Science and Society

The Latest Developments in Science and Technology

Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.

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Darwin's Cause


Charles Darwin's 200th birthday is Feb. 12, and he is still controversial. A new book, "Darwin's Sacred Cause," just published by two British science historians, argues that the "source of the moral fire" of Darwin's quest to understand human origins...

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January 30, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (21)

Spirit Phone Home


It is spring at Gusev Crater on Mars, which would be good news for NASA's Spirit Rover--except that Spirit, moving around after a long, hard winter, seems sporadically to have lost its mind. Last Sunday, NASA says, the rover sent...

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January 29, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (29)

The Big Picture


Take a look at this panorama of Barack Obama's inaugural address last week -- but don't linger on our little thumbnail version for long. Instead, take a look at the picture HERE. (I hope, though, that you'll read first, so...

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January 28, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (14)

The Downward March of the Penguins


The emperor penguins are the kings of the cold. But a new study says they could be wiped out by warmth by century’s end. You may remember them as movie stars -- from “March of the Penguins,” the 2005 documentary,...

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January 26, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (17)

Bad News for Multimillionaires


Roscosmos, the Russian space Agency, has let it be known it will stop launching space tourists after this spring. The International Space Station will soon have enough equipment and power to support a crew of six instead of three, and...

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January 21, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

Spring Forward


It seems counterintuitive to publish studies about climate change on the day after an inauguration that took place in 28-degree weather, but there are two being released today in Nature. First, there's news from Antarctica that you may either find...

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January 21, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (11)

A Meeting of Skeptical Minds


In March, the Heartland Institute, which which says its "mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems," will hold its second annual International Conference on Climate Change in New York. Speakers there, says the...

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January 19, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (39)

2008 Coolest Year Since 2000, But Global Temps Still Expected to Rise


ABC's Clayton Sandell reports: NASA climate scientists released a new analysis today showing 2008 was the coolest year on record since 2000, but warned a new high temperature record could be broken in the next couple of years. “Eurasia, the...

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January 14, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (40)

Want to Get Rich? Look at Your Hands


What makes for a financial whiz? It's all in the wrist. Or, actually, the fingers. Read on. A team at the University of Cambridge in England reports that the most successful stock traders at a London brokerage firm they studied...

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January 12, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (11)

Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control....


John Podesta, co-chair of Barack Obama's Presidential Transition Team, has sent a letter to the chairs and ranking Republicans on the appropriate House and Senate committees, urging that the transition to digital TV be delayed. The shortage of funds for...

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January 8, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (20)

 

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