Solutions Hawaii: Frontline for Conservation December 31, 2007 • Botanists will go to great lengths to track down and capture their prey. In the first of two reports this week from the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, one botanist battles knee-deep mud and curtains of fog in search of a rare orchid. His goal is to preserve its seed.
Research News NASA Releases Cryptic Airline Safety Study December 31, 2007 • NASA on Monday dumped 29,000 lines of raw data onto the Internet to fulfill a promise to release information about the safety of air travel. NASA declined to say what the data meant, but the space agency previously had refused to release the information at all because it feared scaring the public and hurting the aviation industry.
Environment Bureaucracy Floats Through the Everglades December 31, 2007 • Seven years ago, the federal government announced grand plans to help the state of Florida restore the Everglades. Since then, almost nothing has been accomplished, frustrating environmentalists and officials in Florida alike.
Environment France Set to Ban Smoking in Social Outlets December 31, 2007 • Starting New Year's Day, France bans smoking in bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cafes. It's a move with widespread public support, though some worry that a way of life may be lost, especially in small villages far from Paris where the cafe is often the only place for social interaction.
Environment Rock Snot Hitches Ride on Fishing Gear December 31, 2007 • For at least a decade, nasty carpets of an invasive algae species have been fouling up pristine fishing streams in the western United States. But this year, the giant, gooey wads appeared on the East Coast, and traveling fishermen are the culprits.
Solutions In a Forest's Breath, Deciphering Climate Clues December 31, 2007 • The world's forests currently soak up 25 percent of the carbon dioxide created by burning fossil fuels. But as forests age, they may start releasing more CO2 than they absorb. Scientists have put Harvard Forest under the microscope to find out which way trees will sway.
Environment Searching for Life in Greenland's Icy Interior December 29, 2007 • Greenland's interior is a solid sheet of ice — hundreds of miles of frozen terrain that is seemingly inhospitable for life. But it's not as lifeless as you might expect.
World African Ivory Headed for One-Time Auction December 29, 2007 • Sometime early next year, tons of African ivory will be sold at auction to Japan. Despite the international ban on the trade, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia will be allowed a one-time purge of their stockpiled ivory. Conservationists hope the sale won't reignite widespread demand for elephant tusks.
Culture New Space Promotes Intersection of Art, Science December 29, 2007 • A new creative space dedicated to experimental collaboration between artists and scientists opens in Paris. Le Laboratoire is the brainchild of Harvard bio-medical technology professor David Edwards. Besides teaching, Edwards writes fiction and works in theater.
Environment Documenting Wildlife Across the Globe December 28, 2007 • Three world explorers — a photographer, an acoustician and a scientist — talk about documenting wildlife in the most remote places on Earth. We'll track jaguars through the jungles of Belize, scope out rare mountain goats in India, and eavesdrop on barking baboons in Zimbabwe.
Space Asteroid May Cross Path of Red Planet December 28, 2007 • NASA astronomers are monitoring a 164-foot wide asteroid that is headed in the direction of Mars at about 28,000 miles per hour. Scientists say that the space rock has a 1-in-75 chance of colliding with the Red Planet.
Diversions History's Strangest Science Experiments December 28, 2007 • Guests discuss some of science's most unusual research and what it's like to be a human "lab rat." We'll hear from one woman who was blindfolded for five days in the name of science, and another participant who spent 84 days lying in bed.
Space South Pole Telescope Scans the Skies December 28, 2007 • Physicists are using the largest telescope in Antarctica to probe the farthest edges of the universe. South Pole Telescope scientists discuss their 280-ton scope, what they hope it will show them — and what it's like to live and work on the southernmost continent.
Research News Stem Cell Debate Still Thorny Despite Progress December 28, 2007 • Scientists say they've found a way to create cells that act like embryonic stem cells without using human embryos. That could sidestep a big political and moral debate. Yet some scientists say, not so fast.
Signs Global Warming Jeopardizes Norway's Fish Farms December 27, 2007 • Fish farms, one of Norway's biggest moneymakers, are fast becoming vulnerable because of climate change. The farther north you go, the easier it is to see signs of melting sea ice or stranded polar bears, and northern countries such as Norway fear their economies will suffer.