Articles by Jim Algar
Scientists Discover Giant Reservoir Of Magma Under Yellowstone Park
A magma chamber with enough material to fill the Grand Canyon 14 times over has been found beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano, researchers say. The finding yields insights into the 'plumbing' system feeding the giant caldera.
Woman Says Tumor Removed From Her Brain Was Like An 'Evil Twin' Growing Inside Her
A brain tumor removed from a Ph.D. student showed evidence of bone, teeth and hair, surgeons say. Known as a teratoma, such tumors are believed to be undeveloped twins absorbed by surviving siblings while in the womb.
US Shortage Of Antibiotics Could Be Putting Patients At Risk
Gold-standard antibiotics used to treat drug-resistant infections are among those in short supply, report says. Ongoing shortages could have 'big impacts on health care,' researchers say.
Astronomers Find 'Homeless' Galaxies That Have Been Flung Out Of Their Cosmic Birthplaces
Astronomers find small galaxies isolated from any galaxy cluster, alone and drifting through intergalactic space. They were likely ejected from their cosmic homes as a result of gravitational disturbances, researchers suggest.
Scientists Discover A Tiny 'Pocket' Shark, Only The Second Example Of The Rare Species Ever Observed
A tiny shark with kangaroo-like pouches is only the second specimen of the elusive species ever identified, researchers say. It's unclear the purpose of the pouches which give the 'pocket shark' its name, they admit.
California Bill Removing Vaccine Exemptions For School Attendance Moves Forward
A bill omitting the 'personal belief' exemption for parents who don't want to vaccinate their school-going children passed a key vote in California state Legislature.
NASA Says Successor To Hubble Space Telescope Is On Track For 2018 Launch
The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to continue the dramatic successes achieved by the Hubble instrument, NASA says. At 100 times more powerful, it will provide a glimpse of the earliest age of the universe, the space agency says.
How To Tell If A Stegosaurus Is A Boy Or Girl? The Answer's On Top, Not On The Bottom
Different sizes and shapes of well-known armor plates on backs of stegosaurus may have been signs of their sex, study suggests. Previously, determing the sex of a dinosaur fossil has been almost impossible, researchers say.
Training For Parents Could Help Improve Behavior Of Autistic Kids
Parents who get hands-on training on how to care for their autistic child do better than those who just receive educational information, researchers find. Proactive techniques can help improve behavior of autistic children, they say.
Wolf Population On Michigan Island Down To Just Three Animals As Conservationists Worry
Two adults and one pup are all that remain of a pack of wolves on an island in Lake Superior. Scientists say inbreeding is largely responsible for pushing the island's once-thriving wolf population to the brink.
New Study Is Latest To Refute Any Link Between Autism And Vaccines
The MMR vaccine has no link to autism, even for chidren with an older sibling diagnosed with the condition, researchers find. The study is latest of many to come to the same conclusion.
Should Earth's List Of Mass Extinction Events, Now At Five, Be Expanded To Six?
Paleontologists say an extinction event around 260 million years ago was global and should be added to the list of such events known in Earth's history. Evidence of the global reach of so-called Capitanian event found in the tropics and Norway.
Spacecraft Catches Comet Making Dusty Cosmic 'Burp'
ESA's Rosetta probe captures an unexpected dust jet erupting from Comet 67P's dark side. The spacecraft's camera snapped an image of a 3,000-foot-long eruption of dust and gas.
Extinction Theory: Did Dark Matter Kill Off The Dinosaurs?
A geologist says dinosaurs may have met their demise in Earth's passage through dark matter. The controversial new theory joins a long list of dinosaur extinction scenarios.
Scientists Build Tabletop Instrument That Can 'See' Individual Electrons
A particle detector can isolate, track and record single electrons emitted by radioactive gas, researchers say. Work could help solve a leading puzzle of particle physics - what is the mass of a neutrino?
