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The article discusses the work of scientists involved in sonification, or the converting of data into sound. Sonification is motivated by the fact that human hearing is more capable of detecting minute changes than human eyesight. Information is presented about efforts by physicist Robert T. Wicks and graduate student Robert L. Alexander to use sonification to detect charged particles emitted by the sun that produce a magnetic field.

The article discusses the initiatives of U.S. universities and graduate schools to provide future engineers with the most advanced equipment and training. Topics covered include universities' investment in their own research facilities, incorporation of formal experiential learning into the graduate school experience, and the robust internships and co-op programs at certain schools. Partnerships or collaboration with companies, government laboratories or other schools are also mentioned.

The article looks at the formations of stars in the universe. Topics include how researchers use mathematical equations to determine how stars were formed and found it possible that stars were born two and three at a time. A report published in "Astronomy & Astrophysics" by a research team led by I. Félix Mirabel of the French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission, which asserts that the Milky Way is surrounded by hundreds of starless dwarf galaxies, is explored. INSETS: After the Bang;Swiss cheese.

The article examines how the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration's (NASA's) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) became so expensive to build. Topics include the results of an independent investigative panel that found the JWST was a billion dollars over budget and the conditions responsible for budget overruns, such as inaccurate cost estimates. INSET: Up and up.

The article examines two theories on the formation of water on Earth. Alessandro Morbidelli and colleagues of France’s Côte d’Azur Observatory proposed that the inner planets encountered Jupiter during their formation and this process introduced ice-rich bodies into new orbits, some of which made it to Earth. University of Arizona’s Michael Drake has performed simulations which indicate that cosmic dust grains acquired water molecules through resilient bonding mechanisms.

The article discusses physics research on dark matter in the universe conducted underground in the Soudan Underground Laboratory and others like it. In such laboratories, scientists theoretically can detect dark matter without interference from cosmic rays. The article refers to 3 instances when dark matter was detected and questions those findings have raised about accepted models of dark matter. The role of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) in dark matter is discussed.

The article discusses the history of the invention of lasers and the scientists who participated. It discusses scientist Theodore Maiman, his assistant Irnee D'Haenens, and their development of laser light in 1960 using a pink ruby crystal. The early theoretical work of Albert Einstein on stimulated emissions is noted.

The article discusses the Hubble Space Telescope, its 20 years of operation, its visible-light design, and the myriad images it has collected. Images collected by Hubble are said to be appreciated greatly for their quality, owing to repairs that were made in 1993 and in May 2009. Several images are shown including the Crab Nebula supernova, the Whirlpool galaxy, M51a, and the Milky Way's Small Magellanic Cloud.

The article discusses the existence of noise generated by subatomic particles. The focus of the article is a hypothesis by cosmologist and director of the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics Craig Hogan. Topics include an overview of Hogan's hypothesis, how the discovery of subatomic particle noise, called graininess, could result in a major revision of how scientists perceive spacetime, and Hogan's model suggesting graininess is not uniform.

The article discusses the search for clues to the solar system history and how astronomers think that the clues lay in the Kuiper belt. The Kuiper belt is a region beyond the planet Neptune where icy debris roams the solar system. Topics include why the Kuiper belt is valuable to solar system research, how Neptune's orbit influences objects in the Kuiper belt, and an overview a sky survey called Pan-STARRS to study Neptune's migration speed, which impacts the orbit of objects in the belt. INSETS: Today's Kuiper belt orbits;Planetary migratio;Solitary puzzle beyond the belt;Hit-and-run

The article discusses advances in astronomical observations using multi-wavelength instrumentation. Astronomical observations reported at the so-called Blois conference of June 2009 are noted. The sensitivity and range of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is noted. Also noted is the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Spitzer Space Telescope.

The article discusses type 1a supernova explosions and how understanding them will help explain dark energy. Astronomers have been examining supernova explosions without being able to explain how they explode. Topics include the reliance of astronomers on supernovas as distance markers and for the deduction of dark energy, how dark energy could determine the fate of the universe, such as cosmic expansion, and the techniques theorists and astronomers are using to understand supernova explosions. INSET: Possible explosive paths.

This article discusses questions that astronomical research is trying to answer including dark energy, the Big Bang, and and extrasolar planets. Research by astronomer Fritz Zwicky into weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) is described. The role of dark matter in the formation of galaxies is also assessed by astronomers including Avi Loeb and Richard Ellis. INSET: Cosmic Tug-of-War.

