Articles by Jim Algar
DigitalGlobe launches most powerful commercial satellite: Meet WorldView-3
Earth-observing satellite with unprecedented resolution capabilities for the commercial market launched. WorldView-3 can see home plate on a baseball diamond from 400 miles above.
Newly unearthed flying reptiles are best evidence of pterosaur colonization
Skeletons of pterosaurs with bizarre head crest looking like butterfly wings unearthed in Brazil. Flying reptiles may have lived in flocks like flamingoes, scientists say.
Google’s ‘street view’ technology goes under the sea to study coral reefs
Underwater version of Google "street view" will help scientists, public travel into marine sanctuaries. Project created underwater, 360-degree views of coral reefs.
Big bad asteroid is apparently a pile of rubble, but what’s holding it together?
Weak atomic forces may be helping hold rapidly spinning asteroid together, astronomers say. Finding may suggest how to deal with similar fragile astroids with risk of Earth impact, they say.
First woman wins prestigious Fields Medal for math achievements
Stanford's Maryam Mirzakhani becomes first women to win "Nobel Prize" of mathematics. Achievement called "hugely symbolic" in male-dominated field.
Biggest fish in Amazon is on the brink of extinction
Unique giant fish that can breathe out of water faces extinction risk in the Amazon River basin. The arapaima can grow 10 feet long, weigh 400 pounds.
Africa loses its last polar bear, Wang, to heart failure and heart break
Polar bear in South African zoo, grieving over loss of partner, dies at age 30. Wang the polar bear was a major attraction at the Johannesburg zoo.
Feds withdraw wolverine protection proposal despite protests
Feds say concerns of climate change impact on wolverines not sufficient for creating new protections for the species. Wildlife activists threaten to sue to force wildlife agency to act.
NY bans purchase and sale of ivory: Happy World Elephant Day!
New York passes law banning ivory sales as demand drives disastrous poaching of African elephants. Law will impose harsh penalties on illegal importation or sale of both elephant ivory and rhinoceros horns.
World welcomes rare surviving panda triplets in an adorable miracle
Panda triplets born in Chinese breeding program being given round-the-clock care. Rare event is only the fourth instance of panda triplets.
Tiny Antarctic midge with smallest genome in the world is small but scrappy
Stripped-down genome of Antarctic insect, smallest of any creature, may be a response to its extreme environment. Frozen as larvae, they emerge to an adult lifespan of just a week.
Geckos control toe hairs to be sticky or not, inspiring bioengineers to do the same
Geckos can turn their incredible wall-climbing stickiness on and off at will, study finds. Trick allow them to run up walls, across ceilings, researchers say.
Was the climate cooling or warming before humans? Study presents a ‘conundrum’
Recent studies unable to solve puzzle of global climate trends before human impacts. Some say it was warming, some say cooling.
Gut bacteria analysis may help identify colon cancer
Bacteria living in our digestive systems may help identify those at risk of developing colon cancer, researchers say. Technique could be another weapon in the cancer-detection arsenal.
Ebola creating economic crisis in Africa, declared 'public health emergency' by WHO
Deadly Ebola virus, already the cause of nearly 1,000 deaths, taking an economic toll on West Africa. Virus outbreak is having economic impacts on some of the world's poorest countries.
Sunday supermoon 2014: Rare lunar event may overshadow Perseid meteor shower
Annual Perseid meteor shower may have to take a back seat to another celestial phenomenon, experts say. Closer, brighter full moon may make meteors hard to see this year.
NASA flying saucer test success means sending heavy payloads to Mars now possible
NASA tests inflatable "flying saucer" system high above Earth, in preparation for future Mars landing missions. Test deemed successful, although supersonic parachute suffered damage in deployment.
Cancer classification by genetic and molecular type may lead to new treatments
The genomic makeup of a cancer cell more important than where it has attacked the body in determining treatment, study suggests. Better identification of cancer cells could lead to better therapy, researchers say.
TB outbreak in Atlanta: 3 homeless people killed, 47 infected
Health officials scramble to contain TB outbreak affecting homeless shelters in Atlanta. Transient homeless population said especially vulnerable to the respiratory disease.
If your ears are ringing, try coffee: Study finds it helps reduce tinnitus
Consumption of higher-than-average amounts of caffeine may prevent occurrence of tinnitus with its ringing in the ears, study suggests. Researchers say they don't know why, look to further studies.
PTSD can be a lifelong burden for some Vietnam veterans
Follow-up study on Vietnam veterans finds that for some post traumatic stress disorder has become a live-long affliction. Although most diagnosed in the past have come to terms with it, for some it has become a chronic condition, researchers say.
States want tougher e-cigarette regulations, urge FDA to initiate
Federal government urged to put curbs on e-cigarettes. Opponents want bans on advertising, online sales and on flavored versions aimed at young people.
Ancient fossil haul from Wyoming cave is a paleontologist’s dream
Cave opened to science for the first time in 30 years yields treasure trove of animal bones. Remains of extinct North American lions, cheetahs, wolves and bears hauled from bottom of deep cavern.
Sleepless in space: NASA finds astronauts need pills to snooze
Use of sleeping pills by many astronauts in space could have worrisome consequences, a study finds. Ability to react quickly to emergency could be a problem, researchers say.
Pure carbon nanotubes created: Get ready for smaller, faster electronics
Method of growing carbon nanotubes from "seed" molecules allows control of their electronic properties, European researchers say. Technique could begin advances in electronics, optics.
Super moon and shooting stars to show off on Sunday, don’t miss it!
Annual Perseid meteor shower among the brightest we see, but this year they'll have to compete with a bright, close "super moon." Best chance to see meteors will be in the early predawn hours.
Iselle, Julio visit Hawaii as Genevieve slams Pacific with storms
Forecasters keeping an eye on three hurricane-force storms in the Pacific: Genevieve, Iselle and Julio. Residents of Hawaii are boarding houses in anticipation of Iselle hitting Big Island.
Wildlife corridors encourage spread of invasive species, study finds
Corridors linking habitats, intended to help native species, may be creating easy highways for invasive species, researchers say. Study of invasive fire ants in South Carolina yields supporting evidence, they say.
Mercury levels in oceans double or triple those of the past
Study yields first direct calculations of mercury pollution in the world's oceans. Levels show huge increases since start of the Industrial Revolution.
Orion's unmanned splashdown prepped for by Navy
NASA, U.S. Navy get last chance to practice ocean recovery of Orion spacecraft before it first launch, set for December. Recovery procedures get workout off the California coast.
