http://www.boston.com/news/science en-us 2009-11-21T09:18:23Z http://www.boston.com/ http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/bcom_logo_140w.gif http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/21/astronauts_gear_up_for_2nd_spacewalk_of_mission?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news An astronaut is gearing up for the first spacewalk of his career while awaiting the imminent birth of his daughter. Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer 2009-11-21T08:21:28Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/21/bangladeshi_mom_want_twins_to_stay_in_australia?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news The mother who gave up conjoined Bangladeshi newborn twins for adoption said Saturday she is overjoyed the toddlers have been successfully separated and wants them to grow up in Australia. Julhas Alam, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-21T07:11:31Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/21/europe_proton_beams_circulate_in_big_bang_machine?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Scientists switched on the world's largest atom smasher for the first time since the $10 billion machine suffered a spectacular failure more than a year ago, circulating beams of protons in a significant leap forward for the Large Hadron Collider. Alexander G. Higgins, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-21T06:31:53Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/21/researchers_says_shes_proved_authenticity_of_shroud_of_turin?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, saying that faint writing on the linen proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus. Ariel David, Associated Press 2009-11-21T06:03:32Z world http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/21/scientists_beam_about_colliders_restart?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Scientists switched on the world’s largest atom smasher last night for the first time since the $10 billion machine suffered a spectacular failure more than a year ago. Associated Press 2009-11-21T05:59:52Z world http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/beams_of_protons_circulate_in_big_bang_machine?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Scientists switched on the world's largest atom smasher Friday night for the first time since the $10 billion machine suffered a spectacular failure more than a year ago. Alexander G. Higgins, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T22:23:10Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/asian_carp_may_have_breached_electronic_barrier?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Federal officials say Asian carp may have breached an electronic barrier designed to prevent the giant invaders from upsetting the ecosystem in the Great Lakes and jeopardizing a $7 billion sport fishery John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer 2009-11-20T22:11:49Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/new_moon_midnight_showings_earn_record_263_mil?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has set a box-office record for midnight screenings. Summit Entertainment estimated Friday that it earned $26.3 million after opening early in the morning. 2009-11-20T19:36:00Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/22/what_does_it_take_to_save_a_species_sometimes_high_voltage_power_wires?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news FOR DECADES, NOBODY in the US had seen the bee. The silver-haired black Epeoloides pilosula was once widespread in New England, often found where native yellow loosestrife plants grew. But as the region’s pastoral landscapes gave way to forests, the bee lost its sunny open home. In 1927 it was spotted in a Needham meadow and then, despite years of ... Beth Daley, Globe Staff 2009-11-20T19:25:51Z focus http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/u_of_neb_board_mulls_new_stem_cell_restrictions?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted not to place tighter restrictions on embryonic stem cell research than those outlined under federal guidelines, which were expanded after President Barack Obama took office. Margery A. Beck, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T17:23:18Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/22/the__maybe_baby_dilemma?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news What to do with unused embryos, a byproduct of a booming fertility business, is a question patients are rarely prepared to deal with. They have several choices: finding a research program or fellow patient to accept a donation, discarding the extra embryos, or doing absolutely nothing. Alison Lobron 2009-11-20T16:32:15Z mag http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/cosmonaut_says_russia_falling_behind_in_space_race?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Russia lacks a viable program for developing a new spacecraft and risks losing its place as a leader in space travel, a veteran Russian cosmonaut said in an interview published Friday. Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-20T15:01:39Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/ldk_solar_completes_sale_of_stake_in_chinese_plant?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news LDK Solar Co. Ltd., a Chinese maker of parts for solar cells, on Friday said it completed the sale of a 15 percent ownership stake in a polysilicon plant in China for about $219 million. 2009-11-20T13:21:15Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/ask_ap_shuttle_complexity_credit_union_agency?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A space shuttle is no tinker toy. But is it the most complex machine ever built? The Associated Press 2009-11-20T11:11:53Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/astronauts_get_extra_moving_time_at_space_station?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Atlantis' astronauts anxiously awaited word Friday on the birth of a crewman's daughter as they moved more supplies into the International Space Station and geared up for another spacewalk. Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer 2009-11-20T08:11:34Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/20/ancient_boar_like_crocodile_among_3_new_species_found?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news WASHINGTON - A 20-foot-long crocodile with three sets of fangs - like wild boar tusks - roamed parts of northern Africa millions of years ago, researchers reported yesterday. Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press 2009-11-20T04:04:52Z fan http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/solar_electric_system_put_in_service_in_west_tenn?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A solar design and installation company says it has put in service the largest solar electric system of its kind in the state. 