The article reports that the European Space Agency's Planck mission will use the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe to measure the composition and shape of the early universe. The use of High Frequency Instrument bolometers to record microwaves between frequencies of 100 and 857 gigahertz is discussed. The association between gravitational waves and the theory of inflation of the universe is discussed.

The article examines several theories proposed by planetary scientists concerning planetary movements and events which caused the solar system to rearrange itself 3.9 billion years ago. The author discusses zircons, which are chemically inert minerals which are remaining pieces of the Earth's first rocks, and how they can be used to discern information about the Earth's early climactic conditions. The evidence suggests that the early temperature extremes did not destroy all organisms on Earth.

The article discusses searching for planets similar to Earth outside the Solar System. David Charbonneau and his colleagues have constructed 8 small telescopes at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona to search for an Earth-sized planet. The telescopes scan 2,000 of the closest small stars and looks for orbiting planets which periodically move between the stars and Earth. INSETS: In Transit;Other searches, other transits.

The article focuses on planned repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope in October 2008, which will be the last visit astronauts make to the telescope. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to install a new instrument, the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), that will capture images of stars and galaxies in many wavelengths and examine the evolution of galaxies over 13 billion years of cosmic history.

The article discusses projects that are aiming to capture an image of extrasolar planets which orbit a star not within in the solar system. The search for the extrasolar planets is important because it is necessary in helping scientists understand where and how planets form. The author also discusses the projects further, instruments used in capturing the images and the exoplanets.

The article reports on recent research on the death of stars. Supernovas create the building blocks of human life. Two new developments have been made in supernova research. Gamma-ray bursts act as early warning signals from stars before their explosions. Computer modeling has shown that stars trigger their own final deaths with powerful sonic reverberations.

Reveals the historic firsts achieved through the Hubble Deep Field, a patch of the sky photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Deepest visible-light view of space to date; Implications for the Big Bang theory; Project of astronomers led by Robert Williams; Difficulties in imaging distant galaxies. INSET: Education of an Astronomer..

Some 200,000 galaxies whim through space in a computer-generated model using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an ambitious effort to map one-quarter of the cosmos. Based on images from the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, the model marks the locations of nearby galaxies with representative pictures, greatly magnified. Beyond lie 100 billion more galaxies, each with many billions of stars. Scientists are coming closer to determining where all the material came from that coalesced into the galaxies. Theorists using supercomputer simulations have retraced the steps that produced the first stars and galaxies. Astronomers peering through giant telescopes have journeyed back in time in search of the first galaxies. Researchers studying images from the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the breathtaking diversity of the galaxies that surround us today--from giant pinwheels blazing with the blue light of newborn stars, to misshapen footballs glowing with the ruddy hue of stars born billions of years ago, to tattered galaxies trailing long streamers of stars torn out by collisions with intruder galaxies. Tom Abel of Pennsylvania State University, thinks he has figured out how the first star was born. The first star was born about 14 billion years ago, Abel believes, in a universe that was more mysterious but also far simpler than our own. Smaller and denser than today, the universe was pitch-black and contained mostly hydrogen and helium with a smattering of lithium. Arjun Dey of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Daniel Stern of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, veteran observer Hy Spinrad of the University of California, Berkeley, and graduate student Steve Dawson were aiming the Keck I telescope at a catalog of faint galaxies, hoping to peer deeper than ever before into the universe-a billion years farther back in time than the galaxies found by Steidel.

Focuses on the theory that the planet Earth collided with an asteroid or comet which killed the dinosaurs. Discovery of a buried crater in the Yucatan Peninsula; Solar system impact; Ramifications of a large impact; Chronology of the catastrophe. INSET: Tracking down Chicxulub..

Discusses the efforts of astronomers in discovering how the galaxies came into being. Evidences suggesting that the universe was lumpsy soon after the Big Bang; Absorption lines; Impact of new observations.

Part I. Focuses on the Far Infrared Survey, which is designed to detect tiny temperature deviations in the microwave afterglow left over from the explosive birth of the universe. Fluctuations which may indicate how the universe evolved from its suspected smooth beginning to its present state; The Advanced Cosmic Microwave Experiment (ACME); High electron mobility transistors (HEMT); More.

