Leading science journalists provide a daily minute commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of astronomy and space exploration. For a full-length, weekly podcast you can subscribe to Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American . To view all of our archived podcasts please go to www.scientificamerican.com/podcast
Bacteria Got an Early Fix on Nitrogen
New evidence points to the evolution of the ability for bacteria to grab nitrogen from the atmosphere some 3.2 billion years ago, about 1.2 billion years earlier than thought—with implications for finding extraterrestrial life. Lee Billings reports
2/23/2015 • 2 minutes, 13 seconds
Contact Lens Binoculars Are in Sight
Researchers revealed their latest prototype contact lenses that magnify vision almost three times with the wink of an eye. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/19/2015 • 1 minute, 54 seconds
Stars Reveal Hidden Galaxy
A dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way may consist of more dark matter than regular matter.* Clara Moskowitz reports
2/17/2015 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
Keurig Coffee Drinkers Hack Back
Users of the K-cup coffee company’s products have counterattacked against its efforts to restrict the brands that their new machines can brew. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/13/2015 • 1 minute, 38 seconds
Space Science Budget Gets Small Lift
NASA has to deal with the unexpected financial consequences of robotic missions that just keep going. Lee Billings reports
2/10/2015 • 1 minute, 42 seconds
Radar Makes All Houses Glass
Law enforcement agencies have handheld radar that can “see” through walls via RF signals, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/5/2015 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
5 Rocky Planets Found in Ancient, Distant Solar System
The oldest group of terrestrial worlds now known formed some 11.2 billion years ago, more than six billion years before our sun and planets. Clara Moskowitz reports
2/2/2015 • 1 minute, 40 seconds
Smart Keyboard Gets a Charge out of You
Researchers have made a secure, waterproof wireless keyboard that gets charged by the action of your fingertips as you type. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/30/2015 • 1 minute, 29 seconds
Long-Lost Lander Found on Mars
New images from a NASA orbiter reveal Beagle 2’s final resting place. Lee Billings reports
1/26/2015 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
Rival Space Internets Vie for Sky Pie
SpaceX’s Elon Musk and fellow tech mogel Greg Wyler both have plans for low Earth orbit satellite networks that could fill in many of the world's current gaps in Internet coverage. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/23/2015 • 1 minute, 31 seconds
Gestures and Eye Movements Will Control Cars
Carmakers are working on ways to let drivers interact with their cars using presumably safer hand gestures and eye movement in addition to voice controls and touch screens. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/16/2015 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Look Up to See Latest Comet Lovejoy
Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy’s latest comet find is naked-eye visible in the southeast sky until January 24. Clara Moskowitz reports
1/16/2015 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Facebook Puts Its Money Where Your Mouth Is
The social media behemoth buys voice-recognition start-up Wit.ai to prepare for the impending Internet of Things. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/12/2015 • 1 minute, 31 seconds
SpaceX Will Try Launch, Then Soft-Land Returning Booster
The company hopes to send up a Falcon 9 rocket and then safely land the discarded first stage for reuse. Lee Billings reports
12/31/2014 • 1 minute, 31 seconds
Teen Inventors Connect DVR to Your Zzzs
British students made a wrist monitor that senses if you nod off and sends a signal to your DVR to record whatever you were watching. Future such devices could control additional household functions. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/24/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Future Smartphone Could Fall Smartly, Too
Apple got a patent for a system to adjust your falling device in flight to minimize the damage on landing. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/19/2014 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
Recycled Laptop Batteries Bring Light to Power Poor
IBM scientists in India developed an experimental power supply from reusable lithium ion cells salvaged from three-year-old laptop battery packs. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/11/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Humans on Mars Soonish Says NASA Bigwig
John Grunsfeld, the former astronaut who now heads NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, thinks that traveling light could get people to Mars by the 2040s
12/10/2014 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
NYC School Computers Are MIA
New York City public schools are missing hundreds and possibly thousands of computers, due to poor record keeping, theft, corruption or some combo. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/8/2014 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
UV Light Colors Great Red Spot
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is its particular crimson shade because of the interaction of ultraviolet light and specific chemical compounds in the gas giant's atmosphere. Lee Billings reports
12/1/2014 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
Cats Teach Robots to Land on Feet
Training rescue robots to land safely from falls like cats could give them nine lives in the field. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/21/2014 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
It’s Hard to Dust in Space
Over the summer researchers identified seven specks of dust returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft. But determining their true origin has been difficult. Clara Moskowitz reports
11/21/2014 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
Solar Roadways Take Baby Steps
Dutch cyclists can now pedal a path paved with solar panels. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/18/2014 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
Smartphone Case Furthers Unplug Movement
Yondr’s locking gadget-case aims to keep digital distractions down during live performances. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/6/2014 • 1 minute, 29 seconds
Comet Reeks of Cat Crap and Rotten Eggs
The Rosetta spacecraft has unexpectedly detected hydrogen sulphide and ammonia coming from Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Lee Billings reports
11/4/2014 • 1 minute, 20 seconds
Apple Pay Perturbs Prying Personal Prospectors
Law enforcement agencies and retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy balk at Apple's operating system and payment app privacy efforts. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/28/2014 • 1 minute, 40 seconds
Track Cosmic Rays with Smartphone App
Take part in a citizen-science project by helping researchers track high-energy cosmic rays via a network of smartphone users. Clara Moskowitz reports
10/17/2014 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
Tapping the Twitterverse for Meaning
Twitter and M.I.T. have teamed up to launch the Laboratory for Social Machines to analyze the impact of social media messages on society. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/10/2014 • 1 minute, 28 seconds
Star-Forming Clouds May Spit Out Life’s Building Blocks
Astronomers have discovered one of the largest and most complex organic molecules yet in a gaseous star-forming region of interstellar space. Clara Moskowitz reports
10/9/2014 • 1 minute, 36 seconds
Drivers While Voice Texting Are Still Distracted
Drivers in a simulator reacted slowly to sudden traffic emergencies regardless of whether they were thumbing texts into smartphones or dictating them to Google Glass. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/2/2014 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
App IDs Other Battery-Eater Apps
More than a million volunteer users of the smarthphone app Carat have helped researchers identify those apps that really suck battery power in both the Android operating system and Apple's iOS. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/29/2014 • 1 minute, 13 seconds
Dark Matter Looks WIMPy
Data from the International Space Station-based Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment supports the idea that dark matter consists of the invisible particles called weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. Clara Moskowitz reports
9/24/2014 • 1 minute, 34 seconds
Jet Pack Keeps You Grounded, but Faster
Mini-jet backpack for runners could help military personnel and others get home faster. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/19/2014 • 1 minute, 29 seconds
Bike Helmet Meets Black Box
A future smart bike helmet can track the rider's motion, determine if a crash was likely and call for help if the rider is incapacitated. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/12/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Forensic Astronomer Dates Monet Vision
Texas State University astronomer Donald Olson combined solar, tidal and weather data to identify the likely moment of the image in the Monet work Impression, Sunrise
9/11/2014 • 1 minute, 29 seconds
Apple Expected to Set Its Sights on Wearables, Mobile Payments
The rumor mill surrounding the company's latest is in high gear, with possibly a wearable device and smartphone wallet capabilities to be announced next week. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/5/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Milky Way's Home Supercluster Found
Astronomers have identified the Milky Way’s cosmic address—inside the supercluster Laniakea, which means “immense heaven” in Hawaiian. Clara Moskowitz reports
9/4/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
We're All Hawking Products Now
Software start-ups getting big bucks to write code that can identify, find and link logos and brands in the billions of images posted daily. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/24/2014 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
Neptune Visit Hits 25th Anniversary
On August 24th, 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft rendezvoused with Neptune, making it the farthest planet to pose for a close-up, a record it still holds today.
