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Space

Rocket Explosion Comes At A Tough Time For NASA

Investigators spent the day at a NASA launch facility in Virginia trying to understand why a private cargo rocket exploded moments after liftoff. There were no injuries but the accident is a setback for the company, Orbital Sciences, and NASA. NASA is relying on private contractors to help ferry supplies to the International Space Station. The accident also changed the discussions happening at an annual space convention being held this week in Huntsville, Ala.

Farms outside Baghdad as seen from a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter. Much of Iraq's soil has a high salt content because of flooding and poor drainage.

Farms outside Baghdad as seen from a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter. Much of Iraq's soil has a high salt content because of flooding and poor drainage. Jim Gordon/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Flickr hide caption

itoggle caption Jim Gordon/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Flickr

The Salt

Who Should Pay To Fix The World's Salt-Damaged Soils?

The area of land no longer suitable for farming because of salt degradation is rising quickly. Scientists argue the private sector should help fund efforts to reverse it since it relies on the crops.

Magnified 25,000 times, this digitally colorized scanning electron micrograph shows Ebola virus particles (green) budding from an infected cell (blue).

Magnified 25,000 times, this digitally colorized scanning electron micrograph shows Ebola virus particles (green) budding from an infected cell (blue). CDC/NIAD hide caption

itoggle caption CDC/NIAD

Shots - Health News

Blood Test For Ebola Doesn't Catch Infection Early

A highly sensitive blood test for Ebola exists, so why isn't it being used to test all returning health workers from West Africa? Because the virus isn't in the blood in the first stages of infection.

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Caltech biochemical engineer Frances Arnold was awarded a National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama in 2013.

Caltech biochemical engineer Frances Arnold was awarded a National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama in 2013. Jason Reed/Reuters/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Jason Reed/Reuters/Landov

Shots - Health News

Is 'Leaning In' The Only Formula For Women's Success In Science?

A science superstar at Caltech advises young women to not wait for encouragement to succeed. Just go do it, she says. But her admiring students say that approach doesn't work for everybody.

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After a hard day of bruising battle, ancient gladiators reached for a post-workout drink, according to an ancient account. New research backs that up.

After a hard day of bruising battle, ancient gladiators reached for a post-workout drink, according to an ancient account. New research backs that up. Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis hide caption

itoggle caption Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis

The Salt

Gladiator Gatorade? Ancient Athletes Had A Recovery Drink, Too

Gladiators guzzled a drink made from plant ash to help their bodies recover after a hard day of sword fighting, according to Roman accounts. New tests of old bones back up that idea.

Patients with certain kinds of brain damage can wind up with locked-in syndrome: they may be able to think just fine, but are unable to communicate their thoughts to others. A recently published case study shows that a non-invasive brain-computer interface can help.

Patients with certain kinds of brain damage can wind up with locked-in syndrome: they may be able to think just fine, but are unable to communicate their thoughts to others. A recently published case study shows that a non-invasive brain-computer interface can help. iStockphoto hide caption

itoggle caption iStockphoto

Research News

From Brain To Computer: Helping 'Locked-In' Patient Get His Thoughts Out

"When I first saw him he had a little bit of eye movement and that was really the only way he could communicate," says Eric Sellers, who helped a patient use a brain-computer interface to communicate.

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Google vice president Alan Eustace is lifted by a balloon into the stratosphere, in a record-breaking skydive over New Mexico Friday.

Google vice president Alan Eustace is lifted by a balloon into the stratosphere, in a record-breaking skydive over New Mexico Friday. Paragon Space Development Corporation/Reuters /Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Paragon Space Development Corporation/Reuters /Landov

The Two-Way

'Near-Space Dive' Sets New Skydive Record, 25 Miles Above Earth

Google's Alan Eustace fell from an altitude of more than 135,000 feet, plummeting for some 15 minutes. The jump broke the record of 127,852 feet that Felix Baumgartner set in 2012.