Crazy Alien Weather: Lightning-Filled Rocket Dust Storms of Mars

Scientists have modeled the internal workings of lightning-filled “rocket dust storms” on Mars that rise at speeds 100 times faster than ordinary storms and inject dust high into the Martian atmosphere.The Red Planet is a very dry and dusty place, with global storms that sometimes obscure the entire surface. Satellites orbiting Mars have seen persistent dust layers reaching very high altitudes,...

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Lorne Michaels comedy pilot lands at NBC

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “Saturday Night Live” boss Lorne Michaels is broadening his relationship with NBC via a new comedy pilot.The untitled project will star stand-up comic (and “SNL” writer) John Mulaney, and is loosely based on his life.Mulaney will also write and executive-produce the project, with Michaels, Andrew Singer, Dave Becky and David Miner also executive-producing.The project will...

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Religious Groups and Employers Battle Contraception Mandate

Shawn Thew/European Pressphoto AgencyPresident Obama, with his health secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, offering a compromise on the contraception mandate last year. In a flood of lawsuits, Roman Catholics, evangelicals and Mennonites are challenging a provision in the new health care law that requires employers to cover birth control in employee health plans — a high-stakes clash between religious freedom...

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Diner’s Journal Blog: PepsiCo Will Halt Use of Additive in Gatorade

PepsiCo announced on Friday that it would no longer use an ingredient in Gatorade after consumers complained.The ingredient, brominated vegetable oil, which was used in citrus versions of the sports drink to prevent the flavorings from separating, was the object of a petition started on Change.org by Sarah Kavanagh, a 15-year-old from Hattiesburg, Miss., who became concerned about the ingredient after...

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Court rules Obama recess appointments unconstitutional

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court, dealing a defeat to President Obama, has sharply limited the chief executive’s power to...

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Cowboys Trade Spurs for Skis in Colorado's Wild Downhill Rodeo

Cowboys wait their turn during the slalom competition at the 39th Annual Bud Light Cowboy Downhill, a mashup of rodeo and skiing that drew 90 people from as far away as Australia.STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colorado — Ski rodeo is a perfect weird sport for Colorado, a place with a long history of ranching, a deep love of skiing and people only too happy to combine the two.Downhill cowboys, and cowgirls,...

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Booker winner Mantel says play next “logical step”

LONDON (Reuters) – Double Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel said the characters in her historical novels about the rise of Thomas Cromwell will take the next “logical step” to a stage adaptation at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) this year.Mantel said in a video interview on the RSC website this week that she has always longed to give “solid form” to her depictions of Cromwell, Henry VIII...

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SciTimes Update: Science News From Around the Web

Matthew Born for The New York TimesAn estimated 15,000 crocodiles, like this one, have escaped from a farm in Limpopo, South Africa. Friday in science, crocodiles on the loose, coffee fraud, a sleepy squirrel wakes up and melting glaciers. Check out these headlines from around the Web. Crocodiles on the Loose: An estimated 15,000 crocodiles have escaped from a farm in Limpopo, South Africa,...

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DealBook: S.E.C. Pick Is Ex-Prosecutor, in Signal to Wall Street

9:13 p.m. | Updated The White House delivered a strong message to Wall Street on Thursday, taking the unusual step of choosing two former prosecutors as top financial regulators.But translating that message into action will not be easy, given the complexities of the market and Wall Street’s aggressive nature.At a short White House ceremony, President Obama named Mary Jo White, the first female United...

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'California did the impossible,' Brown says in State of the State

SACRAMENTO -- In a strident and sweeping State of the State address, Gov. Jerry Brown declared Thursday morning that "California...

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