|
Science & Technology | Most Recent First
|
 |
Six Degrees of E-mail Separate Wired World?
August 7, 2003 —
According to the "small world" theory, you should be just six
handshakes or e-mail messages away from Madonna, Tiger Woods, or former
South African President Nelson Mandela. But can anyone in the world
really reach anyone else through a chain of just six friends? Yes, say
researchers at Columbia University.
GO>>
Faulty Counts May Have Hurt India Tigers, Experts Say
August 7, 2003 —
Decades of counting India's wild tiger population by studying pug (paw) marks in the earth have come to nil. Indian and U.S. researchers have concluded that the technique is misleading. The data collected in this way has led to wrong estimates of the size of the population of the country's wild tigers and, as a result, to "poor conservation practices," the experts say.
GO>>
Ozone Layer May Be on the Mend, New Data Suggest
August 5, 2003 —
Twenty years ago, scientists discovered a hole in the Earth's ozone layer above Antarctica. The protective atmospheric layer showed signs of other widespread damage. Now after a decade-long ban on ozone-depleting chemicals, scientists report on the first hints of recovery.
GO>>
Antarctic Wildlife at Risk From Overfishing, Experts Say
August 5, 2003 —
The Southern Ocean ecosystem is threatened by overfishing, say scientists. The warning came at a major conference in London in July, with Antarctic researchers forecasting increased pressure on krill and fish stocks. They fear this could have a devastating impact on sea birds and marine mammals.
GO>>
Ichthyosaur's Turtle Supper Causes Extinction Debate
August 5, 2003 —
Ichthyosaurs were the giant marine predators of Jurassic and Cretaceous seas, thought to have specialized on squid-like prey. Now a new fossil with turtle and bird remains in its gut is causing some experts to question why the group disappeared.
GO>>
Cousteau Reaches Remote Pacific Atoll
August 4, 2003 —
After 20 days at sea, ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau has reached Kure, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Pacific Ocean atoll marks the turning point of Cousteau's five-week expedition to explore and film one of the last pristine, large-scale coral reef ecosystems on the planet.
GO>>
Largest Hailstone in U.S. History Found
August 4, 2003 —
A thunderstorm that pounded south-central Nebraska in June ended up leaving something for the record books: The largest hailstone ever recovered in the United States, a 7-inch (17.8-centimeter) chunk of ice almost as wide as a soccer ball.
GO>>
Ultimate Explorer Snake Hunter Stalks Constrictors
August 1, 2003 —
Nothing thrills and chills quite like a snake—unless it's a really, really big snake. This Sunday, National Geographic's Ultimate Explorer goes around the world in search of constrictors—the powerful family of giant snakes that literally squeeze the life out of their prey.
GO>>
Balloonists to Attempt to Reach Edge of Space
July 31, 2003 —
A 42-year-old record may fall this summer when two British balloonists attempt to shatter the world-altitude mark for manned balloon flight. Andy Elson and Colin Prescot are waiting for a weather window during which they hope to pilot the QuinetiQ 1 to 132,000 feet (40,000 meters)—the very edge of space.
GO>>
Is This the World's Smallest Seahorse?
July 31, 2003 —
Biologists have discovered a new Indonesian species of pygmy seahorse—so tiny that it falls well within the ranks of the smallest of all vertebrates.
GO>>
"Tomb Raider" Has Nothing on Real Archaeological Tech
July 31, 2003 —
Archaeologists are trading in their trowels for ground-penetrating radar and remote-sensing robots, while underwater explorers have added multi-beam sonar and real-time video to their arsenal of tools. The new technology is transforming the field of archaeology.
GO>>
Tracking Down "Disgusting" Bugs for New TV Special
July 31, 2003 —
While many bugs have developed weapons and attack strategies that strike fear in the hearts of humans, they are an essential part of the ecosystem that should be embraced, not scorned. This is the story behind National Geographic Presents: Bug Attack, airing in the U.S. tonight on Fox at 8 p.m. ET.
GO>>
Froghopper Bug Crowned "World's Greatest Leaper"
July 30, 2003 —
A sap-sucking bug that coats plants with wads of foamy spit has been crowned the insect world's greatest leaper. It has more jumping prowess than fleas, out hops the springiest grasshoppers, and clears the high bar more quickly than bush crickets.
GO>>
Storm Chaser Drives to Extremes to Probe Tornadoes
July 25, 2003 —
This season, storm chaser Tim Samaras logged 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) in search of funnel clouds. Most of the time, he never sees a tornado. But last month, Samaras scored his closest hit yet. This story airs Sunday, July 27, on National Geographic Ultimate Explorer.
GO>>
Singapore Extinctions Spell Doom For Asia?
July 23, 2003 —
Singapore may have lost three-quarters of its species to development, a study reveals. More than half of its remaining plants and animals are squeezed into tiny sanctuaries and most are threatened. Could what's happened in the island country be the destiny for the biodiversity of the rest of tropical Asia?
GO>>
Dogs Called Up in War on Terrorism
July 24, 2003 —
Companion animals are being drafted into the war on terrorism. Long used to sniff out drugs or explosives, dogs can detect chemicals that might be used in weapons of mass destruction. Pets could also soon form a nationwide system to give early warning of a bioterror attack such as the plague.
GO>>
Caribbean Corals in Dire Trouble, Study Finds
July 22, 2003 —
Corals are rapidly disappearing from the Caribbean and unless conservation actions are taken immediately the trend may prove irreversible, according to scientists who performed the first ever basin-wide survey of reef decline. This story aired on our U.S. cable television news program National Geographic Today.
GO>>
Researchers Uncover Secrets of Gigantic "Corpse Flower"
July 18, 2003 —
The enormous, stinking titan arum, or corpse flower, draws huge crowds to botanical gardens worldwide, who come to catch a rare glimpse, and whiff, of the world's largest inflorescence. Now, as a multitude of new cultivated specimens thrive, botanists are breaking old records for size and longevity, and probing the science of the plant as never before.
GO>>
Sonar Device May Prevent Manatee-Boat Collisions
July 17, 2003 —
Researchers are developing a sonar system to help boaters steer off a collision course with the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus Linneaus). The technology could be the difference between population growth and decline in the endangered species.
GO>>
Ballard Team Has High Hopes for Deep-Water Robot
July 16, 2003 —
Later this summer, undersea explorer Robert Ballard and a team of scientists will embark on a 40-day expedition to the Black Sea and Mediterranean. Among their tools will be Hercules, an innovative remotely operated vehicle equipped with mechanical arms and fingers capable of excavating shipwrecks and undersea archaeological sites.
GO>>
Lions Vs. Farmers: Peace Possible?
July 16, 2003 —
Wildlife specialists are headed to Kenya's Masailand to get a precise measure of the current lion population and attempt to broker a peace between the predators and livestock owners. The project is supported by the National Geographic Society Conservation Trust and the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.
GO>>
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
>>
|