8/24/2014 • 1 minute, 34 seconds
Robotic Exoskeletons Giving (and Gaining) Support
Hydraulic-powered, mind-controlled support suits aren’t just for superheroes. Soon you might have to wear one to work. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/17/2014 • 1 minute, 28 seconds
Air Pollution Could Reveal ET's Home
If intelligent aliens are dumb enough to pollute their atmosphere, NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is powerful enough to spot some of the signs on some exoplanets. Clara Moskowitz reports
8/13/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Medical Workers Page Google Glass
The Internet-connected headset is drawing interest in the medical community as a video consultation tool. Larry Greenemeier reports.
8/3/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Martian Soil Salts May Make Water Ice All Wet
Within a Mars-like laboratory environment, perchlorate salts known to exist on Mars were able to lower the freezing point enough to get ice to turn to liquid water. Clara Moskowitz reports
7/25/2014 • 1 minute, 28 seconds
Moth Eyes Inspire Different Solar Cell
Moth eyes absorb almost all incident light, thus reducing reflection that predators would notice. Researchers have now used the moth eye structure as the basis of a highly efficient solar absorbing cell. Larry Greenemeier reports
A multicat feeder system incorporates facial recognition so that owners can tell if individual cats are eating too much or too little. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/18/2014 • 1 minute, 33 seconds
Hacked E-Cigs May Get around Regulations
Some users are modifying electronic cigarettes to produce stronger flavors, more impressive vapor clouds and to deliver even more nicotine. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/10/2014 • 1 minute, 27 seconds
Saturn Probe Ready for Its "Grand Finale"
The Cassini probe readies for its final act with new flight patterns that will get unprecedented views of Saturn and culminate in a final dive into the planet's atmosphere. Clara Moskowitz reports
7/9/2014 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
Triple Black Hole System Found in Distant Galaxy
A galaxy four billion light-years from us was has three supermassive black holes at its center, with two in a tight formation. Clara Moskowitz reports
7/2/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Software Finds Best Parts of Boring Video
Machine-learning researchers are developing software that automatically searches through long videos to create edited summaries, or personalized trailers. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/27/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
"Extremely Large Telescope" Breaks Ground
The European Southern Observatory broke ground June 19th to build the world's largest telescope atop the Cerro Armazones mountain in Chile. Clara Moskowitz reports
6/23/2014 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
Apple, Google Say "Drop That Doughnut!"
Tech companies are offering an ever-increasing number of health monitoring and promoting apps, to keep you in shape and interesting in buying more gadgets. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/20/2014 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Seemingly Strange Solar Cycle May Be Sorta Normal
The current solar maximum appears to be weak. But the few previously measured maxes could have been unusually strong. Clara Moskowitz reports
6/16/2014 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Microsoft Bets on Gestures to Buoy Windows Phones
Microsoft is allegedly adding Kinect-for-Xbox–like gesture recognition to the next generation of Nokia’s Lumia smartphone. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/15/2014 • 1 minute, 31 seconds
Cyber Currencies Get Boost from High-Profile Endorsements
Don't bet all your chips on crypto coins yet, but Apple's app acceptance makes things interesting. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/6/2014 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
Dark Matter Shell Saved Wannabe Galaxy
A failed dwarf galaxy called the Smith Cloud apparently survived an ancient collision with the Milky Way because of a protective dark matter cloak. Clara Moskowitz reports
6/2/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Thought-Controlled Flight Reaches the Runway
Researchers at Munich's Technical University had subjects control flight simulators with brainwaves via an EEG interface. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/29/2014 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
Pluto Bids to Get Back Planetary Status
Pluto has at least five moons and an atmosphere—and now a new analysis places its diameter as bigger than its outer solar system rival, Eris
5/28/2014 • 1 minute, 37 seconds
Jupiter's Great Red Spot Now Just Pretty Good
Jupiter's Great Red Spot, once estimated to be 41,000 kilometers across, is just 16,500 kilometers wide in the latest Hubble Space Telescope observations, and the shrinkage seems to be accelerating. Clara Moskowitz reports
5/22/2014 • 1 minute, 22 seconds
Facebook Encourages Yentas to Share Info about Friends
The social network hopes to fill in the info blanks for its low-profile members by having their friends supply the details. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/22/2014 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
The Internet Gets Amnesia—in Europe at Least
A European Union court ruling endorses the right to be forgotten online. The U.S. is less forgiving. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/16/2014 • 1 minute, 34 seconds
Oddball Eclipse Makes Star Brighter
When a white dwarf passes in front of its binary star system companion every 88 days, it acts like a lens to make the larger star appear brighter to us.
5/15/2014 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Tape Data Storage Makes a Comeback
Sony's new process lets them store more than 185 terabytes of data on a single tape cartridge. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/12/2014 • 1 minute, 28 seconds
Galaxy Gave Star Cluster the Boot
The star cluster HVGC-1 had been part of the M87 galaxy, but now it's fleeing that galaxy at more than two million miles per hour. Clara Moskowitz reports
5/8/2014 • 1 minute, 38 seconds
Chilly, Chilly, Little Star
A brown dwarf only about three to 10 times Jupiter's mass couldn't get fusion going and now sits freezing in space, in the nearby galactic neighborhood. Clara Moskowitz reports
4/30/2014 • 1 minute, 27 seconds
Lytro Camera Refocuses on Upscale Audience
The Lytro Illum camera system allows refocusing of a photo after it's taken. It's faster guts and more professional design make the camera more attractive—and pricier—than its predecessor. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/25/2014 • 1 minute, 21 seconds
Help ID Moon Craters from Your Couch
Citizen scientists have helped professional astronomers locate more than 500 million lunar craters by using an app called MoonMappers. Karen Hopkin reports
4/22/2014 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Broadcast TV Streamer Aereo Fights for Legal Life
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Aereo can keep streaming live broadcast TV to mobile gadgets and other devices. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/18/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Saltine-Sized Satellites Set for Space
More than 100 tiny satellites are set to launch into space on April 14th, in a demonstration of a possible future inexpensive technology that could pave the way for the $1,000 satellite. Clara Moskowitz reports
4/14/2014 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
Being Bad at Video Games Ups Aggression
A custom-designed video game that frustrated players left them at least as aggressive after playing as did other games famous for their violence. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/10/2014 • 1 minute, 21 seconds
Absence (of Weight) Makes the Heart Grow Rounder
After prolonged periods in microgravity, astronauts' hearts became more spherical, according to scans done on the International Space Station. Sophie Bushwick reports
4/8/2014 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Umpires Show Bias for Stars and Strikes
Baseball's expanded review system excludes ball and strike calls, which a study finds to be biased in favor of star players, especially late in games. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/7/2014 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Greatest Invention in Human History Helps You Avoid Certain People
The era of antisocial networking has begun with the development of apps such as Cloak, which identifies locations of your contacts so you don't have to see them. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/28/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Rings: They're Not Just for Planets Anymore
The asteroidlike object Chariklo orbits between Saturn and Uranus and has been found to have its own set of rings. Clara Moskowitz reports
3/27/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Eye-Catching Adapter Makes Smartphone Ophthalmic Screener
Researchers are developing adapters that let smartphones take high-quality images of the eye that could be used to remotely screen patients for eye conditions or disease. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/14/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Planet X Gets X'd Out
An exhaustive search by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer has found no hints of a theorized planet or dwarf star in our neck of the cosmic woods. Clara Moskowitz reports
3/11/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Facebook Plans Remote Coverage via Drones
A consortium including Facebook and Qualcomm wants to launch solar-powered atmospheric satellite drones that can carry equipment for relaying wireless networks in remote areas that currently have no Internet connections. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/11/2014 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Giant Black Hole Spins at Half Light-Speed
