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January 17, 2013 Some of the most beloved nature writers of all time, Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, are helping scientists learn how global warming will affect spring. Using historical records, the scientists are able to predict when flowers will bloom during especially hot years.

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January 17, 2013 Prawns will rub themselves when dabbed with acid. And hermit crabs show stress-related behavior after getting shocked out of their shells. Now scientists find that British shore crabs can learn to avoid an electric shock — a key sign that crustaceans really do experience pain.

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January 16, 2013 Land that isn't in good enough condition to grow crops could be used to produce substantial amounts of liquid biofuels, a new study claims. But there are many concerns about the study, and about the future of advanced biofuels in the U.S. and abroad.

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January 16, 2013 If you are up in space looking down on America west of the Mississippi, one of the brightest patches of light at night is on the Great Plains in North Dakota. It's not a city, not a town, not a military installation. What is it?

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January 15, 2013 Pollution around Beijing has been stifling for the past few days. NASA has released a pair of satellite images, showing the extent of the smog from space and how the air has changed in the past couple weeks.

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January 13, 2013 Dorothy Wrinch was the first woman to ever receive a doctorate in science from Oxford University, and she was the first person to design a protein structure. But her name is largely unknown. I Died for Beauty, a biography of Wrinch by Marjorie Senechal, tells her story.

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January 13, 2013 For thousands of years, sailors have told stories of giant squids. In myth and cinema, the kraken was the most terrible of sea monsters. Now, it's been captured — on a soon-to-be-seen video.

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January 12, 2013 Record heat and relatively dry winters have created a historic drought in the U.S., but the ripple effects extend beyond the farmland and ranches. Low crop yields are driving up food prices, and dry conditions are causing forest fires and water main breaks. The costs are high, and it's still unclear if we'll see the end of it in 2013.

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January 12, 2013 It's hard, during flu season, to avoid inhaling a virus or two (or three, or 10,000), but that doesn't mean they're going to take you over. You have an army of defenders in you, ready to take them on.

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January 11, 2013 A Georgia utility's announcement that it will shutter coal-powered generators in the coming years is part of a national trend of shifting to natural gas. One key factor is low gas prices, fueled by a boom in shale gas production.

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January 11, 2013 We know we need to eat more whole grains like whole-wheat bread, but white bread crust gives off chemicals that smell better to most of us. To combat this, manufacturers add sugar to whole-wheat foods, but this can make them less healthy.

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