Once they're inside the female reproductive organs, sperm pull out all the stops to outrace their rivals to the egg--especially if the opponent comes from another male. The process that determines which sperm wins, called "postcopulatory sexual selection," has been difficult to tease out, until now. [More]



Male - Sexual selection - Sperm - Female - Sex organ

Builders and engineers must often choose between materials that are strong and those that are flexible--rarely will they find a substance with both properties in abundance. Researchers are trying to change this through the development of "shape metal" alloys that are strong enough to resist high levels of strain while also being flexible enough to recover their original shape when a certain amount of heat is applied. [More]



Metal - Alloy - Business - United States - Government

UYUNI, Bolivia--"Gray gold" may be the key to a future filled with hybrid or electric vehicles. That's because lithium is the most important ingredient in the batteries that power these cars. Even without many electric cars on the road today the lightest metal on Earth is more and more a mining target of multinational companies as lithium ion batteries power an increasing array of electronic gadgets. [More]



Lithium-ion battery - Electric car - Business - Electric vehicle - Automobile

Editor’s introduction: Scientists have proposed compelling steps to ease specific kinds of environmental damage and slow consumption of certain resources [see “ Solutions to Environmental Threats ,”]. But Bill McKibben, scholar in residence at Middlebury College and co-founder of climate action group 350.org , maintains that to truly stop ruining the planet, society must break its most debilitating habit: growth.

In his new book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet , McKibben argues that humankind, because of its actions, now lives on a fundamentally different world, which he calls “Eaarth.” This celestial body can no longer support the economic growth model that has driven society for 200 years. To avoid our own collapse, we must instead seek to maintain wealth and resources, in large part by shifting to more durable, localized economies.

Scientific American staff editor Michael Moyer talks about his article "Fusion's False Dawn" in the March issue, and Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina discusses the rest of the issue. [More]



Scientific American - Physics - Mariette Dichristina - Podcast - Organizations

NEW YORK--Despite the rain and cold this past weekend, dozens of robots took the field to compete in the New York City FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) regional championship at the Javitz Center in Manhattan. The tournament tested the skills and determination of 48 teams of high school students who have spent the past several months building, programming and otherwise preparing their bots to face off in a friendly game of HotShot! [More]



FIRST Tech Challenge - Manhattan - Robot - High school - NEW YORK

The quest to turn the motion of the world's waterways into a significant source of energy may still be in its nascent stage, but several tidal power projects are making headway. Whether they operate in lakes, rivers or the oceans, projects attempting to harness the tides share the same mission: to improve the technology and offer an economical alternative to fossil fuels. [More]



Technology - Tidal power - Energy - Renewable - Energy development