The half-the-speed-of-light spin of a giant black hole suggests it grew by digesting another black hole in a galaxy merger. Clara Moskowitz reports
3/5/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Contest Takes Aim at Smart Guns
Competitions like the Firearms Challenge could give guns that use radio-frequency tags, biometrics and other tech a push into the mainstream. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/2/2014 • 1 minute, 27 seconds
Moon-Smashing Meteorite Recorded by Astronomers
Spanish astronomers spotted a meteoroid impact at 61,000 kilometers per hour using a telescope network that automatically scans the moon. Clara Moskowitz reports
2/25/2014 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Hubble Finds Possible Oldest Object Ever Seen
The Hubble Telescope's new set of Frontier Fields images includes a galaxy some 13-billion light-years away, which makes it a candidate for the most distant object ever seen. Clara Moskowitz reports
2/20/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Mobile Device Thieves Face Off against Kill Switch
California wants to be the first state to mandate antitheft features on mobile devices, but carriers fear lost insurance revenue. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/20/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
We Celebrate a Galilean Anniversary
Galileo—who, among many accomplishments, was first to use a telescope to discover moons around Jupiter—was born 450 years ago this week. Clara Moskowitz reports
2/14/2014 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Digital Flicks Invade Art House Cinemas
Paramount Pictures is the first of what will be many studios to release major motion pictures in all-digital, forcing small movie houses to upgrade their technology. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/10/2014 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
Wacky World Wobbles Wildly
Exoplanet Kepler 413 b's tilt can vary by as much as 30 degrees over 11 years, leading to extremely erratic seasons. Clara Moskowitz reports
2/6/2014 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Kid Smartphone Gives Parents More Control
A new smartphone for youngsters is being marketed for its ability for parents to set parental filters and strict guidelines for use. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/31/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Faraway Planets May Be Far Better for Life
Astronomers have come up with a shopping list of what a planet needs to support life, perhaps even better than our Earth does, making them "superhabitable." Michael Moyer reports
1/31/2014 • 1 minute, 20 seconds
Your Driving Data Can Reveal Your Routes
Using data about when you drive, the times of your starts and stops, and your speed, insurance companies may be able to also tell where you go, even without GPS. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/24/2014 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Comet Spacecraft Wakes from Slumber
On January 20th the European Space Agency woke its Rosetta probe after two-and-a-half years in hibernation, in preparation for its final approach to a comet
1/24/2014 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Astronomers Cluster at Massive Meeting Conjunction
More than 3,000 astronomers assembled last week for the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Clara Moskowitz reports
1/15/2014 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Eye Reflections Could Catch Crooks
Photos that include people now produce images clear enough to make a positive ID of any individuals whose faces are reflected in the corneas of the people in the picture. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/6/2014 • 1 minute, 20 seconds
Weird Supernovae Spin Faster Than Blender Blades
Two recently found supernovae are much farther away and brighter than almost any star explosion ever seen, perhaps because they wound up as rapidly spinning magnetars. Clara Moskowitz reports
12/31/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Asteroid-Hunting Satellite Returns from Dead
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite that went into hibernation in 2011 has been brought to life as an asteroid lookout. Clara Moskowitz reports
12/23/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Big Majority of Facebook Posters Self-Censor
In a study of user behavior, Facebook determined that about 70 percent of people about to post an item engage in some form of self-editing or self-censorship. Larry Greenemeier reports.
12/20/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Preadolescent Astronomer Spots Supernova
Ten-year-old Nathan Gray of Nova Scotia officially becomes the youngest person ever to identify a new supernova. Clara Moskowitz reports
The year brought numerous revelations about government surveillance on ordinary citizens. Do we care? Larry Greenemeier reports.
12/12/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
In Emergency, Smartphone Might Not Know Your Location
Just because your smartphone can bring up your position on a map does not mean that a call to 911 automatically shows responders where you are. Larry Greenemeier reports.
12/9/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Say I Saw ISON
Don't miss viewing Comet ISON, visible in the east before dawn, with a tail now as long as the bowl of the Big Dipper. Clara Moskowitz reports
11/25/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Snapchat Makes Messages Disappear
Snapchat, a time-limited message-sharing app, has allegedly turned down billion-dollar offers from Facebook and Google. Larry Greenemeier reports.
11/21/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
India Targets Red Planet
India aims to become the fourth entity to send a mission to Mars with its launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission, aka Mangalyaan. Clara Moskowitz reports.
11/18/2013 • 1 minute, 32 seconds
Polled People Ponder Whither Wearable Tech
A Harris poll finds that many Americans wondery how smartwatches and smartglasses would fit into the average person's life. Larry Greenemeier reports.
11/15/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Astronaut Sounds Alarm On Asteroids
At a symposium on the danger of asteroid impacts, Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart said it's time for the planet to develop a strategy should a big rock come our way. Clara Moskowitz reports.
11/4/2013 • 1 minute, 33 seconds
Are Google's E-mail Scans Wiretapping?
A group of e-mail users have filed suit claiming that Google's scans of Gmails for commercial data gathering purposes is in fact wiretapping. Larry Greenemeier reports.
11/4/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Let There Be Li-Fi
Researchers see light-emitting diodes as the Internet gateway for tomorrow's wireless gadgets. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/28/2013 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
System Has Multiple Planets Off Kilter
Two of the three known planets around the star Kepler 56 orbit their host out of line with the star's equator. Clara Moskowitz reports.
10/22/2013 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Smartphone Security Could Be Based On User Behavior
With implicit identification aka implicit authentication, your smartphone would shut down after recognizing it was lost or stolen based on how the new user was fiddling with its functions. Larry Greenemeier reports.
9/26/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Fido Learns to Fetch from Afar
A small backpack worn by a dog emitted vibrations and tones to remotely guide the canine from one point to point, with no handler present. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/20/2013 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Voyager 1 Is Officially out There
Voyager 1's own record of the plasma vibrations in its vicinity conclusively show that it has reached the space between the stars. John Matson reports
9/16/2013 • 1 minute, 24 seconds
Home Wireless Network Detects Elderly Tumbles
Wireless signals create a 3-D map of a room and can monitor any unusual movement, such as a fall or unusual period of quiescence. Larry Greenemeier reports.
9/13/2013 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
California Tables Plans for RF Enhanced Driver's License
EDLs contain a RFID chip and let you rapidly reenter the U.S. at a land border without needing a passport. Proponents in California want to alleviate congestion at the Mexico border. Opponents worry about privacy. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/6/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Home PCs Help Pinpoint Pulsars
The distributed computing project Einstein@Home uses home computers to search through years of telescope data to find pulsars. John Matson reports.
9/4/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Professors Still View MOOCs Skeptically
A survey of professors finds that most see online courses as inferior to in-class lessons--but those who have taught online are more open to their potential. Larry Greenemeier reports.
8/29/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Sky Map Satellite Becomes Asteroid Hunter
NASA's WISE satellite surveyed the universe before being mothballed in 2011. Now it's being resurrected as a near-Earth asteroid scanner.
8/26/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Locked Out? There's an App for That
A service available for Apple users allows you to have a replacement key made based on a digital picture of the original. Larry Greenemeier reports.
8/23/2013 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Kepler Exoplanet Hunter Limps Into Sunset
Although the Kepler space telescope's stabilization system is beyond repair, it has produced reams of data that have yet to be fully searched for exoplanets. John Matson reports.
8/22/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Fancy Figuring Ferrets Out Fake Photos
New software identifies doctored images by finding inconsistent shadows, even with complex shapes and uneven surfaces. Larry Greenemeier reports.