Bird Flu Hits Flock Of 5.3 Million Chickens In Iowa, US's Biggest Egg-Producing State
Bird flu found at an Iowa facility means millions of egg-laying chickens must be destroyed, the USDA says. Avian influenza has hit chicken and turkey farms in several U.S. states since early March.
After 170 Years On The Seafloor, Recovered Champagne Gets A Taste Test. And The Verdict?
Champagne found in a shipwreck from the early 1800s has a chemical compostion close to modern vintages, researchers find. Experts who've tasted it report 'spicy, smoky and leathery' flavors.
Thinking Of Getting A Pet? Researchers Look At Concerns About Health - Especially Yours
Family pets can sometimes present risks of disease to their human companions, researchers say. New guidelines recommend talking to doctors and veterinarians about the safest pets for any particular family.
Mysterious 'Cold Spot' In The Universe - And What's Not There - Puzzles Scientists
A cold spot in the cosmic background radiation of the universe has a giant void at its center, astronomers find. The finding is at odds with current models of the evolution of the universe, they say, presenting an as-yet unsolved mystery.
Flash Of Light From Deep Space May Have Confirmed Merging Of Two Black Holes
Black holes in the center of colliding galaxies may end up as tightly bound 'twins' engaged in an orbiting cosmic dance, researchers say. The discovery of a pulsating quasar with a regular, metronome-like rhythm may be proof, they say.
Man Playing Candy Crush Is All Thumbs: In Fact, He Ends Up In Hospital With Torn Tendon
The obsessive playing of a mobile game for weeks on end sent a California man to the hospital ER with a torn thumb tendon. The injury required surgery to repair, doctors report.
Elmo And US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Encourage Kids To Get Vaccinated In Funny New Video
Beloved Sesame Street character and the nation's top physician get together to urge children and their parents to get vaccinated. Surgeon General calls vaccines "most successful" public health tool.
Color In Sunlight Helps Animals' Brain Clocks Measure Time Of Day And Adjust Accordingly
How our body clocks react to sunlight may be inluenced as much by suble color differences as by how bright it is, researchers say. Findings suggest possible ways to mitigate effects of jet lag.
Close Encounter With The Sperm Whale: Underwater Robot Gets Up, Close And Personal With Gentle Giant
Scientists doing research in the Gulf of Mexico have an unexpected visitor as a curious sperm whale checks them out. Video of the encounter quickly goes viral.
NASA Dawn Spacecraft Captures Stunning Photos Of Dwarf Planet Ceres
Tiny world orbiting in solar system's asteroid belt captured in dramatic new phographs from space probe Dawn. NASA predicts even better images in coming weeks as spacecraft moves into closer orbits around Ceres.
High-Schoolers Smoking Fewer Cigarettes, But Rise In E-Cigarette Use Is Not Good News
Reduced cigarette smoking by teens is good news, but huge increase in the use of e-cigarettes is not. Use of the 'vapor' smokes among students has tripled in just a year, a government report notes.
Archaeologists Unearth Stone Tools Believed To Be Oldest Ever Found
A discovery shows our early ancestors were making tools long before the emergence of the modern human lineage, researchers say. Tools unearthed in Kenya date back to 3.3 million years ago.
Photo Captured Of Rare Monkey Thought To Be Extinct Proves Species Is Alive And Kicking
A rare monkey not seen since the 1970s and assumed to be extinct by many experts has been photographed in the Republic of Congo. Bouvier's red colobus monkey has no fear of humans, which has made it vulnerable to hunters.
Newly Discovered Exoplanet Is The Most Distant Ever Detected
A space telescope used to discover the most distant exoplanet found so far could improve our mapping of planets in the Milky Way, astronomers say. The new planet is almost 13,000 light years from us, they report.
Artificial Photosynthesis Holds Promise Of Cleaner, Greener Environment
A hybrid system mimics the natural photosynthesis of plants to create a 'green' chemical factory that could produce beneficial products, researchers say. The system could help the environment by using CO2 that would otherwise add to atmospheric warming, they say.
