The possibility that someone could make a living on scientific research grants outside of an academic or government lab seems almost unthinkable. But Robert Gaskell, a retired planet-mapping expert formerly of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, has managed to make it happen. As explained in today's New York Times, Dr. Gaskell works from home making digital topographic maps of Mercury, Saturn's moons, the asteroid Eros, and more. Gaskell might even be in need of an assistant.

The publisher of The Journal of Cell Biology has released an application for sharing biological image data associated with published research called the JCB DataViewer. The viewer not only permits sharing of original image files, but also allows viewers to perform simple analyses of the images. The video above shows how users can analyze the images online. The application was created through a collaboration between The Journal of Cell Biology, Xpresstrack, and Glencoe Software using open source technology developed by the Open Microscopy Environment.

Who has time to go to class anymore? Especially if you have a full-time job and a family. Maybe you want to get a Master's degree but can't take time off during business hours to attend class or don't live close to a major university. Luckily for you, Columbia University offers a wide range of online graduate degrees in engineering through the Columbia Video Network (CVN), which posts video recorded lectures online within hours of the lecture presented on the Columbia University campus. According to the Columbia website,

"CVN students take the same classes, have the same homework assignments, and take the same exams as their on-campus counterparts. The only difference is in location. CVN students can earn the same degree as on-campus students: a Master of Science (MS) or Professional Degree (PD) from Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science."