Fringe Is on the Right Track With Code-Cracking Science

The Fringe team encounters the Observers—strange men who keep a log of mysterious code that the agents must try to crack. PM spoke with etymologist Rex Curry about deciphering ancient codes and symbols to see how (and if) it can be done. Click For More.

• PLUS: Knowing Blends Science Fact with Fiction

Dwayne Johnson Promotes Space Exploration for NASA (Video!)

In Planet 51, Dwayne Johnson voices Chuck, an astronaut who lands on an extra-solar planet populated by aliens—so NASA felt he was the perfect person to spearhead the agency's new series of public service announcements. Click For More.

• PLUS: What's Next for NASA After Space Shuttle Retires?

Leonid Meteor Shower Dazzled, Impressed: Gallery

Did you see the Leonid meteor shower? Or was it just too cloudy to spot the shooting stars? Well, PM has the next best thing: images of the shower in full swing—as well as a calendar of North American meteor showers so that you don’t miss the next event. Click For More.

• PLUS: 6 Can't Miss North American Meteor Showers

This Is Not Your Grade School Solar System: Gallery

In the last 30 years, new instruments and methods have acted together to form one giant, interdisciplinary zoom lens on our planetary companions. Here, planet by planet, is a quick guide to how our vision of the solar system has changed. Click For More.

• PLUS: 9 Wildest Exoplanets Ever Spotted

Microsoft Launches Office 2010 Beta: First Impressions

Microsoft officially launched its Office 2010 public beta today. We've been playing with the software for about a week now. Here is what we think of the package so far. Click For More.

• PLUS: How to Sync Outlook With Google Calendar

Hopes Stirring at NASA for Ares Engineering Vindication: Exclusive

When NASA released news of troubles surrounding the Ares I rocket's propensity to shake violently, critics were quick to jeer. But now engineers are optimistic that the fears have been overstated after reviewing early data from the Ares I-X's test flight. Click For More.

• PLUS: Why NASA's Ares I Is Important

IBM Reveals the Biggest Artificial Brain of All Time

IBM has revealed the biggest artificial brain of all time, a simulation run by a 147,456-processor supercomputer. Will we ever get to truly capable artificial intelligence? PM reports from IBM's Almaden research center to find out. Click For More.

• PLUS: The Singularity is Here—Now What?

Viewtopia 11/17/09: Top 5 DVDs of the Week (With Video!)

This week, Star Trek and Evangleion: 1.01 boldly reimagine two classic sci-fi franchises, while the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia celebrate the joys of Christmas in their own "unique" way. Click For More.

• PLUS: Science Lessons Learned from the New Star Trek

7 Small Drills Bore It Out: Tool Comparison Test

How much cordless drill do you need? Probably not as much as you think. We gathered seven drills with nearly identical features. Then we drilled holes with a 5/8-inch spade bit and drove 2-inch drywall screws until the batteries gave out. Here’s our report. Click For More.

• PLUS: PM Tests Larger, 18-Volt Cordless Drills

Aptera's False Rumors: Founders Not "Ousted"—On Vacation

Recent reports claiming that Aptera motors founders were "ousted in a boardroom showdown" appear to be false. Click For More.

• PLUS: Three-Wheelers Approved for DOE Funding

Five Body Parts You May Be Able to Regrow Soon(ish)

While humans may never be able to regenerate body parts they've lost, scientists are perfecting ways to create different types of replacement tissue using stem cells or techniques that kick-start regrowth and development. Click For More.

• PLUS: Could Animal DNA Cure Human Diseases?

Why GM Might Repay Its Loans Early Despite Losses: Analysis:

General Motors has not yet turned profitable since emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last July. That's no surprise. What is surprising is that the automaker is going to start repaying its government loans beginning in 2010, five years ahead of schedule. Click For More.

• PLUS: GM's Lutz Will Take Reins of Opel

The Retirement of the Space Shuttle—And What's Next for NASA

At this pivotal moment in manned space flight history, PM looks back at our coverage of the technology behind the Constellation Program and the development of the International Space Station, as well as news surrounding the Space Shuttles. Click For More.

• PLUS: The Uncertain Future of the ISS

2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6 Test Drive

BMW's ActiveHybrid X6 is a forward-looking crossover with a hatchback SUV-style design. But does the performance-oriented hybrid pack enough efficiency to make it worth an extra 20 grand? Let's see. Click For More.

• PLUS: 2010 Corvette Grand Sport Vs. BMW M3

The Top 8 Dinosaur Discoveries of 2009

Paleontologists have had a good year, bringing a slew of new dinosaurs to the books. We pored through the many finds to bring you the best horned, bird-footed, feathered and, of course, ferocious new dinosaurs unveiled this year. Click For More.

• PLUS: A Paleontologist's Tools of the Trade

NASA Confirms There Is Water on the Moon—But Where Did It Come From?

A month after it sent the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) probe hurtling into the Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole, NASA revealed today that it has uncovered irrefutable evidence of "significant quantities" of water. Click For More.

• PLUS: Why NASA Should Bomb the Moon to Find Water

Is Fringe's Ritalin-Inspired Mind Control Cocktail Possible?

The latest episode of Fringe had us thinking about mind control theories. To sort the pseudo- from the science, we talked to Steven Novella, clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. Click For More.

• PLUS: On Fringe, Radiation Ghoul is Pure Fiction

The Anatomy of a Disaster Scene in the Movie 2012

Here, 2012 director Roland Emmerich and the film's visual-effects supervisors take us behind the scenes of the film to show PM how a team of 100 artists created the ultimate disaster sequence. Click For More.

• PLUS: Q&A with Director Roland Emmerich