8/20/2013 • 1 minute, 23 seconds
Solar Magnetic Field Flip Poses No Problem
The only issue related to the flip of the sun's magnetic field is that it corresponds with the peak of the sunspot cycle, when the sun is prone to launch flares and bursts of plasma into space that can effect satellites and power grids. John Matson reports.
8/15/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Curiosity Celebrates an Earth Year on Mars
Since it landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, the Curiosity rover has done photography, geology and roamed a good kilometer. John Matson reports
8/7/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Tooth Sensor Watches Your Mouth
An accelerometer-based oral sensory system embedded in a tooth could identify various oral habits based on dental movement. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/5/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Electronic Skin Could Bring Touchy Robots
Paper-thin sensor networks might someday give machines the ability to feel their surroundings. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/30/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Milky Way Black Hole Had Hungry Past
A huge cloud of plasma south of our galactic black hole could be evidence of a past feeding frenzy. John Matson reports
7/29/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Neutrino Identity Switch Confirmed
Theory said that muon neutrinos could transform into electron neutrinos. A neutrino detector confirms this by catching many more electron neutrinos than it should have otherwise. John Matson reports
7/23/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
New TV Channel Gives Dogs Pause
DOGTV, featuring programming to entertain stay-at-home dogs, debuts nationally August 1 on DirecTV. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/17/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Giant Black Hole May Be Fugitive
The black hole in galaxy NGC 1277 is way more massive than usual. Astronomers hypothesize it was ejected from another galaxy before settling in its new home. John Matson reports
7/15/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Navy Aims for Electromagnetic Guns
An electromagnetic rail gun would use magnetic fields created by electrical currents to accelerate a sliding metal conductor along two rails. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/11/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Flare Star Goes Wild in Minutes
The star WX UMa went from 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit to 30,000 degrees F in less than three minutes. Chris Crockett reports
7/8/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Frigid Space Speeds Chemical Reaction
A reaction between two common molecules occurs much faster at frosty interstellar temperatures than on our toasty Earth due to a cold-stabilized transition and quantum tunneling. John Matson reports
A small group of people with mid- to late-stage dementia appeared happier and less anxious after spending time with a robotic animal programmed to respond to touch and sound. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/27/2013 • 1 minute, 20 seconds
Texas Teens Take Rocket Title
Three teenage Texas model rocketeers beat out teams from France and the U.K. to claim top honors at this year's International Rocketry Competition. John Matson reports
6/26/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Primordial Galaxy Shows How to Make a Big One
Looking at the Himiko Galaxy as it was just 800 million years after the big bang offers a glimpse at how the most massive galaxies took shape. John Matson reports
6/21/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Galaxy of a Thousand Stars
Segue 2, one of dozens of "companion" galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, is now the smallest galaxy known. Michael Moyer reports
6/13/2013 • 1 minute, 20 seconds
6-Month-Old E-Mails Easy Pickings for Police
The outdated 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act considers e-mail "abandoned" and searchable if it's stored for more than 180 days on a server. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/6/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Curiosity Reveals Mars Astronaut Radiation Risk
A side benefit of NASA's Curiosity rover mission is that we now know about how much radiation an interplanetary traveler would face. John Matson reports
5/31/2013 • 1 minute, 49 seconds
Safe Water? Ask the Smartphone
Researchers combine an iPhone with optical filters to create a handheld analyzer for toxins, bacteria and other items of public health importance. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/30/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Earth and Moon Had Same Water Source
Isotopic analysis of water trapped in volcanic glass in lunar samples show that the moon has more water than thought, and the water there and on Earth had the same origins. Karen Hopkin reports
5/29/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
E-Tailers Want Amazon and Apple to Set Readers Free
An industry report says there is no good technological reason for Amazon and Apple to restrict readers to their formats. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/24/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Mars Rover Sets Distance Record
After nine (Earth) years of slowly traversing Mars, Opportunity broke the U.S. off-world rover record held by Apollo 17's lunar buggy since 1972. John Matson reports.
5/22/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Grifters Increase Their Internet Attacks
Consumers were victims of nearly 290,000 online frauds and lost more than $525 million in 2012, up 8 percent from 2011. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/16/2013 • 1 minute, 27 seconds
Exoplanet Building Blocks Found around White Dwarfs
Silicon-rich rocky material was found around white dwarfs in the Hyades star cluster by the Hubble Space Telescope, despite the fact that almost no known planets exist in star clusters. John Matson reports
5/14/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Bullies Turn Cyberspace Sour
One in six high school students report being victimized via e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites or texting. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/11/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Milky Way Makes Small Massive Gain
Based on the Milky Way's effect on the motion of a nearby dwarf galaxy, our galaxy seems to have more mass than we previously thought. John Matson reports
5/3/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Spear Phishers Want Your Info
The recent AP Twitter account hack looks like an example of a successful spear phishing attack, in which a targeted e-mail duped the news agency's employees. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/2/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Plan Your Digital Death
Google's Inactive Account Manager allows you to arrange for the deletion of your data upon your demise. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/26/2013 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Space Scope Spots 3 Possibly Habitable Planets
NASA's orbiting Kepler telescope recently spotted three exoplanets in or near their stars' so-called habitable zones, the temperate region where a planet could accommodate liquid water. John Matson reports
4/22/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Controlling Some Devices Will Be a Snap
Various HP products will soon be controllable by hand gestures. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/21/2013 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Amateur Astronomers Spot Missing Russian Mars Lander
Using imagery taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2007, amateur astronomers located an object that could be a Russian lander that went dark after a few seconds on Mars in 1971. John Matson reports
4/15/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Mental Health-Related Google Searches Decline in Summer
A study tracking Google searches about mental health issues showed substantial decreases in summer versus winter, implying a lessening of symptoms during the longer, warmer days. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/13/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Water Ice Found across Saturn System
Saturn's rings and moons contain a uniform distribution of water ice, which seems to reflect their common origins billions of years ago. John Matson reports
4/8/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Amazon X-Ray Aims to End Unidentified Actor Angst
Amazon's X-Ray allows viewers watching certain movies or TV shows on certain devices to touch the screen for instant actor identification. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/7/2013 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
State Seeks to Ban DUI (of Google Glass)
Even before any Google Glass augmented-reality headsets are available to the public, West Virginia is considering a bill to ban drivers from wearing any head-mounted display. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/29/2013 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Universe May Be a Titch Older
New data from the European Planck satellite indicate that the universe is 13.8 billion years old rather than a mere 13.7 billion years old. John Matson reports
3/25/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Most Laser Pointers Are Too Strong
Federal researchers find that most green laser pointers and half of red ones are stronger than safety standards permit, creating an eye hazard. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/24/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Unfinished Chile Observatory Makes Starry Discovery
An incomplete version of Chile's ALMA telescope array found that star formation was in full swing earlier than had been thought. John Matson reports
3/19/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Shoe Puts Mouth in Foot
Google's new Talking Shoe keeps the wearer connected, but advertisers are likely to run down this as a two-way street. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/17/2013 • 2 minutes, 11 seconds
Nearby Star Came In with the Bang
A study of the star HD 140283, only about 190 light-years away from us, finds that it formed in short order after the big bang. John Matson reports
3/14/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
The Eyes Have IT Scrolling
Samsung's next product is expected to have a display that senses eye movement and can scroll accordingly. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/7/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Third Van Allen Belt Came and Went
