Science

Recently we've been digging astronomy gadgets around these parts (and astro-mashups on Webware). Most of the time, they deal with plain old stargazing or the simulation thereof. This Japanese import, however, deals with recreating the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on your wall, ceiling, or projector screen of choice.

The gadget in question is a 6-inch-tall lamp, retailing for the Japanese equivalent of slightly over $60, which runs on AA batteries and even comes with a sleep timer so that you can use it as a sort of visual lullaby. It obviously isn't an exact scientific reproduction, but for … Read more

Solar flares have long been known to muck with some of our networks, namely satellites, communications systems and even power grids. Now we can add a new vulnerability to that list: navigation systems.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say they observed two powerful solar flares in December of last year. Those were followed by a huge radio burst that knocked out GPS receivers on the sunlit side of the planet. The burst produced 20,000 times more radio emission than the entire rest of the sun, according to scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"… Read more

For some years now, we've had a digital telescope gathering dust in a closet somewhere (we're not even sure which one anymore). The reason? We still don't know how to work it.

That's why we're sorely tempted to accidentally donate it to charity and get one of these instead. The "Talking Star and Constellation Navigator" is more our speed--not only does it have a tracking system to find the best viewing angles, but it actually tells you what to do next to find and identify "56 constellations, 66 stars, and 33 deep-sky … Read more

Solar flares have long been known to muck with some of our networks, namely satellites, communications systems and even power grids. Now we can add a new vulnerability to that list: navigation systems.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say they observed two powerful solar flares in December of last year. Those were followed by a huge radio burst that knocked out GPS receivers on the sunlit side of the planet. The burst produced 20,000 times more radio emission than the entire rest of the sun, according to scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"… Read more

Long before film, video or even recorded sound, there were live performances--without microphones or electric sound systems and with acoustics. Apparently, the ancient Greeks knew a lot about sound.

Researchers from Georgia Tech have solved a puzzle: how was the human voice heard while seated at the back of an ancient stone amphitheater? Research done at the Epidaurus amphitheater shows that in the fourth century B.C., the Greeks were able to build a great theater without understanding sound. And the secret is in the limestone seats.

The rows of limestone filter out low-frequency background noise and reflect the high-frequency … Read more

For or against a local spaceport, the voters of Dona Ana County in southern New Mexico are waiting. Not on resolution to a dispute over hanging chads but on the final tally from 541 provisional ballots.

On Tuesday folks there voted on a tax measure to build a spaceport. So far the measure is 204 votes ahead. The count may not be finished until Thursday. If it's favorable, New Mexico will build Spaceport America.

Neighboring Texas already has a spaceport, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. His aerospace company is called Blue Origin.

New Mexico and Bezos are … Read more

"Climate change" sounds almost neutral. "Global warming" is a much hotter phrase. Either can now easily stir up debate among CNET News.com readers.

CO2, water vapor, greenhouse effect, redistribution of wealth, conspiracy, hoax, Greenland, glaciers--all these get a going over. Some of the talkback postings get into the science behind the politics around climate change. Don't you wish you could be around in a hundred years to see who's right?

Right now, you can at least see the climate change debate by reading today's newsmaker with Stanford University scientist Terry Root.

Surgeons are using a four armed robot to perform prostate surgery.

The procedure is called the da Vinci Prostatectomy, "a new, less-invasive approach to prostate removal," according to the Swedish Medical Center.

Actually, it's no joke; an estimated 230,000 men in the US are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and the da Vinci Surgical System promises to help surgeons perform the surgery with greater precision while speeding patient recovery.

Interested? Call 1-800-SWEDISH and let us know how it goes.

The international Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has another session coming up. It starts Monday in Brussels, no foolin'. And they'll come out with another report. This one will outline effects already seen from climate change and what's expected.

CNET News.com's Zamir Haider interviewed one American member of that panel, Professor Terry Root of Stanford University. Root outlined some specific changes that have been measured. It may sound like good news: spring's now three weeks earlier than it was three decades ago.

But all that extra heat is causing severe problems for some animals with … Read more