Dairy Detectives
Traces of milk fat in pottery confirm that prehistoric North Africans practiced dairy farming.
Tasteless Tomatoes
Scientists discover the biochemistry behind tasteless supermarket tomatoes.
Energy Roundup
Scientists are developing brain implants powered by the body’s own sugars.
Drugs from Nature Roundup
Medical researchers tackle deadly diseases with the help of worms and poppies.
Martian Carbon
Researchers have discovered organic carbon in meteorites from Mars.
Lizard Spit Roundup
A chemical in Gila monster venom suppresses appetite in rats.
Food Chemistry Roundup
New studies reveal why black pepper fights fat cells, and why caffeine could help dry eye syndrome.
Dinosaur Roundup
Dinosaurs may have contributed to ancient global warming.
Raindrop Fossils
Raindrop impressions, preserved for 2.7 billion years, reveal clues about the early Earth's climate.
Self-Healing Plastic
Scientists have developed a plastic that repairs itself when damaged.
Podcast for 13 April 2012
CHEMISTRY & LIFE - What 2-billion-year-old raindrop fossils can tell us about conditions on the early earth. What science is revealing about the artwork of Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh. And a breakthrough in materials science technology yields plastic that can repair itself.
Art Roundup
What caused Leonardo da Vinci’s famous self-portrait to yellow with time, and the genetics behind Vincent Van Gogh’s mutant sunflower paintings.
Comet Harpoon
NASA scientists are testing a harpoon that could bring back samples from comets.
Transplant Roundup
Proteins made from cow collagen could help protect aging gums.
Other Blood Types
New research adds 2 more rare blood type systems to a surprisingly long list.
Heart Hormones & Fat
Hormones released by the heart may help burn fat.
Podcast for 16 March 2012
SCIENCE OF SOCIETY - Do wealthier people tend to have fewer scruples? The social costs of mass incarceration. Seeing-eye smartphones for the blind. And, new evidence calls an accepted tenet of science into question. Also: how to make plastic from plants.
Plants into Plastic
A new technique generates two key plastic components from plant material.
Podcast for 18 February 2012
AAAS 2012 ANNUAL MEETING SPECIAL - This week, we're coming to you from Vancouver, British Columbia, where scientists are gathering to tackle issues or global importance, such as how to boost crop productivity to feed a growing population, and making cookstoves safer for the world's poor. Also: video games to combat cataracts, and ultra-thin electronics printed with silver ink.
Worm Language
Nematode worms have a surprisingly complex communication system.
Podcast for 10 February 2012
Are cyclones and earthquakes related? Why recent bad winters may be the result of global warming. And what life might be like on a planet with two stars. Also: we answer a listener's question about the temperature of the sun.
Kinder, Gentler Monkeys
Rhesus macaque monkeys become kinder after inhaling the hormone oxytocin.