Tricking the Sweet Tooth
Understanding the chemical composition of tomatoes could help manufacturers decrease the sugar content of processed foods.
Zinc & Inflammation
Researchers have pinpointed zinc's role in moderating inflammation.
Podcast for 16 February 2013
2013 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, BOSTON, MA - Researchers are discussing how to treat psychological problems in chimpanzees, and why childbirth is such an ordeal in humans but not in apes. Also: scientific detectives have solved an art mystery. And researchers have unveiled ultrathin, wireless sensors that can monitor your brain activity.
Podcast for 8 February 2013
MICROBIAL LIFE - How antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread, tracing HIV back millions of years, and how life thrives among the storm clouds. Also, a listener's question about the common cold.
Storm Cloud Life
A world of bacterial life inhabits storm clouds high in the atmosphere.
Smartphone Allergy Tester
Smartphones with a small device attached can be used to test for food allergies.
Bioengineering Roundup
Tiny microorganisms are playing a big role in chemical manufacturing.
Rescuing Eggs
A substance called putrescine has the potential to boost fertility in women over 40.
Podcast for 7 December 2012
ARE YOU WREN ENOUGH? Why fairy wrens require their babies to show ID, how coral reefs ask for help, and how one microscopic animal patches itself up with borrowed genes. Also: Host Bob Hirshon went down to NASA Headquarters to report on the discovery of water on the planet Mercury.
Sleepy Roundup
Researchers think they’re found the cause of hypersomnia, a condition which causes people to feel constantly sedated.
Anti-Cheating Hormone
The hormone oxytocin has many functions in the human body. Scientists now think it may also help deter cheating.
Electronic Senses Roundup
An electronic nose can sniff out sleep apnea.
Medicine Improves Nylon
Cancer research may have just solved a big problem for the nylon industry.
Long-lived Eunuchs
Over several centuries in Imperial Korea, eunuchs far outlived their non-castrated counterparts.
Podcast for 12 October 2012
WEIRD SCIENCE: Listen to an archival podcast that delves into the weird and wacky side of science: Behind the legend of the chupacabra, does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis? A physiological explanation for near-death experiences, and animals that live without oxygen.
Podcast for 7 September 2012
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS - A new drug that could block heroin addiction, how mice could speed up AIDS research, and why we're more prone to cancer than our closest living relatives. Also: the two brain chemicals behind sleep paralysis.
Addiction Blocker
A drug called (+)-naloxone blocks the brain’s addiction to heroin and other opiates.
Gibbons on Helium
An experiment with helium shows that gibbons can manipulate their vocal tracts like expert opera singers.
Urban Greening
Strategically placed grass, ivy, and other greenery can significantly improve air quality in urban centers.
Martian Water
An analysis of meteorites suggests that the Martian interior contains much more water than previously suspected.
Podcast for 20 July 2012
HISTORY MEETS SCIENCE - Dairy detectives discover ancient milk, the historical practice of bloodletting gets a second look, and revisiting failed ideas for saving lives. Also: What migraine headaches and the Mutiny on the Bounty have in common.
IV Oxygen
When people stop breathing, they need oxygen fast. New technology could make it possible to get it to them - by bypassing the lungs.