LabGrab

As the Sun begins to emerge from a dip in activity, newly launched NASA tools are helping scientists capture the event in unprecedented ways. Cycles in solar activity - such as sunspots, flares, and solar storms - have long been recognized and charted. Generally following a 10-12 year pattern, these cycles are linked to amounts of total solar irradiance, cosmic rays, and even terrestrial radio interference. However, never before have scientists had such powerful tools with which to observe and study these cycles, and never before has the infrastructure of technology and communication been more vulnerable to the rise in solar activity.

Insects may have tiny brains the size of a pinhead, but the latest research from the University of Adelaide shows just how clever they really are.

For the first time, researchers from the University's Discipline of Physiology have worked out how insects judge the speed of moving objects.

On May 12th the EPA released a new clean up plan for the Chesapeake Bay. This comes 38 years after the original clean water act was signed into law. How has 38 years of the clean water act faired? Well according to the lawsuit that was just settled out of court between the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the EPA it has been unsuccessful.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced new grants totaling $79 million that was given through the HHMI undergraduate program, and the HHMI Professors program.

Fifty research universities in 30 states and the District of Columbia will be awarded a total of $70 million through the undergraduate program. The schools will use the grants, which range from $800,000 to $2 million over four years, to develop creative, research-based courses and curricula; to give more students vital experience working in the lab; and to improve science teaching from elementary school through college.