Special Reports

		Jellyfish Gone Wild: Jellyfish Blooms and Environmental Change   Massive jellyfish blooms have recently overrun some world-class fisheries and tourist destinations--even transforming large swaths of them into veritable jellytoriums. This report--guaranteed to make your skin crawl--explains the basics of jellyfish biology and summarizes what we know about the causes and future of jellyfish blooms. Date Updated: September 16, 2008
		Archaeology From Reel to Real No one expects the "reel" world of Indiana Jones to resemble the real world of science, but NSF-supported archaeologists really do discover "lost cities," try to figure how "lost civilizations" disappeared and learn about Ancient Egypt from its graves and their skeletons. Date Updated: May 21, 2008
		NSF and the Birth of the Internet The Internet is now a part of modern life, but how was it created? Learn how the technology behind the Internet was created and how NSFNET, a network created to help university researchers in the 1980s, grew to become the Internet we know today. NAGC Winner Date Updated: April 29, 2008
		X-treme Microbes They're called 'extremophiles' because they're able to live in shocking extremes of cold, heat, pressure, acidity and more. Research on these strange organisms is redefining the limits of life on Earth and, perhaps, on other worlds. NAGC Winner Date Updated: April 29, 2008
		Predicting Seasonal Weather Large-scale weather patterns play a large role in controlling seasonal weather. Knowing the conditions of these atmospheric oscillations in advance would greatly improve long-range weather predictions. Date Updated: February 1, 2008
		William T. Golden Appreciation Although he never worked as a scientist and didn't receive his master's degree in biology until age 70, William T. Golden was one of the most influential figures in post-World War II American science. Date Updated: November 15, 2007
		Nobel Prizes--The NSF Connection When a scientist who has received federal funding is awarded the Nobel prize, the public can share both the pride and the research benefits. Some 175 laureates have been supported by the public through NSF. Date Updated: October 10, 2007
		Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge Visuals can communicate research results and scientific phenomena in ways that words cannot. That's why NSF cosponsors this international contest to recognize outstanding achievements in this area. Date Updated: September 27, 2007
		U.S. South Pole Station In the most forbidding environment on Earth, NSF has created a uniquely designed high-tech haven to support research and to house the scientists and others who keep the effort going year-round. NAGC Winner Date Updated: March 15, 2007
		Language and Linguistics Common to all humans, language is nonetheless complex. How do languages develop and change? What happens when one is lost? What about sign languages? Linguists explore these questions and more. Date Updated: March 13, 2007
		The Liberty Bell: Protecting an American Icon When the Liberty Bell took a journey to its new home, 21st century sensor technology helped ensure a safe move for this symbol of American history, preserving the bell and its legendary crack. Date Updated: February 8, 2007
		Ecology of Infectious Diseases West Nile virus. Hantavirus. Lyme disease. Infectious diseases are spreading in animals and humans. Is our interaction with the environment somehow responsible? Date Updated: October 30, 2006
		Robotics Robots have long captured the human imagination, yet despite many advances, robots have yet to reach the potential so often envisioned in science fiction. Date Updated: October 25, 2006
		The Secret Lives of Wild Animals Modern technologies like global tracking systems and ultraminiaturized sensors now provide researchers with intimate glimpses of rarely seen behaviors of wild animals. NAGC Winner Date Updated: September 25, 2006
		Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation More than 75 million Americans live in areas at risk for earthquake or tsunami devastation. This network links researchers working to design structures and materials that better withstand the forces of nature. Date Updated: August 14, 2006
		Disasters--A Series Whether caused by nature or by humans, disasters are a costly threat. Scientists are working to anticipate and minimize their worst effects. Date Updated: August 7, 2006
		Cyberinfrastructure Cyberinfrastructure is poised to revolutionize many science and engineering disciplines. Individual researchers will have the power of the world's highest-performance digital resources at their disposal. Date Updated: June 28, 2006
		Aviation Opens Antarctica Adm. Richard Byrd's historic flight to the South Pole in 1929 helped open the Frozen Continent. The history of aviation and the history of Antarctic science and exploration are inextricably entwined. Date Updated: June 5, 2006
		Seafloor Science On the seafloor--where no sunlight reaches and pressure is extreme--tectonic plates slowly shift, chimneys spew hot liquid "smoke," and exotic life forms thrive. Join the VISIONS '05 expedition to see more. Date Updated: March 20, 2006
		Surveys: Tracking Opinion Human behavior is one of the most important yet ill-understood areas of scientific inquiry. Surveys are the scientific instruments that help us understand ourselves and our society. Date Updated: March 17, 2006
		After the Tsunami Within days of the massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean in late 2004, teams of researchers rushed to survey the disaster, hoping to learn how such loss of lives, property and ecosystems could be prevented. Date Updated: October 7, 2005
		Arctic Climate Research The complex factors that influence climate change demand a multifaceted approach--from ships at sea to snowmobiles in Alaska--to study the process. Date Updated: October 7, 2005
		Digging Dinosaurs Spotting fossil remains is only the first step in accurately recreating a creature that has been dead for many millions of years. Date Updated: October 7, 2005
		Life Science Frontiers Biological organisms mesh with the surrounding environment to form vibrant, thriving communities. Scientists from diverse backgrounds are examining this complicated weave of life. Date Updated: October 7, 2005
		World Year of Physics 2005 Just a century ago, an unknown patent clerk named Albert Einstein gave us a whole new way to think about light, matter, energy, space and time. Learn what he did in 1905--and all that came of it. Date Updated: August 3, 2005
		The Sensor Revolution In the 1980s, it was the PC revolution; in the 1990s, the Internet revolution. And now, it's the Sensor revolution--introducing the world's first electronic nervous system. Date Updated: July 21, 2005
		Teacher Institutes By putting teachers back into an intense learning and leadership environment, the National Science Foundation seeks to improve the mathematics and science education of the nation's youth. Date Updated: July 20, 2005
		The Chemistry of Water Water is very familiar, but it is hardly ordinary. Scientists still have much to learn about this remarkable and versatile substance. Date Updated: June 10, 2005