Six New Planets: Mini-Neptunes Found Around Sunlike Star
NASA's Kepler space telescope has uncovered six new planets huddled around a sunlike star--odd worlds that astronomers have dubbed mini-Neptunes. Five of the new planets are closer to their parent star than Mercury is to the sun. The sixth world lies farther out, within a region that would fit inside the orbit of Venus. "This is the most closely packed known planetary system," said study co-author... posted on Mar 09 2011, 3,086 reads

From Linda to Chad to Michael to You
Whenever Linda goes out with her 7-year-old granddaughter, they play a contest: "Who Can Make the Most People Smile?" Over time, Linda subconsciously started tuning into the kindness around her. One day, while she was in line at the drug store, a young woman with a sick, crying baby was asked to come back in 2 hours; a tear trickled down her cheek, when suddenly, an older fellow sitting on the sid... posted on Mar 08 2011, 3,997 reads

8 Weeks to a Better Brain
A pause in a busy day, meditation can be like the eye of a storm. For centuries, there's been no logic to it. Yet more and more, researchers are beginning to map its effects on the brain. In a recent study, a team led by Harvard-affiliated researchers become the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain's gray matter. Their conclusion? Participating in an eight-week mind... posted on Mar 07 2011, 12,978 reads

From the Streets to Opportunity and Confidence
Nguyen Duc Canh says he used to stay at Vietnam's only "1,000-star hotel." Translation: He grew up under a bridge. Abandoned by his parents in Hanoi, Canh sold chewing gum to tourists. Eventually, he ran into KOTO, or "Know One, Teach One." A 2-year program in Vietnam and Cambodia, KOTO trains former street kids to cook, wait tables and speak English. It "taught me life skills and gave me a house ... posted on Mar 06 2011, 1,105 reads

Like Water From a Hummingbird
On a trip to Japan, Wangari Maathai learned the story of the hummingbird in the forest fire. While other animals run in fear or hang their heads in despair, the hummingbird flies above the fire time and again, releasing a few drops of water from its tiny beak. "Why do you bother?" the animals shout. "I'm doing the best that I can," the hummingbird replies. For Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize recipi... posted on Mar 05 2011, 4,234 reads

A Town Lines Up to Save An Unknown Man
Howard Snitzer clutched his chest and crumpled on a freezing sidewalk. He wasn't breathing. He had no pulse. If he didn't get help soon, he would die. For the next 96 minutes, more than two dozen local towns folks, first responders, took turns performing CPR on the fallen man. Their teamwork saved Snitzer's life, in what may be one of the longest, successful out-of-hospital resuscitations ever. Wh... posted on Mar 04 2011, 3,367 reads

What Lies Beneath
In 2000, the Census of Marine Life embarked on a 10-year mission to deepen our knowledge of the ocean. The study involved 2,700 scientists, 80 countries, 600 institutions, 500 expeditions and a staggering 9,000 days at sea. On top of recording tens of millions of individual marine organisms and their locations, it also identifies important climate changes. Among the discoveries of 6,000 potentia... posted on Mar 03 2011, 2,513 reads

Pizza Delivery Saves the Day
Every day for the past three years, 82-year-old Jean Wilson has ordered a large pepperoni pizza and two diet cokes from the local pizza shop. One day, she took a particularly hard fall in her house that left her unable to get up. After her regular order failed to surface for three days, delivery driver Susan Guy took it upon herself to check on her, an act that saved Wilson's life!... posted on Mar 02 2011, 3,716 reads

Beauty and Science: A Conversation with Ed Johnson
As this distinguished molecular biologist says, "the ultimate decision of whether or not a piece of data is going to get used is completely subjective! To put it analytically, you look at your piece of data and you decide whether or not you think it looks pretty." He continues, "Scientists devote not just a great deal of energy in thinking about their problem, but devote a great deal of personal e... posted on Mar 01 2011, 3,247 reads

Shhh! Quiet People at Work
Justice Clarence Thomas has not spoken during a Supreme Court argument in five years. In the past 40 years, no other member has been totally silent through a whole term-- not to mention, five terms. Loud People, of course, get all the attention. But if we take a look around, we'll notice that quiet people are everywhere. Quiet People are different from loners or introverts or recluses. And quietne... posted on Feb 28 2011, 7,700 reads