Vanilla Medicine
A drug based on vanilla could be a treatment for sickle cell disease.
Walking Roundup
Moderate exercise helps lower the risk of mental impairment in older people.
Doping Sensor
Development of a handheld device for detecting illegal steroids in blood
Genes and Sex
DNA analysis shows that fewer males than females have reproduced over evolutionary time.
Changing Fish
Fishing not only reduces numbers of fish but causes evolutionary changes.
Malaria Roundup
Getting ideas for drugs from watching what sick chimps eat, and a compound that kills mosquito larvae.
Antibacterial Sludge
The antibacterial compound triclocarban is found in organic sludge used as fertilizer.
Depression Circuit
People with a history of depression have an overactive brain circuit triggered by dips in serotonin.
Baby Corn
What is baby corn? (Corn harvested 1 to 3 days after the silks appear. It's really corn!)
Working Memory
Working memory can be improved with five weeks of intensive training.
Drugs in the Environment
Medicines that we take end up in the environment, and those drugs can disrupt the hormones of wild animals.
Earth’s Vital Organs
Earth has vital organs -- critical systems -- that interact in complicated and unexpected ways.
Hearts and Worms
Studying a potassium channel that can trigger heart arrhythmia when blocked.
Earth Simulator
The world's fastest supercomputer is being used to model earth systems.
Ocean Census
The Census of Marine Life has found many new species near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Grapefruit Roundup
Grapefruit helped people lose weight, and testing a grapefruit compound that boosts the activity of certain drugs.
Thinking & Counting
The Piraha tribe of Brazil's simple counting system shows that humans have to estimate numbers above four.
Tell-Tale Heart
An implantable device can shock a heart back into its normal rhythm.
Asymmetry & Aggression
People who have asymmetrical features are more aggressive, a connection made in the womb.
Music and I.Q.
Music lessons increase children's I.Q. more than other types of lessons.
Forest Plants
Harvesting of moss for sale on the black market, and selling an ecologically friendly chocolate bar.