Technology Can't Stand 2008 For One More Second? Too Bad December 31, 2008 • The official timekeeper of the U.S. will add a "leap second" to the clock at the end of this year. The extra second realigns precise atomic clocks with a time standard linked to the Earth's rotation. It will be the 24th added since 1972.
Environment Tennessee Spill: The Exxon Valdez Of Coal Ash? December 31, 2008 • There aren't a lot of answers yet about what caused a catastrophic spill of coal ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority plant near Knoxville. But the disaster has raised a lot of questions about whether regulations of coal ash are strict enough.
Space Columbia Report Aims To Make Space Missions Safer December 30, 2008 • NASA released a study Tuesday about the Columbia space shuttle accident that will help the space agency design better systems to protect astronauts. None of the lessons learned could have saved the crew in February 2003, however.
Environment Man Refused To Throw Anything Away For A Year December 30, 2008 • We visit Dave Chameides' to see whether he was able to keep his year-long pledge. How on earth did he manage to store 365 days worth of trash in his basement?
Science Out Of The Box Why Clothes Shrink December 27, 2008 • Your mother spent weeks knitting that new Christmas sweater, only for you to throw it into the wash and ruin it. What is it that turns your new duds into shrunken chic?
Music Never Too Late To Learn An Instrument December 27, 2008 • Taking up an instrument for the first time can be daunting for adults because of hectic schedules and the wiring of the brain.
Environment Beyond Ethanol: Alternative Energy Strategies December 27, 2008 • Creating ethanol from corn is less energy efficient than other possible sources, like switchgrass and other "woody" plants. And ethanol is just one part of the alternative-energy mix, which also includes wind power and fuel cells, Ira Flatow says in a new book.
Essay Getting To The Root Of The Great Cilantro Divide December 26, 2008 • Some people find the herb cilantro so odious that they believe it should be wiped off the planet. But is it the taste or the smell? One cilantro hater goes in search of the truth.
Environment Birdsongs From The Arctic To The Southern Swamps December 26, 2008 • The pop-up book Birdscapes catalogues the calls of birds from all over the world, from Yellow-billed Loons on remote Arctic lakes to King Rails in southern swamps. Author Miyoko Chu of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology tells the stories behind how these bird songs were collected.
Environment Shade-Grown Coffee Not Just For The Birds December 26, 2008 • Shade-grown coffee is sometimes called "bird friendly coffee," but a new paper in the journal Current Biology suggests that the plantations also help maintain the genetic diversity of native tree species. Study author Shalene Jha discusses the research and its implications.
Environment Audubon's Annual Christmas Bird Count December 26, 2008 • Get out those binoculars and notepads. For the 109th year, birders throughout the Americas are navigating tropical forests and crunching through snowy meadows to tally up birds. Count director Geoff LeBaron and Cornell ornithologist John Fitzpatrick discuss the annual event.
Economy Green Industry In Need Of Trained Workers December 25, 2008 • President-elect Barack Obama wants to create five million new green jobs in just 10 years. One of the most promising fronts in the green economy is solar energy. What will the future solar workforce look like? And do the prospects look promising enough for people to make the leap?
Diversions Slate Answers Your Leftover Questions December 24, 2008 • Why do cockroaches flip over when they die and who decided that it's unacceptable to wear a shirt two days in a row? These are just some of the questions sitting in Dan Engber's inbox right now. At the end of the year, his column, The Explainer, allows readers to vote on which questions they want answered.
Echoes of 1968 40 Years Later, Apollo 8 Moon Mission Still Awes December 24, 2008 • On Christmas Eve 1968, people around the globe watched a live broadcast from Apollo 8 of the first humans ever to orbit the moon. The mission altered the way earthlings saw themselves and their world.
National The Psychological Benefits Of Gifting December 23, 2008 • To give or not to give — that is the question. With the economy in trouble, you might feel guilty about spending money on presents this month. Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, says that you shouldn't.