The Van Allen Probes recently found a third belt of charged particles circling Earth, which was then destroyed by a solar shock wave. John Matson reports
3/5/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Shoo Away Asteroids with a Coat of Paint
Heat radiating from an asteroid imparts a tiny push to the rock, meaning that we could subtly steer an asteroid by changing its reflectance. John Matson reports
2/27/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Smartphone Barometers Create Weather Station Network
Some Android smartphones and tablets measure atmospheric pressure. More could provide forecasters with important info in areas with few official weather stations. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/21/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Meteor Shocks Russian City
The Russian city of Chelyabinsk was awakened on February 15 when a meteor exploded overhead, with an energy equivalent to about 300 kilotons of TNT
2/16/2013 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Other Smartphones Pass iPhone Satisfaction Ratings
Apple's latest iPhone ranked behind four different 4G Android handsets in a recent customer satisfaction survey. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/14/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Curiosity Drills Mars for Answers
Even as a few of its sensors cause problems, the Curiosity rover became the first robotic visitor to bore into the Martian surface. John Matson reports
2/13/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
PayPal's Peers Perplex Potential Purchasers
Despite digital certificate services from major companies like Google, MasterCard and Visa, digital wallets other than PayPal have not penetrated consumer consciousness. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/8/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Past-Prime Star May Still Produce Planets
The star TW Hydrae should be too old to still have planets forming around it, but its gas and dust indicate it still has planetary potential. John Matson reports
2/4/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Google Maps North Korea
Web users--except those in North Korea itself, where Internet use is restricted--now have a view of the secretive kingdom's landmarks, infrastructure and prison camps. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/31/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
In-Between-Size Phablets Attract Consumers
More than 200 million phablets (smart phone-tablets) will be sold in 2015, twice as many as last year. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/25/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Gamma-Ray Burst Fingered for Carbon 14 Spike in A.D. 774
Tree-ring data from A.D. 774 show a sudden spike in radioactive carbon 14, pointing to a burst of charged particles or high-energy radiation that struck Earth. A relatively nearby gamma-ray burst could be the culprit. John Matson reports
1/21/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
HAPIfork Monitors Eating Speed
Sensors on this smart fork lead to a vibration if you're eating too fast. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/17/2013 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Following Flare-Ups, Star Finally Explodes
After a few false alarms, the star SN 2009ip appears to have gone supernova at last. John Matson reports
1/14/2013 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Mars Flight Habitat Volunteers Lost Sleep and Fitness
Six volunteers spent 520 days in a simulation of a trip to Mars, and wound up experiencing sleep disturbances and becoming more sedentary. John Matson reports
1/7/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Civilian Spacefarers Face Medical Hurdles
Opening the door to the paying public means that less healthy individuals will soon have access to space--if their doctors approve. John Matson reports
1/4/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Nielsen and Twitter Team to Track TV
Twitter and ratings agency Nielsen have come up a way to quantify social media buzz for TV programs. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/3/2013 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Tool Tells True Tweets from Fakes
An algorithm can evaluate tweets within the overall Twitter flow to assess their veracity. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/21/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Titan Sports Hydrocarbon Nile
The Cassini orbiter spotted a river system on Titan that NASA likens to a miniature version of the Nile River, but flowing with liquid ethane and methane. John Matson reports
12/17/2012 • 1 minute, 13 seconds
Bedbugs Ignore Alleged Ultrasonic Annoyers
Researchers found no proof that ultrasonic devices sold to repel these pesky blood suckers could deliver on that promise. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/17/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Should Mars Get Another Rover?
NASA has plans for another Mars rover, but no trips scheduled for exotic places like Titan or Europa. John Matson reports
12/10/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Big Data Project Susses Us out
A project called the "Human Face of Big Data" asks smart-phone users worldwide what they think about beliefs, rituals and hopes. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/6/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
3-D Printer Makes Structures with Lunar-Like Material
A proof-of-concept 3-D printing job using lunarlike material shows that quick-and-dirty tools or spare parts could be manufactured on the moon. John Matson reports
12/5/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Smart Helmets Could Flag Players at Trauma Risk
Force sensors in headgear could signal whether a hit is strong enough to cause concern should the player receive a second serious blow. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/29/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Thicker Atmosphere Still Would Have Left Mars Cold
Global 3-D climate simulations for plausible Martian atmospheres show that even with a much thicker CO2 layer, the greenhouse effect could not have warmed Mars above freezing. John Matson reports.
11/28/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Galaxy Might Be Most Distant Seen Object
Thanks to gravitational lensing by a cluster of galaxies, the light emitted by a small galaxy 13.3 billion years ago has reached Earth. John Matson reports
11/20/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Iceland Crowd-Sources Its Constitution
Iceland's parliament will vote on whether to replace its 68-year-old constitution with a version that takes into account suggestions from Twitter, Facebook and Web site comments. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/15/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Star's Habitable Zone Includes Possible Giant Earth
A planet at least seven times as massive as Earth orbits comfortably in the habitable zone of the star HD 40307. John Matson reports
11/13/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Web Sites Share Gas Availability Info
Drivers in the post-Sandy New York metropolitan area have a few high-tech ways to shorten the odds on long gas lines. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/8/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
New Analyses Resurrect Contested Exoplanet Claim
Fomalhaut b looked like an exoplanet to some astronomers and like dust to others. But new analyses strengthen the planet view. John Matson reports
11/6/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Solar Wind Creates Traces of Lunar Surface Water
A chemical analysis of lunar samples now points to the solar wind being behind the ultrathin dusting of water molecules first detected in 2009 from spacecraft measurements. John Matson reports
10/23/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Listen to Audio via Your Cheekbones
Bone-conduction headphones send good vibrations directly to the cochlea without blocking the ears, thereby also allowing ambient sounds. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/19/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Sensor Info Reveals Titan Probe Landing
An analysis of the Huygens probe's sensor data has reconstructed bouncing and skidding, moments before it came to rest on Titan. John Matson reports
10/15/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Left and Right Use Smart Phones for Politics
A Pew Internet & American Life Project poll shows both Republican and Democrat voters are turning to their mobile phones for election information. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/11/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Zippy Star Promises to Be Relativity Laboratory
A star orbiting the galactic center's black hole in just 11.5 Earth years should provide data for studying how gravity works near an extremely massive object. John Matson reports
10/5/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Technology <i>American Idol</i> Could Hit Small Screen
American Idol judge Simon Cowell and pop star Will.i.am are rumored to be searching for the next great tech entrepreneur. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/4/2012 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Good Things Come from Small Scopes
Smaller ground-based telescopes produce research results that get more citations per dollar spent than the big guys. John Matson reports
10/1/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Keeping Facebook Tabs with Ex Is a Double-Edged Sword
Checking out a new old flame on Facebook may make it easier to cope in some ways, but harder in others. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/1/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Pre-Life Chemistry Happens at Space Temperatures
UV light, which radiates from stars and galaxies, can induce rapid changes in icy hydrocarbon molecules cooled to 5 kelvins, as on a comet. John Matson reports
9/25/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Facebook Posts Can Attract Legal Attention
Police may create phony Facebook accounts to root out criminals, but schools and businesses may be restrained from poking into the accounts of students and employees. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/20/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
White Dwarf Binary Stars Make Merger Plans
In the J0651 binary system two white dwarf stars orbit each other in less than 13 minutes--and it's getting a little faster all the time. John Matson reports
9/17/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Is Wi-Fi Sniffing a Crime?
