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Over the last few days a thick, grey fog has enveloped the Chinese capital, sending levels of particulate matter - the unit of measuring air pollution - into deeply hazardous territory. Levels of particulate matter 2.5, which can penetrate human lungs and cause respiratory ailments, heart attacks and other health impacts, peaked near 600 micrograms per cubic meter of air in the city. The World Health Organization standard for healthy air is just 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

Since its inception in 1958, NASA has accomplished some pretty spectacular feats of science. Our country has landed humans on the Moon six times. We've successfully put laboratories onto the surface of Mars, and we've flown by every single planet in our solar system, including the recently promoted asteroid-turned-dwarf planet, Ceres.
Despite decades of scientific and technological achievements, some people still think that funding NASA is a waste of money. However, when you do the calculations, it turns out we are actually getting a great value from this government-run agency.

NASA is studying Ceres -- a protoplanet. We are interested in Ceres simply because it is FULL of water. Scientists think that bodies like Ceres could be the source of water on earth. Collisions of two or three of these bodies could have brought all of our water.

Saturn has a ring that is 6 million miles wide.

Photosynthesis is an essential part of the exchange between humans and plants. Amanda Ooten walks us through the process of photosynthesis, also discussing the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber -- and how the air we breathe is related to the food we ingest.

Photosynthesis is an essential part of the exchange between humans and plants. Amanda Ooten walks us through the process of photosynthesis, also discussing the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber -- and how the air we breathe is related to the food we ingest.

Photosynthesis Animation for Kids
This introductory, animated video explains the process of photosynthesis by which plants take in sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce their foodand Oxygen. Suitable for learners/kids new to the concept.

When you picture the lowest levels of the food chain, you might imagine herbivores happily munching on lush, living green plants. But this idyllic image leaves out a huge (and slightly less appetizing) source of nourishment: dead stuff. John C. Moore details the "brown food chain," explaining how such unlikely delicacies as pond scum and animal poop contribute enormous amounts of energy to our ecosystems

After 30 years of missions, NASA finally retired its aging space fleet in 2011. Since then, they've been dependent on Russian capsules to take Americans to and from the ISS, at the prohibitive cost of about $70 billion per astronaut. But recently signed deals with Boeing and SpaceX are supposed to fill the gap, using commercial spacecraft to transport station personnel. Much of the maintenance shown in Wilmore and Virt's video is in preparation for these commercial flights, which are meant to commence in 2017. The footage was intended to give future astronauts an idea of what working on the station would be like when they arrived. Here is a short edit of the clips from the AP:  

Just a week after NASA scientists announced their certainty of finding alien life within the next 20 years, a team of scientists say they've found no obvious signs of advanced extraterrestrial life after searching 100,000 galaxies.

It's a warm, sunny day in April, and all the trees are in bloom. But how did they know it was warm and sunny? And on a warm, sunny day in February, what keeps them from blooming? Scott Aker, a horticulturalist at the U.S. National Arboretum, tells Robinson Meyer how the process works and what to look for.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials want to know who dumped pet goldfish into the state's Teller Lake #5. The lake is now overrun with the fish, which number upwards of 3,000, according to ABC News.

Being non-native, the fish present a threat to other life in the lake.

"Goldfish are not a native species and are very harmful to the local aquatic ecosystem," said Kristin Cannon, district wildlife manager for Boulder, Colo., in a press release. "We strongly encourage the public not to dump their unwanted pet fish in our waters. It is bad for our environment as well as illegal."