Educational Science

Earth's Measurers Say U.S. Needs More Tools for Task

Call it Mother Earth if you like, but Little Brother might be a more appropriate nickname for our messy, squirmy and unpredictable planet. The shape and orientation of Earth are constantly changing. Sometimes the transformation is dramatic, wrought by violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Sometimes, as with the minute gravitational fidgeting...

Hurricane Season Marches on with Tropical Storm Nicole

After a quiet few days in the Atlantic basin and Gulf of Mexico, a newly formed tropical storm is blowing across the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Nicole strengthened from a tropical depression and was upgraded to a tropical storm this morning (Sept. 29) by the National Hurricane Center. Nicole has maximum...

A mudslide that reportedly killed seven people and buried as many as 300 homes in a rural Mexican village may be linked to the relentless rainfall the region has recently experienced, although American geologists cannot confirm what led to the devastating mudslide. Without going down there and looking at the...

The Louder the Reef, the Better Its Health

A noisier coral reef is going to be a healthier reef, a new study finds. Researchers from Exeter University and the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, both in England, found a clear association between overall noise level generated by a reef's denizens and the amount of living coral...

The Grand Canyon in Pictures

Grand Rainbow (Image credit: National Park Service)Rainbow in the Grand Canyon as seen from near Mather Point on the South Rim. Large Lazy Clouds (Image credit: National Park Service)Panoramic view of the Grand Canyon from Pima Point on the West Rim Drive. Eroded Red Rock (Image credit: National Park Service)Looking...

Earth's Core Covered By Liquid Rock, Experiment Suggests

Oceans of magma may exist deep in the planet's interior, near where the Earth's mantle and core meet, researchers say. Such magma oceans could be relics from the earliest days of the planet, when it might have been almost completely molten. To reach their findings, scientists re-created the kind of...

Three Species of "Extinct" Frogs Rediscovered

A global quest to find several lost species of amphibians has rediscovered three species that have not been seen for decades, conservation groups announced today. The so-called Search for the Lost Frogs , is attempting to find 100 species of amphibians that had been thought extinct, but that scientists believe...

Swarm of 30,000 Earthquakes Reveals Newfound Volcanic Potential

A swarm of thousands of earthquakes that struck the corner of Saudi Arabia nearest to Egypt in 2009 helped reveal that the area is unexpectedly volcanically active, scientists now report. The seismic readings that researchers managed to collect from these quakes could help predict when volcanoes might erupt in the...

Why Don't Fad Diets Work?

The bevy of diets available to consumers is overwhelming from Slim-Fast to the acai berry diet, there always seems to be a new diet hitting the market. But, as many people struggling to lose weight already know, dieters that follow fad diets are rarely successful. Even when a diet leads...

When's the Best Time to Get the Flu Vaccine?

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting the seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible, some doctors say people should wait until October or November. When's the best time to get the flu shot? Everyone should get the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available in...