Science and Technology

Dan Brown's 'Inferno' has heat but no warmth

2013-05-18 08:00:00

Some years ago, I was on a book reviewing panel when someone in the audience asked what we, the panelists, thought of "The Bridges of Madison County," which was then a fixture on bestseller lists. We hemmed and hawed, tried to talk around the question,...

Review: Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' is robotic with heart

2013-05-18 08:00:00

For a sense of the random oddities that dot Daft Punk's strange, funky, cosmic new album, "Random Access Memories," consider a partial discography of the musicians employed by the two Frenchmen in service of its creation. The duo, Thomas Bangalter and...

He's Sky Master at the Vegas Stratosphere: 'I throw people off'

2013-05-18 08:00:00

LAS VEGAS -- When people ask Carlos Lucero what he does for a living, his answer often stops them in their tracks. “I throw people off the Stratosphere," he says jokingly. Lucero is the man who stands between a person taking the 855-foot...

USC made its offer to neuroscientists a no-brainer

2013-05-18 05:00:00

The courtship that has riveted the neuroscience world blossomed at a Saturday night dinner in a tony Brentwood restaurant. USC provost Elizabeth Garrett and executive vice provost Michael Quick kept the conversation light. Over chicken with braised...

Harlequin ladybird can be a pest in disguise

2013-05-18 05:00:00

The harlequin ladybird was once a stalwart ally of greenhouse growers around the world. Native to Japan, Korea and other parts of eastern Asia, the bright red ladybugs were prized for their aphid-eating abilities — until they caused serious declines...

Watch: Space rock strikes moon with force of 5 tons of TNT

2013-05-18 06:00:00

The biggest explosion ever recorded on the moon was caused by a space rock roughly the size of a beach ball. It weighed 80 pounds and was just over 1 foot wide, but it was going incredibly fast, traveling through space at speeds of 56,000 mph. And...

‘Sonic the Hedgehog:’ New game to be among Nintendo exclusives

2013-05-17 10:42:18

J.J. Abrams on ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: ‘Spectacle is irrelevant’

2013-05-17 08:02:16

Syrian soldiers warned daily of sectarian dangers, defectors say

2013-05-17 17:56:00

MARAAT NUMAN, Syria — Each morning, after saluting the Syrian flag and before the warplanes take off, soldiers at army bases across Syria are given political orientation. During the lectures, conscripts and career officers alike are repeatedly...

Letters: A lot of errors going around

2013-05-17 17:44:00

Obviously the owners of the Angels and Dodgers have never heard of team chemistry. Arte Moreno and the Guggenheim Guy thought they could build better teams just by adding more expensive elements. Here's a lesson from Chemistry 101: You won't improve...

Grand fire burns through 3,800 acres; crews attack from air

2013-05-17 06:03:00

More than 1,400 firefighters were on the lines Friday, battling a brush fire that’s burned through more than 3,800 acres in Ventura and Kern counties since Wednesday. The Grand fire is 25% contained, and the threatened Hungry Valley State Park and...

L.A. Philharmonic concerned about potential subway noise

2013-05-17 06:12:00

Nothing in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's repertoire calls for 135-ton trains. The orchestra aims to keep it that way when Metro light rail cars start rumbling through a subway tunnel near Walt Disney Concert Hall. Experts who know the hall's...

The St. Petersburg Pier, built in 1973, will be closing May 31, 2013. The pier is a popular landmark for visitors as well as locals. The Army Corps of Engineering is still reviewing the City Of St Petersburg's application requesting a permit to demolish the Pier. (Tom Benitez/Orlando Sentinel)

2013-05-16 00:00:00

Lt. Col. Jack Fischer sits inside the motion-based Research Flight Deck simulator at NASA-Langley on May 16. Fischer, who is based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, is using the simulator training to evaluate the characteristics of the Dream Chaser spacecraft.

2013-05-16 00:00:00

Lt. Col. Jack Fischer sits inside the motion-based Research Flight Deck simulator at NASA-Langley on Thursday. Fischer, who is based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, is using the simulator training to evaluate the characteristics of the Dream Chaser spacecraft.

2013-05-16 00:00:00