Science News

Gerard Fryer got paged about 20 times early Thursday morning Hawaii time, signaling a large earthquake had occurred in Chile and there was a potential for a tsunami.

“Since then Ive pretty much been calming peoples ragged nerves,” Fryer told LiveScience. “Private citizens in Chile were calling us because they are alarmed.

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A substance called a polymer usually used to make fuel cells can “remember” up to four different shapes, and revert to each one at different temperatures, according to new research.

Perfluorosulphonic acid ionomer (PFSA) is whats known as a shape memory polymer. A polymer is a substance made mostly of repeating identical or similar molecules.

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Models in head-to-toe yeti suits picked their way around towering but quickly melting icebergs, sloshing through a deep puddle of Arctic melt in their shaggy fake fur.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld looked Tuesday to global warming, turning the melting of the polar ice caps into fodder for Chanel’s fall-winter 2010-11 ready-to-wear look.

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Buzz Aldrin, 80-year-old veteran of the first moon landing by Apollo 11, is facing a much more down-to-Earth challenge as a contestant on the new season of TVs “Dancing With the Stars.”

“Im not known for that agility,” Aldrin told SPACE.com. “Im one of those people who need continued exposure. Whether its flying a spacecraft or trying something out on the dance floor, it takes a while to really get comfortable with it.

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The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile more than a week ago moved the city of Concepcin at least 10 feet (3 meters) to the west, seismological measurements indicate.

The quake occurred off the coast of the Maule region of Chile in one of Earths seismic hotspots where the Nazca tectonic plate is squeezed under, or subducted, below the neighboring South American plate.

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Experts say there is nothing unusual about the latest spate of earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and now Turkey, but their devastating effects illustrate how increased construction up and down the world’s fault lines can translate into massive casualties.

Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics at Durham University, said Monday that “I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end.

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Melbourne was bracing for more bad weather Sunday after a “beast of a storm” ripped through Australias second largest city, bringing with it hailstones the size of tennis balls.

“The weather system that brought the damage to Melbourne is known in meteorological terms as a supercell thunderstorm, an organised beast of a storm that once it gets going tends to last more than your average thunderstorm,” he said.

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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Friday held firm to his love for Prius cars despite what he suspects is a Toyota software problem behind sudden spikes in acceleration.

“Its just like all the other gadgets we have… Everything today has a computer in it, so everything will fail.”

“I love my Prius,” Wozniak said during on-stage banter with AT&T Tech Channels Hugh Thompson during a geek talk show at the closing of an RSA computer security conference here.

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A palm-sized fuel cell that turns water into electricity aims to make wall outlets a thing of the past for charging up your cell phone.

Developed by Stockholm-based myFC, the H3 charger relies on portable fuel cells and is set for commercial release in Scandinavia in December, before making its way to a wider market including the United States some time in 2011.

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Teens are getting high on an emerging drug called “fake weed,” a concoction also known as K2 and “spice” that is also causing hallucinations, vomiting, agitation and other dangerous effects.

“K2 use is not limited to the Midwest; reports of its use are cropping up all over the country,” Scalzo said.

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