Primates and humans share a sense of fair play Logan knows when he's been handed a raw deal. He and Liam, the monkey next to him, just did the exact same trick and Liam was rewarded with a grape. Logan got a cucumber. Any monkey knows grapes are more prized than that boring old cucumber slice Logan received. So he simply tosses that cucumber slice out of his cage. For more Science Nation, go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

"Turtle Positioning System" helps reptiles on fantastic voyage "There's no off-the-shelf Speedo turtle bathing suit that we know about," laughed biologist Ken Lohmann, as he attached a soft cloth harness, or bathing suit, to a three-month-old loggerhead turtle. For more information and more Science Nation, go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

New material absorbs seven to eight times the energy absorbed by similar foams. Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Afsaneh Rabiei set out to make a material as light as aluminum and stronger than stainless steel. Her goal was to create something that could be used in products that would save lives, save energy and eventually save money, all at the same time. For more information, go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp

Fembot helps researchers study America's most bizarre bird. "The sage grouse is the most elaborate and extreme bird we have in the United States," says Gail Patricelli, an animal behaviorist at the University of California (UC), Davis. "We're basically trying to understand why we have animals that are as amazing and beautiful as the peacocks."

They moved from classroom to observatory to beach, learning about astronomy, video games and digital photography.

Twenty-one sixth- through tenth-grade girls from the San Francisco Bay area spent a week at "Universe Quest" Summer Academy, a camp promoting scientific exploration. Some of the girls have always been hooked on math and science, but for others, it's a brand new adventure.

A massive shake table test in Japan could lead to safer wood-frame buildings in earthquake zones.
In the end, it swayed but didn't fall. Perched atop the largest shake table in the world and subjected to a massive simulated earthquake, this six-story, wood-frame condominium stood tall, and the success of the test may lead to safer, taller wood-frame building construction in earthquake zones.

Sunspots have fascinated mankind right from their first detection. Their mere existence challenged science and philosophy when it was recognized that the sun, once believed to be pure and unchanging, was indeed not. Now, state-of-the art telescopes, combined with the muscle of a supercomputer called "Bluefire," are allowing scientists to come to a physics understanding of sunspots and to accurately model their structure and dynamics.

From rats to robots: The story of the humble whisker. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Mitra Hartmann, associate professor at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, and her students are beginning to get a feel for how animals perceive the world around them. The team starts by looking at one of the most powerful sensory systems in nature: the rat whisker system.

Muscle fibers, DNA and plastics are all examples of polymers. Watch this video to learn more.

Dive in with NSF funded researcher John Long and his robotic sharks. A professor at Vassar College, Dr. Long and his team study real live sharks and their vertebral columns. They then takes these findings and design computer models and artificial vertebral columns to understand sharks' movement and biomechanics.