2009-11-19T17:31:04Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/correction_vaccine_revolution_story?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news In a Nov. 18 story about the vaccine industry, The Associated Press misspelled the surname of a government official quoted in the story. The director of the federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is Robin Robinson, not Robertson. 2009-11-19T17:14:43Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/trina_solar_3q_profit_rise_25_pct_shares_jump?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Chinese solar power company Trina Solar Ltd. on Thursday said its third-quarter earnings climbed 25 percent to a record high and beat expectations, pushing its shares up in morning trading. 2009-11-19T16:00:58Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/3_new_ancient_crocodile_species_fossils_found?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A 20-foot-long crocodile with three sets of fangs -- like wild boar tusks -- roamed parts of northern Africa millions of years ago, researchers reported Thursday. Randolph E. Schmid, AP Science Writer 2009-11-19T15:42:09Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/astronauts_get_set_for_1st_spacewalk_of_mission?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A pair of spacewalking astronauts, one of them a surgeon, hustled through antenna and cable work outside the International Space Station on Thursday and even whipped off an extra chore. Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer 2009-11-19T08:11:49Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/1_conjoined_twin_talking_after_separation_surgery?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Formerly conjoined Bangladeshi twins separated this week in a marathon surgery will remain in the care of a humanitarian group for at least two years, the organization's CEO said Friday. 2009-11-19T05:51:48Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/19/dean_kamen_discusses_his_inventions_and_first_competition?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Dean Kamen is known as the brainiac who invented the Segway transporter, the iBOT all-terrain wheelchair, the first insulin pump, and countless other ground-breaking devices. He’s less famous for founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an annual robotics competition for students. A recent telephone chat with the New Hampshire inventor and entrepreneur suggests that Kamen’s passion ... Joan Anderman, Globe Staff 2009-11-18T16:39:03Z liv http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/china_to_participate_in_giant_hawaii_telescope?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Chinese astronomers have signed on to participate in the development of the world's largest telescope that will be built atop a Hawaii volcano, a group said Tuesday. Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press Writer 2009-11-18T15:45:58Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/twilight_stars_attend_charity_screening_in_tenn?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Actress Kristen Stewart wanted to make the right fashion statement when attending a screening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in Knoxville. 2009-11-18T14:11:50Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/ldk_solar_sells_stake_in_chinese_plant_for_219m?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news LDK Solar Co., a Chinese maker of parts for solar cells, said it has agreed to sell a 15 percent ownership stake in a polysilicon plant in China for about $219 million. 2009-11-18T13:20:59Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/un_fight_climate_change_with_free_condoms?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news The battle against global warming could be helped if the world slowed population growth by making free condoms and family planning advice more widely available, the U.N. Population Fund said Wednesday. Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer 2009-11-18T12:21:57Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/rare_crocs_found_hiding_in_plain_sight_in_cambodia?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Conservationists searching for one of the world's most endangered crocodile species say they have found dozens of the reptiles lounging in plain sight -- at a wildlife rescue center in Cambodia. Michael Casey, AP Environmental Writer 2009-11-18T08:51:53Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/shuttle_nears_space_station_docking_scheduled?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost running for another decade. Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer 2009-11-18T08:11:29Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/cloud_cover_blocks_meteor_showers_in_india_nepal?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Thousands of stargazers across Asia stayed awake overnight to catch a glimpse of what was advertised as an intense Leonid meteor shower, but the show fizzled rather than sizzled for many because of cloudy conditions. 2009-11-18T07:12:18Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/18/formerly_conjoined_twins_in_stable_condition?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news A Bangladeshi toddler separated this week from her conjoined twin sister was talking and behaving normally after being woken Thursday from a medically induced coma, the head of the surgery team said. 2009-11-18T06:51:46Z http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/16/ask_dr_knowledge_how_high_can_a_mountain_be_before_it_collapses?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news What is the highest a mountain could be before it would collapse? The highest mountain is Mount Everest in the Himalayas, at 29,035 feet. The 14 highest are all more than 26,000 feet, so one might guess that some number about this large might be some sort of upper limit. All mountains wear down, eroded by the elements, so one ... 2009-11-16T03:21:24Z eco http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/09/what_purpose_does_the_computer_power_cord_lump_serve?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news On many adapters, particularly the ones that power my home computer and laptop, there’s a “lump’’ in the cord close to the end that supplies power to the computer. What’s the lump’s purpose? 2009-11-09T03:29:09Z eco http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/11/02/how_does_gelatin_powder_make_liquids_hold_together?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Science+news Why does such a small amount of gelatin powder make such a huge amount of water “hold together’’ in a block of Jell-O? Nothing like that happens with similar amounts of salt or sugar. 2009-11-02T03:03:47Z eco