One court case found that wi-fi sniffing was okay, whereas a different case judged it to be illegal. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/13/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Dawn Spacecraft Sets Sail for Dwarf Planet Ceres
On September 5th NASA's Dawn spacecraft left the asteroid Vesta and set sail for the dwarf planet Ceres, where it will arrive in 2015. John Matson reports
9/12/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Tablet Devices Keep Austistic People Working
People with autism were kept on task at work with an iPod Touch featuring various checklist and prompting apps. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/6/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
NASA Spacecraft's Census Tallies Millions of Black Holes
NASA's infrared WISE spacecraft found about 130 glowing black holes in a small region of space, meaning that at least two million active black holes dot the sky. John Matson reports
9/5/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Protect Privacy When Recycling Smart Phones
A factory reset may not be enough to wipe the data from a smart phone you're planning to recycle. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/30/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Milky Way and Satellite Galaxies Are Rare Arrangement
Only about 0.5 percent of Milky Way-like galaxies have companions like our satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. John Matson reports
8/29/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Can I, Robot, Mow Your Lawn?
Honda is about to launch a robot to mow your lawn much like the Roomba vacuums your floors. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/23/2012 • 1 minute, 11 seconds
Probes Will Live in Van Allen Belts
The twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes will fly through the Van Allen Belts for two years, measuring charged particles, plasma waves and magnetic fields. John Matson reports
8/20/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Google: Piracy Accusations Will Lower Search Rankings
As a nod to the entertainment industry, Google is threatening to give poor search-result rankings to sites accused of violating copyright claims. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/16/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Tour Kennedy Space Center on Google Street View
More than 6,000 new images of Kennedy Space Center have recently been added to Google Street View. John Matson reports
8/13/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Facebook Argues "Like" Is Free Speech
After people were fired for a Facebook "like," a court ruled that a "like" is not protected free speech. Facebook and the ACLU disagree. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/9/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Curiosity Rover Lands Safely on Mars
After successfully completing its complex series of landing maneuvers, the Curiosity rover is on the Martian surface and ready to begin exploration. John Matson reports
8/6/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Distracted Pedestrian ER Visits Rise
The number of gadget-distracted walkers injured seriously enough to be treated at emergency rooms has quadrupled in the past seven years. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/2/2012 • 1 minute, 31 seconds
Scopes See Exoplanets and Violent Astrophysics
Palomar Observatory's Project 1640 on the Hale Telescope allows astronomers to directly observe exoplanets, whereas the gamma-ray sensitive HESS 2 in Namibia tracks violent astrophysical events such as supernovae and flaring black holes. John Matson reports
7/31/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
YouTube Promotes Anonymity with Face-Blurring Tool
YouTube recently introduced a tool that lets you automatically blur faces in footage you upload to the Web. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/26/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Pioneer Spacecraft Warmth Takes Heat off Relativity
The tiny slowing of the two Pioneer spacecraft, known as the Pioneer anomaly and considered by some to challenge general relativity, is probably due to the heat produced by electronics and radioactive decay. John Matson reports
7/23/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Apple to Repeat on the EPEAT
Reversing a recent decision, Apple will conform to Electronic Products Environmental Asset Tool standards, or EPEAT, after all. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/19/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Mars Rover Prepares for 7 Minutes of Terror
The Curiosity rover is set to begin exploring Mars on August 6. But first it has to land. John Matson reports
7/17/2012 • 1 minute, 34 seconds
Cops Collect Ever More Mobile Device Info
In 2011 law enforcement agencies made more than 1.3 million requests for customer cell phone records. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/12/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Dark Matter Bridges Galaxy Clusters
Gravitational lensing shows that two galaxy clusters are connected by a filament of dark matter. John Matson reports
7/9/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Plastic Electronics Cease Stretching Credulity
An experimental electronic plastic's liquid-metal interior keeps electrical connections intact even after the plastic stretches to more than four times normal size. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/6/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Nonprofit Wants to Launch Asteroid-Spotter
The B612 Foundation wants to put a telescope in orbit around the sun to look for asteroids that might hit Earth. John Matson reports
7/2/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Facebook Quietly Created New E-Mail Addresses
Facebook surreptitiously modified user profiles to replace their original e-mail addresses with @facebook.com addresses. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/28/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Magnetic Tornadoes May Heat Solar Corona
The sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, is much hotter than the surface. Giant magnetic tornadoes may be behind the heat transfer. John Matson reports
6/27/2012 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Microsoft Joins Tablet Fray
Microsoft is not calling its new Surface PC a tablet, but in most meaningful ways it is. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/21/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Super-Earth Exoplanets Could Be Better for Life
Dimitar Sasselov, director of Harvard's Origins of Life Initiative, explains how rocky exoplanets larger than Earth could have greater potential for life than Earth did. Steve Mirsky reports
6/20/2012 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
Companies Inflate Their Twitter Follow Numbers
Many of the alleged Twitter followers for some companies are bots created by marketers to make the company look more popular. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/15/2012 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
Astronomers Seek Biggest Stars
Several nearby star clusters could harbor incredibly huge stars, with masses of up to 600 suns. John Matson reports
6/11/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Holographic Guide Coming to NYC Airports
Ava the Avatar is a virtual assistant coming to the three major New York City area airports for a tryout. Larry Greenemeier reports
6/7/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth from ISS
The first commercial visitor to the ISS splashed down successfully in the Pacific after a supply run. John Matson reports
6/1/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Facebook Signals Phone Future
Are Facebook's moves toward producing a smart phone smart or phony? Larry Greenemeier reports
5/31/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
SpaceX Private Vessel Reaches ISS
The International Space Station received its first commercial visitor with the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon resupply capsule. John Matson reports
5/25/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Texts May Beat Phone Calls for Survey Honest Answers
A study of 600 iPhone users found that people are more likely to provide honest and accurate information via text messages than voice interviews. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/24/2012 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Annular Eclipse Hits U.S. Sunday
Residents of western states will be in position to see the ring of fire of an annular eclipse on May 20th. John Matson reports
5/19/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Most Users Are App Freeloaders
The vast majority of mobile device users get only free or cheap apps. Larry Greenemeier reports
A space-based telescope picked up faint thermal radiation from a "super-Earth" planet 40 light-years away. John Matson reports
5/14/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Look, Computer, No Hands!