This article describes several of the devices being used to search for gamma rays penetrating the earth's atmosphere. It's a moonless night as dozens of garbage-can-shaped devices face the sky from a desert bluff in central Utah. Each of these mirrored sentinels waits to witness a dim blue flash leftover energy from some of the most violent collisions in our galaxy and beyond. This array of instruments is just one of many that search for the telltale fingerprints left by cosmic rays penetrating Earth's atmosphere. At energies of up to 100 billion billion electron-volts, cosmic rays rain upon our planet from the depths of the Milky Way and from stars hundreds of thousands of light-years beyond. The rays come in two varieties. Most are charged particles (ions), while a tiny minority encompass energetic, uncharged particles of light--photons called gamma rays. Believed to be created during such cataclysmic events as supernova explosions and galactic collisions, both types of cosmic rays represent, quite simply the most energetic particles in the universe. INSET: Cosmic rain gauges..

Examines the history of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search for high school students which will soon hold its 50th competition. Origins of talent search; First Science Talent Search; Science careers of several finalists; Winners of Nobel Prize and other awards; Changes in search since 1942; Support and encouragement from science teachers; Role of Wisconsin teacher Sister Mary Lauretta Bishop; Criticisms of search.

Examines the confusing role of serotonin in human behavior in the U.S. Association of too little serotonin activity with depression or anxiety; Permission granted by the Food and Drug Administration for the experimental treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder; Effectiveness of serotonin-enhancing drugs in relieving migraines.

The article reports research by a team led by Neil Crighton of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy that detected an intergalactic cold accretion stream of gas, supporting the theory of astrophysicist Avishai Dekel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on the growth of galaxies.

The article discuses the discovery of the exoplanet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri B by Xavier Dumusque of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Massachusetts and colleagues. Topics include a reanalysis of Dumusque and colleagues' data by astronomer Artie Hatzes at the Thüringian State Observatory in Tautenburg, Germany, Hatzes' conflicting results, and the impact of hyperactive stars on accurate detection of extrasolar planets.

The article discusses the distinctions between two schools of cosmology. Fundamentalists study the initial conditions and content of the universe, while others are focusing on gastrophysics to look at problems related to galaxy evolution. The meaning of findings concerning the measurement of dark matter is explained. Cosmologist Avishai Dekel says older, heavier elliptical galaxies squelched star formation, while star formation appeared to be unimpeded in younger spiral galaxies like the Milky Way.

The article reports on the scientific events since the year 1998 pertaining to dark energy and cosmic acceleration. The Beyond Einstein series of missions recommended by the U.S. National Research Council are explored which include the supernova/acceleration probe studying the expansion history of the universe, the ADEPT mission which examines cosmic expansion and the Dark Energy Space Telescope which can detect supernovas. The mysteries of dark energy are discussed.

The article explains how astronomers and physicists are using gamma ray telescopes and detectors to measure the energies in the universe and better understand structures like dark matter and black holes. This type of visual study of the universe's energy has proven to offer clearer and sharper views of space than other types of imaging systems.

The article provides information on the first satellite launch which took place in 1957 and was led by Russia. When the first Sputnik satellite went into orbit, there were many misconceptions about its purpose and what it meant for the future of space exploration. The author chronicles this initial mission and what happened as a result.

The article looks at the search for life on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The Cassini spacecraft discovered that a plume of water vapor, dust, and small ice crystals shoots out from a crack-lined region on this moon. Observations of this plume suggest that Enceladus harbors the basic ingredients necessary for life. The findings about Enceladus are presented in articles in the March 10, 2006 issue of "Science," by Cassini scientist Dennis Matson and his colleagues.

This article focuses on star formation in the Orion nebula. Over billions of years, star birth has illuminated countless galaxies and enriched the universe with the elements necessary for life. In the Milky Way, the energy shooting out of young stars pummels surrounding space, creating a tapestry of pillars, arcs, loops, and ripples. Yet for all the drama, scientists' understanding of star formation remains sketchy. Astronomers are drawn to the Milky Way's Orion nebula. This young, star-forming region provides a remarkably clear window on star making. Intense radiation and fierce winds from a quartet of young, massive stars at Orion's center have blasted away much of the dusty material.

The article looks at research on the fringes of the solar system. Planetary scientist Mike Brown has had plenty of practice finding objects at the fringes of the solar system. In sky images, he and his colleagues have identified several of the solar system's most distant denizens. Brown came across a sequence of pictures showing a faint object moving so slowly that it must have been in the outer solar system. The new discoveries, which include the first planet-size body found beyond Pluto, are forcing astronomers to retool their ideas about the evolution and origin of the outer solar system. Scientists divide the outer solar system into two distinct regions: the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud.

