Recent Votes

• How to see the eclipse anywhere

  If the weather cooperates, millions of people can witness Sunday's rare "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse — but what if you're one of the billions who can't? You can still watch the event online. That's what Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, is pla …

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• African-American's roots revised

  If you're an African-American, tracing your roots back to the ancestral continent is hard enough — but tracing them back to the ancestral family? That requires genetic testing, plus family-history scholarship, plus trips to Africa, plus a little bit of faith. William Hollan …

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• Brain-teasers for blog birthday

  We're not only closing out the week — we're closing out the first 10 years of Cosmic Log. It was on May 13, 2002, that I first began noting the follies and mysteries of science, space and society in this space. To mark the occasion, I'm presenting not just one, not just two …

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• The World at Night finds beauty in darkness and light

  Light pollution never looked so good: The World at Night's annual photography contest highlights the beauties of the night sky, but it also highlights the challenges posed by humanity's efforts to light up the night. This year's winners reveal how artificial lighting can add anot …

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• Pros and cons in the bee debate

  Is a widely used pesticide to blame for making bees disappear? The debate over a class of chemicals known as neonicotinoids was the focus of a spot on NBC's "Nightly News" tonight, and NBC News' Anne Thompson has supplemented her TV report with a couple of Web-only videos present …

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