NASA Rover Closing in on Mars to Hunt for Life Clues, Rising Seas Threaten California's Coastal Past - 7/30 KQED Science News Roundup

NASA rover closing in on Mars to hunt for life cluesCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Sun Jul 29, 2012 4:15pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's Mars rover was on its final approach to the red planet on Sunday, heading toward a mountain that may hold clues about whether life has ever existed on Mars, officials said.

Rising Seas Threaten California's Coastal PastRising Seas Threaten California's Coastal Past Higher tides and increased erosion will wipe out archaeological sites On a sunny day earlier this summer at Point Reyes National Seashore, I scrambled behind Mike Newland as he clambered across gullies and bushwhacked through thigh-high lupine.

Delta folks hot over water tunnel plandownstream residents are convinced they're being set up for ruin by a multibillion-dollar plan, backed by Gov. Jerry Brown and federal officials, to build massive twin tunnels to divert water south from the Sacramento River near the small town of Hood.

Russian cargo ship redocks with space stationMOSCOW (AP) â An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft has redocked with the International Space Station after an aborted attempt five days earlier. The Progress cargo ship had separated from the station a week ago to perform engineering tests and try out a new docking system and had been due to reconnect with the station on Tuesday.

Olympic Games and the tricky science of telling men from womenOf all the obstacles athletes have had to overcome to compete in the Olympics, perhaps the most controversial has been the gender test. Originally designed to prevent men from competing in women's events, it is based on the premise that competitors can be sorted into two categories via established scientific rules.

Scientists unlock ocean CO2 secrets key to climate: studySINGAPORE (Reuters) - From giant whirlpools to currents 1,000 km wide, scientists said on Monday they have uncovered how vast amounts of carbon are locked away in the depths of the Southern Ocean, boosting researchers ability to detect the impact of climate change.