana has steadily been losing land that protects it from hurricanes and other disasters. The government board charged with protecting New Orleans from flooding sued the oil and gas industry Wednesday, arguing they are responsible for a big part of the problem.

Water in all its forms has caused trouble at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant this week. They are reminders that the problems are far from over.

Biologists have discovered they can track hard-to-see species in streams, ponds and even the ocean by sampling the water for DNA. Scientists say the technique is an important conservation tool: So far, it's been used to track declining giant salamanders and even locate a rare whale.

Social scientists recently made an interesting discovery: The wage gap between blacks and whites (working identical jobs) varies greatly by location.

The Mount Charleston blue butterfly is found only in a couple of small patches high in Nevada's Spring Mountains. But the Carpenter 1 fire, which has been raging through the area since July 1, is threatening the land and scientists fear the fire could push the butterflies into extinction.

Dolphins, like humans, are part of complex social networks. And research now indicates that they use their unique whistle sounds to identify and communicate with each other. "Every time a dolphin heard its signature whistle, it called back, sometimes multiple times," one researcher says.

Two members of Congress want to preserve artifacts from American lunar missions with a national park on the moon, but there are some international hurdles to jump. Still, Space Policy Institute director Dr. Scott Pace says the bill raises intriguing questions about what the future of human-space interaction will look like.