Scientific Agenda reports on important and interesting developments from the world of science in Minnesota and elsewhere. Coverage includes reports from MinnPost journalist
Sharon Schmickle,
Inside Science News Service, and other sources.
Here are some local science-related events coming up within the next few days.
Learning from China’s food system
China faces the challenge of feeding 22 percent of the world’s population on 9 percent of its arable land.
Global temperatures are projected rise 3.5 degrees C.
NEW ORLEANS — The well responsible for the Gulf oil spill was permanently sealed on Sept. 19.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A runway in an otherwise vast, empty stretch of desert in southern New Mexico will soon become the starting point of weekly sightseeing trips to space for anyone who can afford the $200,000 ticket, and with NASA retiring the Space
Here’s a fresh list of local science-related events coming up in the next few days.
Nano? Bio? What?
Nano…bio…synbio.
Thanks to a new film opening today, we can relive Hubble’s history, savor the dazzling images of the cosmos, sweat the mechanical challenges and applaud the astronauts who risked their lives to keep the telescope operating.
VATICAN CITY — Some of the world’s top scientists gathered at the Vatican last week to discuss the scientific advances of the 20th century and their compatibility with religion.
Nature’s capacity to store carbon and thereby curb global warming is steadily eroding as farmers around the world seek to feed more people by opening more land at the expense of forests, says a new study led by researchers at the universities of Min
A huge sinkhole appeared this week in the central German town of Schmalkalden, swallowing a parked car and a garage door but causing no injuries.
The circular hole, which is about 98 feet across and 65 feet deep, appeared at around 3 a.m.
Here’s a provocative Election Day twist on the longstanding nature-nurture argument: Your DNA may play a role in determining whether you are politically liberal or conservative — whether, by extension, you’re inclined to vote for DFLer Mark Dayton o
WASHINGTON — When life on Earth first emerged about 4 billion years ago, it was simple by today’s standards.
While many a mummy-costumed trick-or-treater heads to the streets this Halloween weekend, Minnesota’s most famous bona fide mummy is going to Children’s Hospital in St.
WASHINGTON — The pressure on World Series hitters is immense.
Indonesians once again are having to cope with the hazards of living on a geologically restless archipelago.
A day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia’s island of Sumatra, generating a tsunami that relief officia
Upcoming science events include a visiting astronaut, a briefing on the public health implications of transporting animals and everyday solutions to problems with toxic water.
Astronaut visit
Space shuttle astronaut Capt.
WASHINGTON — Benoit Mandelbrot, the mathematics professor at Yale who coined the word “fractal,” died earlier this month at the age of 85.
Astronomers say they have captured for the first time the spectral signature of a galaxy as it appeared less than 600 million years after the big bang, making it the oldest, and most distant, galaxy ever observed.
The result helps open a previously
Of all the science-related events we post on this blog, my favorites are those for families and/or kids.
Did you ever wonder why so many different life forms are so richly abundant in the tropics?
A new University of Minnesota study suggests that climate may play a role in determining how fast new species evolve.
New species may develop faster as the
NEW YORK — Before Google or any other groups invest in undersea transmission lines to bring wind power to the mid-Atlantic coast area, they might want to talk with the National Audubon Society.
While the Audubon Society supports the concept of clea