Planet Search
Looking for earth-like planets with the Infrared Space Observatory satellite
Calorie Counting
Are calories in food counted with a calorimeter? (not really, conversion factors are used)
Eye Tracking
Using an eye-tracking device to learn how children process spoken language
Hot Fire
Why is fire hot? (a rapid chemical reaction releases a lot of energy and heat)
Persistent Pollutants
Calculating the dose fraction for thousands of pollutants to assess how harmful they are to humans
Stem Cells & Parkinson’s
Ethical issues prevent human embryonic stem cells from being studied widely as a treatment for Parkinson's disease
Atmospheric Mixing
Why don't the different gases in atmosphere separate into layers? (wind keeps them mixed)
Learning English
Computerized speech can teach Japanese adults to distinguish Ôr' and Ôl'
20/20 Vision
Is it possible to have better than 20/20 vision? (yes, but it's limited by corneal aberrations)
Moral Predictions
People are good at predicting what others will do, but not what they themselves will.
Life Expectancy
Human life expectancy should eventually level off to around 85 years or so-- not keep exceeding expectations like it has in the last 100 years.
Golf Handicaps
How USGA golf handicaps aren't as fair for less-experienced players
Autoimmunity and Women
How pregnancy makes women susceptible to autoimmune diseases, and may shed light on other causes of autoimmune diseases
Global Change
Gathering information on the aspects of global change and how humans affect it
Obesity and Dopamine
How overeating in obesity may be caused by insensitive dopamine receptors in the brain
Insulin Inhaler
An inhaler that allows diabetics to get their insulin by breathing it in
Wheelchairs
Wheelchair-bound individuals in 3rd world countries make the best practical advances in wheelchair engineering
Marine Reserves
National Fish Parks benefit not only fish species, but fishermen as well.
Alcohol and the Heart
How alcohol is the key ingredient in liquor that aids heart health
Arsenic-Loving Ferns
Using ferns to soak up arsenic out of contaminated soil
Solar Flip-Flop
How the Ulysses is gaining new insights as the sun flips its magnetic field at solar maximum