Science News

Some floated here on boats. Others flew. Still others arrived on the sole of a dirty boot. Many were invited, but some arrived unannounced. At this point, however, no one really cares how so-called alien species like the ash borer and the zebra mussel got here. Scientists are more focused on how to get rid of these pests. [More]

Consider the classic hypothetical: Your house is on fire, and you can rescue only three things before the structure is engulfed in flames. What would you take? Laptops and external hard drives aside, people’s responses to this question differ wildly--from a hand-scrawled love note to a valuable coin collection or even a threadbare T-shirt that anyone else would consider worthless.

The tendency to consider commonplace objects worthy of reverence and protection--to treat rookie cards like rosaries--is a universal human experience. Such powerful emotions are not rooted in any specific faith or belief system; nevertheless, they have a spiritual quality--and many psychologists use the term “sacred” to describe objects toward which people proclaim an unbounded or infinite commitment.

When residents of Santa Rosa flip a wall switch, they can take a little credit for the lights that come on. In this California city, yesterday’s toilet flush is today’s electricity.

Santa Rosa and Calpine Corporation, an wenergy company, are partners in the world’s largest geothermal wastewater-to-power project. They are using urban effluent to generate clean energy, improving life not only for humans but also for fish. For the city, the partnership has eliminated fines it was paying for dumping wastewater into the Russian River and the $400-million expense of building new wastewater storage facilities. For Calpine, the arrangement has revived geothermal steam fields that were declining from overuse.

LINDAU, Germany--An astronomer once told me about how he was often miserable growing up as the picked-on nerd. Nobody, he said, had ever told him the big secret: that if you stick with science, you win. You will have a fascinating career, meet and collaborate with intelligent and passionate people, and even get to travel to do it. I thought of him during the opening ceremonies here for the 60th annual Nobel Laureate Meeting at Lindau , Germany. For the special anniversary, the multidisciplinary meeting draws together 62 laureates and more than 675 young scientists from 70 countries for a week of lectures, inspiration and sharing ideas.

You might be surprised if you knew just how many scientists out there play in rock bands. When the sun goes down, garages, basements and living rooms throughout the land are filled with guys and gals who have shed their lab coats and strapped on their guitars. [More]

By Leigh Coleman and Guy Faulconbridge

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss./TORONTO (Reuters) - Thick oil from BP Plc's Gulf of Mexico spill washed ashore in Mississippi for the first time on Sunday while Russia's president suggested a special levy on oil companies to bankroll a fund to help clean up environmental disasters like this one.