Philly.com: Science News

Share a health story about your Dad for Father's Day

Philly's glass-clad buildings killing birds - 05/22/2012
Undeterred and still eating their catch - 05/20/2012
Scrolls come to The Franklin - 05/09/2012
Want to cut your carbon footprint? Here’s how - 05/14/2012
A priceless window into history - 05/14/2012

The new Ocean City bridge stretches more than two miles from Somers Point on the mainland to the barrier island of Ocean City and is able to accommodate 40,000 cars a day. (CHERYL SHUGARS/Staff Photographer)

BLOGS

Planet of the Apes

Older people do smell different, researchers say

When psychologist Johan Lundstrom decided to test whether there really was an “old people smell” he got good news and bad news.

Planet of the Apes: The Latest in the Altruism War: Richard Dawkins vs. E.O. Wilson

Heat a life-saver?

Erstwhile hot spell could yield health benefits later on.

Weather or Not: Record warm night

Back home: 2,512 miles south

I got back into Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon and in checking my GPS unit I could see that we had moved 2,512 miles from our camp on Devon Island. The GPS indicated that the bearing that I could follow to get back to that camp was 353 degrees, almost due north! What a difference those 2,512 miles makes - from a barren, unexplored corner of a huge uninhabited island, to the well-engineered and comfortable surroundings of home. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to experience both.

Sandy Bauers

Plan to green school yards and rec centers announced

Philly and a national conservation group aim to transform 10 school yards and rec centers, starting this spring.

Injured eagle flies to freedom: Nearly three weeks ago, a young bald eagle was discovered on its back in a pool of blood in a Broomall parking lot. On Monday, after much care — cue the Rocky music — the eagle flew.
Mayan hype: it's not the end of the world: The world likely will survive beyond Dec. 12, but the Mayans definitely had advanced ideas on time.
Accidental shortness: Scientists who study human evolution have long puzzled over why African Pygmies are so short. Many biologists have assumed there must be some direct evolutionary advantage to their short stature — perhaps that they better maneuvered through the forest or they survived on less food.
Three hatchlings in Franklin Institute hawk nest: The red-tailed hawks that for several years have inhabited a nest on a third-floor window ledge of the Franklin Institute now have three young cuties in the nest.
There's big energy to be saved in the laundry room: Good thing my clothes can’t feel anything or talk. If they could, they’d surely berate me. I used to bathe them in nice warm water. These days, they’re thrashing about in cold.
The twisted world of computer CAPTCHAs: If you use the Web, you have probably encountered CAPTCHA - squished-up collections of letters to decipher before you can post a comment or buy a ticket. Here's a look into this annoying invention.
Science award winners show their stuff to high schoolers: The week is crammed with carefully orchestrated events for the 2012 winners of the Franklin Institute awards in science and engineering, including academic lectures, luncheons and a black-tie dinner. Tuesday morning, however, was time for some scientific uncertainty: exposure to high school students.