Reuters: Science News

SpaceX aborts rocket engine test

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:06:30 -0500

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies aborted a test firing of its Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday, in what was to be a key milestone in its quest to fly cargo -- and eventually astronauts -- to the International Space Station.

Big Bang experiment may reveal dark universe: CERN

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:59:15 -0500

GENEVA (Reuters) - Dark matter, which scientists believe makes up 25 percent of the universe but whose existence has never been proven, could be detected by the giant particle collider at CERN, the research center's head said Monday.

Obama to push White House vision for NASA in April

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:50:26 -0500

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will outline his administration's vision for space agency NASA and an eventual trip to Mars during a conference in Florida in April, the White House said on Sunday.

Scientists say UK risks losing innovation edge

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:31:52 -0500

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain risks decades of slow economic decline unless it invests heavily in research, which at the moment is one of the country's few genuine areas of economic competitive advantage, leading scientists said on Tuesday.

Scientists find why "sunshine" vitamin D is crucial

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:50:16 -0500

LONDON (Reuters) - Vitamin D is vital in activating human defences and low levels suffered by around half the world's population may mean their immune systems' killer T cells are poor at fighting infection, scientists said on Sunday.

It's official: An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:16:23 -0500

LONDON (Reuters) - A giant asteroid smashing into Earth is the only plausible explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs, a global scientific team said on Thursday, hoping to settle a row that has divided experts for decades.

Glacier melting a key clue to tracking climate change

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:18:25 -0500

SINGAPORE/ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - The world has become far too hot for the aptly named Exit Glacier in Alaska.

Methane bubbles in Arctic seas stir warming fears

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:26:34 -0500

OSLO (Reuters) - Large amounts of a powerful greenhouse gas are bubbling up from a long-frozen seabed north of Siberia, raising fears of far bigger leaks that could stoke global warming, scientists said.

Virgin Galactic sees space test flights in 2011

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:07:08 -0500

DUBAI (Reuters) - Virgin Galactic is aiming to launch test flights into space in 2011, but does not need additional financing after selling a stake to Abu Dhabi's Abaar last year, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Russia halts space tours as U.S. retires Shuttle

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:18:19 -0500

STAR CITY, Russia (Reuters) - Russia announced a halt to space tourism on Wednesday, saying it would struggle to ferry professional crews to the International Space Station after the U.S. mothballs its shuttle fleet this year.