Secret Ingredient Roundup
A compound found in apple peels could prevent muscle wasting.
A Nestling Mystery
A listener asks: How do baby birds get enough water when they’re still in the nest?
Neanderthal Hands
Evidence from ancient teeth suggests that most Neanderthals were right-handed, like us.
Barbie Effect
To study how we perceive our environment, scientists created the illusion of being either Barbie doll-sized or gigantic.
Blind Echolocation
Blind people who can echolocate use their brain's visual center to do so.
Fat Master Regulator
A “master regulator” gene in fat tissue may affect diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, and other conditions.
Habitable Exoplanet
Climate modeling has identified the first exoplanet that really could support life.
Ozone-Scrubbing Skin
Dead skin flakes in dust help remove ozone from indoor air.
Brainy Noses
We may owe our large brains in part to the earliest mammals’ sense of smell.
Sleep-Deprived Brains
A brain chemical called adenosine plays a major role in symptoms of sleep deprivation.
Silky Tarantula Feet
Tarantulas produce life-saving silk from their feet.
Healthy Handshakes
A new study investigates whether shaking hands spreads germs.
SETI Star Survey
Astronomers are listening for radio signals from star systems that are most likely to harbor life.
Toxic Animal Roundup
Cats are transmitting a dangerous brain disease to wildlife.
Movie Star Marriages
Even movie stars tend to choose spouses with similar education levels.
Brainless Navigation
Although they lack real brains, box jellyfish can follow landmarks above the water's surface.
Gender-Biased Children’s Books
Children’s books are dominated by male characters.
Starless Starfish
A starfish without arms makes scientists rethink how they classify animals.
Sleep Roundup
New research sheds light on what’s going on in the brains of sleeping teenagers.
Erasing Memories
Scientists have extinguished, or at least greatly weakened, a long-term memory in a sea snail.
Tsunamis & Sealife
A listener asks: What happens to the seafloor and to sealife when tsunamis hit?
Breathing Video Games
Kids with cystic fibrosis are trying a video game-based breathing therapy.