Microsoft hopes its SoundWave will let you interact with your PC using hand gestures in midair rather than on a keyboard. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/14/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Zeppelin Searches for California Meteorite
Scientists are using a zeppelin to do a slow search for signs of fragments left by the April 22nd Sutter's Mill meteorite. John Matson reports
5/8/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Microsoft Bets Big on B&N's Nook
Microsoft and Barnes & Noble are teaming up to make a run at the e-reader market leaders. Larry Greenemeier reports
5/3/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Earth Was Longtime Asteroid Punching Bag
Dozens of asteroid impacts at least as bad as the dinosaur killer occurred long after such impacts were previously thought to have petered out. John Matson reports
5/1/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Apple Has Liquid Metal in Hand
Apple bought a license for a liquid metal alloy in 2010, and the speculation now is that the next iPhone may incorporate the strong, flexible product in its body. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/30/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Gamma-Ray Bursts Found Innocent in Ray Case
Gamma-ray bursts can't be the source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays that reach Earth. John Matson reports
4/24/2012 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Computer Effects Virtually Resurrect Tupac
Avatar director James Cameron's effects company created a virtual Shakur using physical characteristics and movements captured from previously recorded performances. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/22/2012 • 1 minute, 21 seconds
Ballooning Star Split Planet in Two
A recently discovered pair of exoplanets may be the wreckage of one formerly giant planet. John Matson reports
4/16/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Microsoft Reaches into Purse for Apps
Microsoft's Windows Phone needs more apps, for which Microsoft--unlike Apple or Google--is paying developers. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/12/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Space Shuttles Head for Final Destinations
Starting with Discovery, the decommissioned space shuttle fleet will go on display at museums around the country. John Matson reports
4/10/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Flying Car Debuts at New York City Auto Show
Terrafugia's Transition two-seat "roadable aircraft" comes to the New York International Auto Show after a maiden flight. Larry Greenemeier reports
4/5/2012 • 1 minute, 19 seconds
Supernova Turned Star Inside-Out
When the star Cassiopeia A exploded, nearly all the iron from the core was expelled to the outer regions of the supernova. John Matson reports
4/3/2012 • 1 minute, 18 seconds
Compressed-Air Car Winds Way to Market
Tata Motors hopes to release its compressed-air car in India by August. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/29/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Martian Water Stuck in Minerals
Significant amounts of water exist on Mars, sequestered within hydrated minerals and stored in the planet's crust. John Matson reports
3/27/2012 • 2 minutes, 9 seconds
Use of Portable Electronics in Flight Still up in the Air
The aviation industry lacks conclusive proof that gadgets do (or don't) interfere with instruments. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/22/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Mars Makes Movie Execs See Red
John Carter is the latest in a string of movies set on the Red Planet that have all wound up in the red, financially. John Matson reports
3/20/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Embedded Mini Projectors Coming to Smart Phones
Researchers are developing small, energy-efficient and luminous three-color laser light sources into smart phones that will enable the projection of screen images onto flat surfaces. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/16/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
"Man in the Moon" Facing Factors Figured
A new study explains why the odds favored the man-in-the-moon side to always face Earth. John Matson reports
3/13/2012 • 1 minute, 10 seconds
Apple Plans a Cleaner Cloud
Data centers powered by biogas and solar energy could make Apple's Cloud cleaner. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/8/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Dark Matter Clump Furrows Brows
Dark matter doesn't usually collide much with itself or with ordinary matter, but it appears to be uncharacteristically clumping in the galaxy cluster A520. John Matson reports
3/6/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Skype Video Chat Arrives for Windows Smart Phones
Microsoft's test version of its new Skype for Windows Phone app lets you call Skype contacts over 3G, 4G and wi-fi networks. Larry Greenemeier reports
3/1/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Mars May Still Be Quaking
Rockfalls visible in orbiter images of Mars indicate that geologic activity occurred just a few million years ago and may be ongoing. John Matson reports
2/28/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Heads Up for Smart Phone Glasses
Google is developing a smart phone and heads-up display worn over the ears like a pair of specs. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/23/2012 • 1 minute, 13 seconds
John Glenn Orbited 50 Years Ago Today
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn went to space, becoming the first American in orbit, and a national icon. John Matson reports
2/20/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Mimicking Ear Makes Mobile Calls Clear
The earSmart source separation system makes many mobile phone calls easier to understand in noisy situations. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/16/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Black Hole May Eat Asteroids
The black hole at the center of Milky Way could be steadily feeding on a cloud of asteroids, producing frequent, small x-ray flares. John Matson reports
2/14/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
<i>Facebook</i> Users Gird for Mobile Ads
Ads could hit Facebook mobile apps as soon as March. Will users mind on the small screen? Larry Greenemeier reports
2/9/2012 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Flame Dances on Board Space Station
The Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX, on board the ISS allows researchers to study zero-gravity fire--and ways to fight it. John Matson reports
2/6/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Quantum Cryptography Comes to Smart Phones
A quantum encryption technique out of Los Alamos National Laboratory could provide smart phone security. Larry Greenemeier reports
2/2/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Kepler Finds Multiple Exoplanets around Single Stars
The Kepler spacecraft has found 26 previously unknown exoplanets orbiting 11 stars. John Matson reports
1/30/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Hydrogen and Kinetic Energy Will Keep Phones Ringing
A hydrogen fuel mini cell and a kinetic energy harvester are two new smart phone chargers debuting in 2012. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/26/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Point Up and Click
The 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is now accepting entries. John Matson reports
1/24/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Digital Health Care Puts Control in Consumer Hands
Digital health care apps, especially via smart phones, are offering users unprecedented control over their health behaviors. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/19/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Binary Stars Have Plenty of Planets
NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found two binary star systems that each host a planet, implying that millions exist. John Matson reports
1/13/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Service Teaches Computer Code Online Free
A start-up called Codecademy is teaching JavaScript online for free, with 300,000 takers so far. Michael Moyer reports
1/12/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
GRAIL Mission May Find a Former Second Moon
The twin GRAIL craft will map lunar gravity and could find evidence for the remains within the moon of a former second satellite. John Matson reports
1/9/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
PC-Makers Bet On Ultrabooks
With tablets all the rage, non-Apple computer manufacturers are banking on the latest small-laptop style: ultrabooks. Larry Greenemeier reports
1/5/2012 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Leap Seconds May Disappear
This month the International Telecommunication Union will consider a proposal to abolish leap seconds. John Matson reports
1/3/2012 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Passwords Go Bye-Bye by 2017?
IBM predicts biometrics will replace most password use in the next five years. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/29/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Earth Usually Has Second Tiny, Temporary Moon
Irregular natural satellites, captured from the population of near-Earth asteroids, orbit Earth for a few months and move on. John Matson reports
12/27/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
NFL Puts Super Bowl Online
For the first time, the Super Bowl will stream live on February 5--on the Web sites of both the NFL and NBC. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/22/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Another Billionaire Joins the Space Race
Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, via his new venture, Stratolaunch Systems, hopes to launch spacecraft from massive airplanes. John Matson reports
12/19/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Feds Seek Cell Ban Behind the Wheel
Citing accident and injury stats, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended a nationwide ban on the use of communications devices while driving. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/15/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Black Holes Dwarf the One in Milky Way
Galaxies NGC 3842 and NGC 4889 host black holes, each of which about 2,500 times the mass of the one at the center of the Milky Way. John Matson reports
12/13/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Digital Rights Cloud Cloud-Based Streaming
Cloud-based systems allow a single purchase to stream on a variety of devices. But it looks like Apple and the Keystone system will duke it out with everyone else and Ultraviolet. Larry Greenemeier reports
12/9/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Kepler Finds Its First Planet in the Habitable Zone
NASA's Kepler telescope has discovered its first exoplanet that could be at temperatures allowing liquid water, a big hurdle for life. John Matson reports
12/6/2011 • 1 minute, 38 seconds
Gaming Tech Might Soon Read Facial Expressions
As gaming tech closes in on the ability to tell players' expressions, can lip-reading artificial intelligence be far behind? Larry Greenemeier reports
12/1/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Curiosity Leaves Earth for Mars
The newest Mars rover, Curiosity, dwarfs NASA's previous rovers in size and scientific prowess. John Matson reports
11/28/2011 • 1 minute, 47 seconds
Mobile Apps Help Celebrate Thanksgiving
Apps now can tell you when Snoopy will float by at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade or the best way to deep-fry your turkey. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/23/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Runaway Stars May Be Fleeing Bigger Bullies
A class of wandering stars called OB runaways may have been thrown from home by competing binary star systems that got too close. John Matson reports
11/21/2011 • 1 minute, 48 seconds
Belt Warns Visually Impaired about Obstacles
The Kinecthesia belt has sensors and a series of motors that send vibrations to the wearer to indicate the position of obstacles. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/17/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Bright Exoplanet Lighting Could Indicate Intelligent Life
New telescopes could spot aliens on planets around distant stars, if they like their cities really brightly lit. John Matson reports
11/15/2011 • 1 minute, 26 seconds
iPhone 4S Assistant Siri Does Her Beta Best
Siri, the new iPhone 4S personal assistant, is a step closer to a keyboard-free future. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/11/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Planetary Scientists Hope to Bring Back Mars Moondust
The Phobos-Grunt mission, which could launch November 8th, will try to grab some Phobos soil and bring it back to Earth. John Matson reports
11/7/2011 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
New Insulator Could Help Grid Weather Storms
Better insulation for high-voltage cables could keep them dry during deluges and cut transmission loss. Larry Greenemeier reports
11/3/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Asteroid Plans Close Earth Flyby
On November 8th an asteroid will pass Earth within the moon's orbit, offering a rare opportunity for study. John Matson reports
11/1/2011 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Subjects Move Virtual Chopper with Thoughts
Subjects using a new software package were able to control the movement of a virtual helicopter through an obstacle course using their thoughts alone. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/27/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Soyuz Makes Launch from South American ESA Site
A Soyuz rocket carried into space components for a European GPS system--but the bigger news was the launch site, the European Space Agency home in French Guiana. John Matson reports
10/24/2011 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Smarter Silicon Slicing Could Make Solar Competitive
M.I.T. professor Ely Sachs gave up his faculty position to go all-in on a company that he believes can make solar energy competitive with coal via smart photovoltaic manufacturing. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/20/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Did Saturn's Moon Iapetus Once Have Its Own Moon?