This article reports that the Cassini spacecraft, which entered orbit around Saturn last year, has completed the most thorough examination ever of the planet's rings. Until last May, the craft had spent most of its time orbiting Saturn's equator. Then, Cassini got a ringside seat. Just as scientists had planned, the craft rose out of the equatorial plane and for the next 5 months viewed the rings from above and below the planet's equator. From those perches, it has studied the full breadth of the rings in unprecedented detail. The rings are vast. They fan out across a region of space larger than the separation between the Earth and its moon but are only a few meters thick.

This articles reports on a NASA spacecraft called Deep Impact that fired a 372-kilogram copper projectile into the icy surface of Comet Tempel 1. Although the impact left barely a dent in the 9-kilometer-long, fist-shaped body, the data collected from the collision has made an indelible mark on studies of comets and the formation of the solar system. The extremely fine texture of the cool dust ejected from the comet in the minutes following the initial violent impact is likely to reflect conditions in the early solar system. By analyzing images of the dust plume taken by the Deep Impact craft after the collision, scientists were able to measure the rate of the plume. That rate is controlled by the comet's gravitational field, so once the gravity of the comet is known, researchers can estimate its density. Only when scientists have a sample will they know for certain what comets are made of and what role they might have played in spawning life on our planet.

The article focuses on the work of astronomer Mike Meyer and his work observing solar dust with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Mike Meyer was just finishing up his Ph.D. thesis on baby stars when his career turned to dust. Astronomers announced the discovery of a planet orbiting a sunlike star beyond the solar system. With planet hunting becoming the hottest topic in astronomy, Meyer, then at Amherst College in Massachuetts, realized that he was well positioned to jump into the fray. Researchers had suggested since the 1980s that dust disks around stars were signposts of planets, and Meyer had just agreed to join a team in Heidelberg, Germany, that was studying such disks with a recently launched observatory. That was ten years ago. The observatory is now defunct, but Meyer is a lead investigator with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the premier observatory for studying dust. Currently based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Meyer and his colleagues have discovered hundreds of debris disks since Spitzer's launch in 2003. Some circle sunlike stars only a few million years old, others orbit senior citizens that have been shining for several billion years.

The article examines data being unearthed by robots on Mars. Phil Christensen and colleagues, based at Arizona State University in Tempe, are in charge of miniature infrared spectrometers on the twin rovers that continue to explore Mars. Nearly 18 months after their arrival, the vehicles are gleaning information about rocks on the Red Planet much as field geologists learn about rocks on Earth. Christensen and chief mission scientist Steve Squyres of Cornell University discuss their findings about liquid water on the Red Planet.

This article reports on findings about the moon Titan gathered by the Huygens probe. Clutching three black-and-white photographs, Marty Tomasko beamed as he strode into a late-night press briefing on Jan. 14 in Darmstadt, Germany. With a crowd gathering around him at the European Space Agency's operation center, he showed off images taken by the Huygens probe, which just hours before had landed on Saturn's moon Titan. After more than 3 months of painstaking work, scientists are lifting the veil on Titan. Shrouded in hydrocarbon haze and slightly bigger than Mercury, the moon has the largest unexplored surface in the solar system. Riveting images of Titan's surface show a network of drainage channels, highlands, and perhaps shorelines. The drainage channels are evidence for some kind of precipitation and flowing liquid, most likely methane.

This article examines the nature of black holes. Four years ago, astronomer Karl Gebhardt, then a postdoc at the University of California, Santa Cruz, went for a job interview at Harvard University. Although he didn't get the faculty position he sought, he may have gotten something better: a clue that led him to uncover what may be one of the most telling relationships between supermassive black holes and the galaxies in which they reside. The correlation suggests that galaxies and black holes have grown in lockstep-at least for the last few billion years of cosmic history. One model of this coevolution harks back to work described in 1998 by Martin Rees of the University of Cambridge in England, and Joe Silk, now at the University of Oxford in England. Supermassive black holes could have a profound influence on their galaxies, Silk and surmised, because they spew vast amounts of energy in the form of radio jets, quasar beams, and intense winds. Self-limitation of black hole growth may also account for the puzzlingly brief lifetime of quasars, the brilliant cosmic beacons powered by supermassive black holes, assert Avi Loeb and Stuart B. Wyithe of the University of Australia in Melbourne. This model, in which black holes pour energy back into their host galaxy, may also answer a much-debated chicken-and-egg problem: Which came first, supermassive black holes or the star-filled galaxies that surround them? INSET: In the Beginning: How to Grow a Black Hole.