Science News

May 7, 2009

Lost's Nuclear Burial Leaves Room for Leaks

The penultimate episode before Lost's fifth season finale was chock full of action, but a little light on the science. However, it did reveal that the hydrogen bomb that's going to save the island is stored directly under the Dharma village....
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May 6, 2009

Fringe takes on Spontaneous Human Combustion, Gets Burned

Things get hot—literally—in the latest Fringe episode, "The Road Not Taken." PM talked to Yale neurologist, Dr. Steven Novella, about the phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion to separate the facts of the from the fiction....
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May 1, 2009

Faraday's Physics on Lost Stray from Science Towards Spiritual World

Lost's landmark 100th episode focused on an aspect of time travel that we've already discussed a few times before: free will. To straighten things out, we once again turned to time-travel expert and Lost fan, Richard Muller....
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April 29, 2009

Fringe Takes on Spinal Fluid: The Science Misses the Mark

Peter Bishop might only be able to handle one mad scientist, but in Fringe episode 18, "Midnight," we got two. Dr. Nicholas Boone joins Walter Bishop in his Harvard lab to help find his wife who's been turned into a spinal fluid–drinking monster....
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April 23, 2009

Picturing Climate Change—and Understanding It: Book Review

Climate Change: Picturing the Science, edited by PM editorial advisor Gavin A. Schmidt and photographer Joshua Wolfe, is the first book anyone seeking a layman's understanding of the science of global warming should read....
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April 22, 2009

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Fringe's Parapsychology and Sleep Science are Slim on Facts

In "Bad Dreams," FBI agent Olivia Dunham visits crime scenes in her dreams as the crimes are occurring. Walter Bishop realizes she is psychically connected to the killer, allowing her to experience the murders as they happen....
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April 17, 2009

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(Photograph by Ben Baker)

FIRST Robotics Competition 2009 World Championship: PM Reports on the Winning Team from the Georgia Dome

More than 10,500 students are attending this year's FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship. This year, robots compete while traversing a surface meant to mimic the moon's low gravity....
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April 16, 2009

Lost's Death-by-Filling Not Possible, According to Experts

On Lost, a Dharma worker meets his untimely demise when the island's electromagnetic field rips the filling right out of his tooth and straight through his brain. But is this even possible? PM consults the experts to find out....
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April 9, 2009

Lost Channels Ancient Egyptian Legend to Explain Smoke Monster

The hieroglyphics in Smokey’s lair could hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the island. PM turned to James P. Allen, a Wilbour Professor of Egyptology and Chair of Egyptology and Ancient Western Asian Studies at Brown University....
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April 2, 2009

Lost's Take on Free Will Makes Sense to Physicists

We can always count on Hurley to say exactly what we're thinking. He came through once again in "Whatever Happened, Happened," when he asked what should be a simple question: Does Ben remember being shot by Sayid back in 1977?...
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Earlier Posts

• Mobil 1. The world’s leading synthetic motor oil.

• Mobil 1. The official motor oil of NASCAR.

2009 PM Car Makeover

Eco-Muscle
Almost everyone agrees that hybrid cars are the next big step on our way to an all-electric future. But what if we use two parallel powertrains, gas and electric, to drive a full size car? That way, we can offer the muscular V8 performance that buyers crave, yet still produce zero emissions around town.

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