Catherine Griffin : Science World Report

Oct 30, 2014 07:32 AM EDT

Supersonic Laser-Propelled Spacecraft Could Allow Astronauts to Explore the Universe

Can you imagine flying through space with a laser-powered rocket? It seems like something more about of science fiction than reality, right? Yet a new method for improving the thrust generated by laser-propulsion systems could bring laser-powered rockets closer to reality.

Oct 30, 2014 07:12 AM EDT

How a Gassy Inner Disk Discovered in Binary Star System Forms Planets

Scientists are learning a bit more about how planets form. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), they've detected a streamer of dust and gas flowing from a massive outer disk toward the inner reaches of a binary star system.

Oct 29, 2014 01:37 PM EDT

New Material Converts 90 Percent of Captured Light into Heat

Scientists may have made a breakthrough when it comes to absorbing and converting heat.

Oct 29, 2014 01:00 PM EDT

Baby Birds May Struggle to Survive with Noise Pollution

It turns out that nestlings, baby birds, could be suffering from noisy environments. Because nestlings depend on their parents for both food and protection, vocal communication is key-something that could be drowned out if the surroundings are too loud.

Oct 29, 2014 12:31 PM EDT

How a Robot Makes Up Its Mind: New Visualization System for Navigation

How does a robot make a decision? It's all based on its programming, but understanding what goes into this decision-making process is important for future system designs.

Oct 29, 2014 11:44 AM EDT

Binge Drinking May Change Teen Brains and Persist into Adulthood

Heavy drinking as a teen may change a person's brain. Scientists have found that drinking during adolescence caused structural changes in the brain and memory deficits that persisted into adulthood in rats.

Oct 29, 2014 11:05 AM EDT

The World's Farmers are Loosing 2,000 Hectares of Soil Daily Due to Salt

Scientists have found that every day for more than 20 years, an average of 2,000 hectares of irrigated land in arid and semi-arid areas across 75 countries have been degraded by salt.

Oct 29, 2014 10:22 AM EDT

Why These Parasitic Butterflies 'Talk' Like Ants

It turns out that ants aren't the only insects that inhabit their own nests. Scientists have found how a species of butterfly manages to infiltrate ant nests and spends most of its life there as an unwanted guest.

Oct 29, 2014 09:47 AM EDT

Wave Function of an Electron is Divided and Trapped Within Bubbles

Could the wave function of an electron be divided? That may just be the case. While electrons are elementary particles, which means that they are essentially unbreakable, scientists have found that the electron's quantum state can be separated into many parts.

Oct 29, 2014 09:02 AM EDT

Prehistoric Artwork May Have been Inspired by 'Supernatural' Sound Waves in Caves

Scientists have taken a closer look at prehistoric pieces of art and have found that they may have been inspired by the behaviors of sound waves behind misinterpreted as "supernatural."

Oct 29, 2014 08:00 AM EDT

Zebra Finches Use Their Brains and Specialized Song System to Communicate Socially

Scientists have taken a closer look at zebra finches and have found that the song control system in the brain is active during simple communication calls, revealing a bit more about the relationship between unlearned calls and an area of the brain responsible for learned vocalizations.

Oct 29, 2014 07:31 AM EDT

Giant Tortoises in the Galapagos are Recovering After Near-Extinction

Scientists have announced that giant tortoises are a true success story and have rebounded 40 years after the first captive-bred tortoises were reintroduced on the Galapagos.