A sub-satellite of the Saturnian moon would explain two of the most puzzling features of Iapetus. John Matson reports
10/17/2011 • 1 minute, 11 seconds
Cybersecurity Threats to Pick Up Steam in 2012
A new Georgia Tech Information Security Center report cites search engines, mobile phones and personal information as prime targets for hackers. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/15/2011 • 1 minute, 11 seconds
Indoor GPS Makes Strides
Efforts to develop an indoor version of GPS use smart phones and existing wi-fi. Larry Greenemeier reports
10/6/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Fewer Big Asteroids Close In on Earth
The WISE spacecraft's census of near-Earth asteroids lowers the population of the big, bad ones. John Matson reports
10/4/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Adhesive Lets 3-D Microchips Go Deep
IBM and 3M have come up with an adhesive that will allow them to stack up to 100 semiconductors onto a single microchip. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/29/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Chinese Space Program Takes Giant Leap
China launches the unmanned Tiangong 1 later this week, setting up opportunities for docking and long-duration stays. John Matson reports
Researchers have developed a way to put smart phones almost to sleep to stretch battery life but keep the phones alert for incoming info. Rose Eveleth reports
9/22/2011 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Solar System Likely Once Had Another Gas-Giant Planet
To evolve into our current solar system, the original version probably had a fifth gas giant, computer simulations indicate. John Matson reports
9/20/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Satellite Set to Make Big Splash or Thud
NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite will fall out of orbit soon, with large pieces perhaps reaching Earth's surface, according to NASA's Nick Johnson at a telephone press conference. John Matson reports
9/12/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Smart Phone Antennas Could Double Network Capacity
A clever way to send and receive both sides of a smart phone conversation on a single frequency could double wireless network capacity. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/8/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
NASA Hopes Hard Sci-Fi Will Inspire Future Space Force
NASA will teach writers about space science and promote sci-fi novels in the hope of inspiring young readers to learn science and math and become part of the space workforce. John Matson reports
9/5/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Graphene Electronics Could Make Internet Way Zippier
Nobel laureates added metallic nanostructures to graphene to vastly boost its photodetector qualities. Larry Greenemeier reports
9/1/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Failed Star Found in the Neighborhood
NASA's WISE satellite has found a Y dwarf star, cool enough to touch, that is the hub of the seventh closest star system to us. John Matson reports
8/29/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Navy Uses Waves to Power Sensors
An array of buoys that track vessel movement off the coast of New Jersey is being powered by ocean waves. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/25/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Exoplanet Looks Potentially Lively
Newly discovered exoplanet HD 85512 b could be hospitable to life. John Matson reports
8/22/2011 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Robot Rescuers Help Peace of Mine
Sandia National Labs demonstrates its improved mine rescue robot. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/18/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Opportunity Knocks at Martian Crater
Seven years into its three-month mission, the Mars rover Opportunity reaches Endeavour Crater, a possible geologic treasure trove. John Matson reports
8/17/2011 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Digital Entrepreneur Wants to Save Books
Brewster Kahle, who has pioneered efforts to digitize written information, wants to save a hard copy of every book. Larry Greenemeier reports
8/11/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Kuiper Belt Gets New Notches
A telescopic sky survey finds 14 previously unknown objects in and around the Kuiper Belt. John Matson reports
8/8/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Bridge Sensors Could Save Travelers
On the fourth anniversary of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse, scientists and engineers are working to make bridges smarter
8/4/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Jupiter Mission Counts Down
The space shuttle era is over, but a mission to Jupiter is next up on the launch pad. John Matson reports
8/1/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Swimmer Plans on Electronics to Shake Sharks
Diana Nyad, veteran open-water distance swimmer, plans to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys while being protected by an electronic device called Shark Shield. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/28/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
New Moon Rises over Pluto
A Hubble telescope search for dust rings around Pluto turned up a previously unknown moon. John Matson reports
7/26/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
ATMs Branch Out
The newest electronic tellers come with built-in lie detectors, rely on biometric security and let you trade cash for gold. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/21/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Kepler Searches for Habitable Planets, Part 2
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be habitable. Part 2 of 2. John Matson reports
7/18/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Kids Say Where Tech Should Go
A survey of children around the world found out what the kids would most like their technology to be able to do next. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/14/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Kepler Searches for Planets in Habitable Zones
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be in habitable zones around their stars. John Matson reports
7/11/2011 • 1 minute, 25 seconds
Parents Rummage through <i>Facebook</i> for Inside Dope
Parents use social networks to gain intel on their kids' friends and on those kids' parents. Larry Greenemeier reports
7/7/2011 • 1 minute, 13 seconds
Space Station Gets Close Wake-up Call
Orbital debris within 250 meters of the International Space station is a warning to clean up the neighborhood before a tragic impact. John Matson reports
7/4/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Planets with Stabilizing Moons May Be Common
Computer simulations show that about 10 percent of planets could have a massive moon that helps to stabilize the planetary tilt. John Matson reports
6/27/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Voyager 1 May Have Reached the Heliopause
After 34 years in space, 17 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has reached or is about to reach the heliopause. John Matson reports
6/21/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Fragments of Single Meteorite Show Different Chemistry
The Tagish Lake meteorite fragments contain widely varying organic compounds, a sign that chemical reactions were taking place on board the body in space. John Matson reports
6/13/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Step Right Up and Guess the Star's Age
A database of stars with known ages and spin rates could let astronomers gauge more stars' ages and find the ones old enough to support planets that could have complex life. John Matson reports
6/6/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
What's Flinging Comets Out of the Oort Cloud?
A planet-size object could be behind the odd departure of some comets from the Oort Cloud--and toward us. John Matson reports
5/31/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
WiggleZ Project Confirms Dark Energy's Effects
A survey of 150,000 galaxies confirms predictions about dark energy, thought to be what's driving galaxies apart. John Matson reports
5/23/2011 • 1 minute, 16 seconds
Space Boat Could See Sea Near Saturn
Among projects under consideration by NASA is one that would send a boat to the hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan to check out its composition and chemistry. John Matson reports.
5/16/2011 • 1 minute, 17 seconds
Milky Way Should Have Much More Companionship
Our understanding of dark matter says the Milky Way should have many times more than its dozen or so small satellite galaxies. John Matson reports
5/9/2011 • 1 minute, 15 seconds
Comet Bops Past Neptune Cleanly
Comet Hale-Bopp has been spotted beyond the orbit of Neptune, far enough from the sun to be without its dirty tail. John Matson reports
5/2/2011 • 1 minute, 14 seconds
Giant Energetic Bubbles Adorn the Milky Way
Two 30,000 light-year-long blobs called Fermi bubbles have been discovered on either side of our galactic plane. John Matson reports
