The Sun’s Temperature
A listener asks: How hot is the surface of the sun?
Weightless Flies
Magnetically levitated flies may help researchers study the effects of weightlessness.
Fastest Spinning Star
A powerful telescope has detected the fastest rotating star yet.
Solar Energy Roundup
Researchers have created a combination of fool’s gold and silicon that could be used to make inexpensive solar cells.
Supercooled Water
On a molecular level, water doesn't have to become ice until minus-55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Light-Based Pacemaker
Scientists have designed a pacemaker that restarts the heart with light instead of electricity.
Podcast for 4 November 2011
THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT & VISION - A pacemaker that restarts the heart with light, and a secret code made from fluorescent bacteria. And, could a lack of outdoor activity be making kids more nearsighted? Also: new research suggests that IQ might not be as stable as once thought.
Mirage Cloaking
A new technique creates a “mirage effect” underwater, making objects seemingly vanish.
Anti-Magnets
Scientists have designed a theoretical anti-magnet. If it works in practice, it could have profound effects on both medicine and industry.
Podcast for 7 October 2011
MERCURY SPECIAL REPORT - The MESSENGER spacecraft is revealing new discoveries about the planet closest to our Sun.
Darkest Planet
Scientists have identified the darkest known extrasolar planet.
Climate Roundup
Climate scientists who want to know how airplanes might affect the climate are gaining new insights by looking nearly seventy years into the past.
Ultrasound Safety
A listener asks: Can medical ultrasound damage your ears?
Medical Roundup
New research lends clues to why a bad sunburn hurts so much.
Podcast for 8 July 2011
NOISE & NAVIGATION: Bats maneuver in the dark with the help of microscopic wing hairs, researchers expose a dolphin's secret sonar, killer whale ears inspire better microphones, and how a tiny bug with a big sound has eluded biologists for centuries. Also: Do humans have an internal compass?
Rainbow Polymer
Color-shifting polymers could make money and other documents harder to copy.
Deaf Vision
The retinas of people who have been deaf from birth enhance their peripheral vision.
Reindeer Vision
Reindeer can detect ultraviolet light with their retinas, which may help them survive dark Arctic winters.
Podcast for 3 June 2011 – Searching for Life in Outer Space
Astronomers are using new tools to look for life in outer space. And, the search for intelligent life in the universe is targeting the best candidate planets. Also: how tsunamis impact sealife.
3-D Space Map
Using light from quasars, scientists are mapping the distant universe.
Podcast for 11 March 2011: Animal Adaptations
Regional dialects in gibbons, a squid attack pheromone, bats and carnivorous plants, and why frogs are slimy.