Bob CollinsA video of ants and an iPhone reminds us why we like the sciences so very much. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Science
That’s the problem with traffic — humans doing stupid human things — that has, apparently, befuddled the smart people trying to build a transportation system that cuts them out of the equation. Read more →
We can add this new video from NASA to our video collection of things being smashed.
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MPR’s Dan Gunderson today has a neat story about bears in Minnesota not being happy when drones appear.
Their heart rate spiked until the drones left, proving that the bears are stressed out about drones.
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James Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, left, and Fred Haise, an astronaut on the mission, acknowledge applause at a reunion of the mission in Oshkosh, Wis. At right is flight director Milt Windler. (Photo: Bob Collins/MPR News) America has a love affair with one of its most spectacular failures — the aborted moon mission of Read more →
We suppose it’s fitting that on this anniversary of the first landing on the moon by a human, we have the first picture of earth from the deep space observatory. Read more →
It wasn’t an accident that NASA gave Facebook-owned Instagram a head start for the image of Pluto, obtained this morning by the New Horizons spacecraft. NASA wants to appeal to a new generation. The old generation hasn’t done much in the interest of space exploration. Read more →
A University of Minnesota professor is among those considering what will happen when we cede control over the car to a robot. If actually steering the car is one cure for motion sickness, what happens when cars no longer need to be steered? Read more →
If you can stay up until close to midnight tonight, you’ll get to tell your grandchildren about the time you stayed up until midnight for no good reason.
At 11:59:59, the world will add one second to time. Read more →
For the last few years, David Thorpe has wondered why some men ‘sound gay.’ I began asking people for their thoughts on the subject, and received a surprising range of answers. Read more →
A study by a group of scientists says the sixth great extinction on earth is already underway.
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Perhaps you’ve seen these satellite images of North Dakota in which the Bakken Oil Patch is illuminated by all of the gas flares from the wells. They’re misleading, University of North Dakota researchers say. Read more →
Nobel recipient Tim Hunt has failed again to solve one of life’s enduring mysteries: how can some smart people be so utterly stupid? Read more →
A good screaming match is great for ratings. If intellectual curiosity gets slaughtered in the process, so be it. Read more →
The first U.S. woman in space is honored with today’s Google Doodle, the creator of which provides a pretty neat behind-the-scenes story.
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