[Science] Curiosity plays peekaboo: New self-shot before 9-month mountain climb

Curiosity plays peekaboo: New self-shot before 9-month mountain climb
http://www.slashgear.com/curiosity-plays-peekaboo-new-self-shot-before-9-month-mountain-climb-29262524/
NASA's Curiosity rover has set mountain climbing as its New Year's Resolution, with the intrepid space explorer headed up a Martian peak for its 2013 challenge.

A Record Worth Wilting For: Death Valley Is Hotter Than ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/science/earth/death-valley-temperature-record-is-restored.html
FURNACE CREEK, Calif. - For Death Valley, a place that embraces its extremes, this has long been an affront: As furnace-hot as it gets here, it could not lay claim to being the hottest place on earth.

Beached Whale Buried in Queens Sand Dunes
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/beached-whale-buried-in-queens-sand-dunes.html
Biologists with the National Marine Fisheries Service completed their necropsy of the finbeck whale that washed up on the shore in Breezy Point on Wednesday.

Science Names Higgs Boson Discovery 'Breakthrough of the Year'
http://www.wptz.com/news/technology/Mars-particles-make-headlines-in-2012/-/8869670/17937832/-/khvjmrz/-/index.html
It was a banner year for science as physicists finally isolated what many believe is the elusive Higgs boson, even as superstitious peddlers of claptrap about a Mayan apocalypse had their irrational rear ends handed to them as a new day dawned on Dec. 22.

What do you do when you see a turtle crossing the road?
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/College-student-s-turtle-project-takes-dark-twist-4149292.php
This story is not likely to provide a solution to the Fiscal Cliff or the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. And we're not sure what says about humanâ€"make that inhumaneâ€"nature but we thought some of our readers might be interested.

Two-mile wide comet will shine brighter than the moon
http://thespacereporter.com/2012/12/two-mile-wide-comet-will-shine-brighter-than-the-moon/
A newly discovered comet will likely shine brighter than the moon when it passes Earth in 2013, according to a team of Russian astronomers.

British probe of ancient lake under Antarctica shut down
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50306811/ns/technology_and_science-science/
It was a scientific breakthrough when a Russian team broke through some 12,365 ft. of ice to tap Lake Vostok, buried under Antarctica for 14 million years last February.

McCandless native Adam LeWinter has featured role in 'Chasing Ice'
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-10387-person-of-the-year-runner-up-james-balog-of-chasing-ice.html
McCandless native Adam LeWinter has featured role in 'Chasing Ice'. December 28, 2012 12:02 am. "Extreme Ice Survey" team members Adam LeWinter, left, Jeff Orlowski, James.

Great Arctic Cyclone of 2012 really was impressive
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/great-arctic-cyclone-of-2012-really-was-impressive/
This summer saw a new record low in the ice covering the Arctic Ocean, with levels bottoming out well below those seen in 2007, the previous low year.

State building changes ordered to avert flood damage
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/OMalley-Preps-State-Buildings-for-Rising-Sea-Levels-185075941.html
Declaring that Maryland's coastal areas are increasingly at risk from a rising sea level, Gov. Martin O'Malley has ordered state agencies to weigh the growing risks of flooding in deciding where and how to construct state buildings.

Dear Diary: There's a good reason they called us the 'wild and crazy guys' of the ...
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/28/dear-diary-theres-a-good-reason-they-called-us-the-wild-and-crazy-guys-of-the-canadian-space-agency/
The National Post re-imagines a week in the life of a newsmaker. Today, Tristin Hopper looks at the week through the eyes of Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station.

Space industry in Russia to receive $69 billion until 2020
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/4347/20121229/space-industry-russia-receive-69-billion-budget.htm
The space agency and industry in Russia will receive a strong increase in budget over the coming 8 years, according to Russia's national news agency RIA Novosti.

Uses artificial muscles to move, and is covered with a soft skin
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2253652/Roboy-robot-boy-set-born-months-help-humans-everyday-tasks.html
Scientists have revealed an ambitious plan to create a humanoid helper robot with artificial muscles - in just nine months. Engineers at the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Lab hope that 1.2m tall Roboy, designed to look like a child, will eventually ...