Scientists say the recent Chilean earthquake may have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 microseconds.

Bing Crosby almost became a lawyer. But he began his music career with a set of mail-order drums.

Researchers at Imperial College London have transformed sugars in fast-growing trees and grasses into a polymer that can be used to make plastic. Plastics made from oil can take hundreds of years to decompose, but the new material would break down in a matter of months.

In the early 1800s, men drank an average of 3.7 gallons a year of distilled spirits.
By the end of the 1800s, it was an average of 5 gallons a person.

Since 2003, the decline in divorce rates has been mainly in states that have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage.

This article appears in March 12 • 2010.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US