Whale Energy
The shape of humpback whale flippers could make wind energy more efficient.
Podcast
The mosquito's exquisite sense of smell. How genes affect our odor perception. The cognitive skills of apes and toddlers. New analysis of old fossils leads to surprising discoveries. And how forensic scientists get DNA from blood.
Apes vs. Toddlers
Although equivalent in many intellectual tasks, human toddlers are much better than apes in social thinking.
Podcast
Ice that won't melt. Finches driven to cheat. How music effects the brain. Increased carbon dioxide produces super weeds.
HPV and cancer in men.
Unfaithful Finches
Noise pollution from humans makes finches unfaithful.
Podcast
Why the flu strikes in winter. The genetic code of one species found inside another's. Salamanders that are too fat to be eaten by predators. Why some of us have perfect pitch and others fall flat. And the effects of pastries on blood sugar.
Fat Salamanders
Some salamander larvae eat more so they won't fit in predators' mouths.
Podcast
Antibiotics made out of Teflon. A new diet for chickens. A virus that can cause obesity? Why things aren't quite as bad as we think they'll be. And just how fast can dolphins swim?
Speedy Dolphins
A listener asks: Is it true that dolphins can swim as as fast as 20 miles per hour?
Podcast
Counting underwater volcanoes. A new source of antibiotics. Which trees are better at fighting global warming. The power of repeating yourself. And crows that use tools to get food. video
Crow Tools
Crows use tools and higher order reasoning to solve a challenging puzzle.
Podcast
A computer with a sense of humor. Frisky foxes. Giant insects of the ancient earth. And more.
Fox Sex
Scientists used to think arctic foxes were monogamous, but new research reveals a different mating strategy may be advantageous.
Diet Foods
A new study shows that diet foods could lead to overeating in children.
Human Traits Roundup
Scientists gain insights into two essentially human traits: walking and talking.
Podcast
Sparrows that prefer up-to-date songs, glaciers and global warming, upwardly mobile robots, bacteria to combat oil spills, and how self-tanners work.
Sparrow Song
Song dialects make a big difference when white-crowned sparrows choose mates and defend territories.
Podcast
Do women really talk more than men? Insects that explode to foil predators. Energy from vibrations. What happens to our brains when we get thirsty. A skin test to predict behavioral problems.
Podcast
How fetuses breathe inside the womb, rats that help out other rats, ancient chile peppers found in Mexico, why we yawn, and the surprising forms alien life might take.
Podcast
Listening to muscles, yoga may stave off depression, a blood-based bandage, a protein inhibits aging in fruitflies, and whether lizards or snakes evolved first.
Snake v. Lizard
A listener asks: Which came first, the lizard or the snake?
Podcast
Why cows have four stomachs, a new development in wireless electricity, babies' surprising eye for language, a genetic typo detector, and an archaeological debunking.