| April 18, 2012 |
Self-Healing Plastic
- Scientists have developed a plastic that repairs itself when damaged.
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| April 13, 2012 |
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.
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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.
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| April 4, 2012 |
Light Circuits
- Researchers are designing faster, smaller circuits that use light instead of electricity.
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| February 17, 2012 |
Safer Cookstoves
- Cleaner cookstoves could save millions of lives and slow global warming.
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| February 16, 2012 |
Silver Ink
- A silver ink makes better ultra-thin, printable electronics.
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| January 27, 2012 |
Light Roundup
- The sunflower’s spirals inspire new solar power plant design.
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| January 13, 2012 |
Podcast for 13 January 2012
- SOUNDS & SENSES - Researchers replay some of the first audio recordings ever made. Chimpanzees, like humans, associate certain sounds with certain colors. Can your posture affect how you perceive numbers? Pigeons that learn to count. And spiders with brainy legs.
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| January 2, 2012 |
The Oldest Oldies
- Some of the first sound recordings ever made are finally being heard again.
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| December 23, 2011 |
New Materials Roundup
- New fabric coatings could allow clothes to clean and disinfect themselves simply by hanging out in the sun.
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| December 16, 2011 |
Solar Energy Roundup
- Researchers have created a combination of fool’s gold and silicon that could be used to make inexpensive solar cells.
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| December 2, 2011 |
Energy Technology Roundup
- Researchers unveil new designs for longer-life batteries.
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| December 1, 2011 |
Building With Viruses
- Researchers have turned viruses into molecular building blocks.
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| November 3, 2011 |
Mirage Cloaking
- A new technique creates a “mirage effect” underwater, making objects seemingly vanish.
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| November 1, 2011 |
Nanotube Muscles
- Improved artificial muscle fibers can twist at high speeds while carrying heavy loads.
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| October 26, 2011 |
Anti-Magnets
- Scientists have designed a theoretical anti-magnet. If it works in practice, it could have profound effects on both medicine and industry.
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| October 21, 2011 |
Aquarium Fish Aggression
- Bigger tanks and richer environments reduce aggression in popular pet fish.
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| October 20, 2011 |
Woolly Mammoth Blood
- A replica of woolly mammoth blood protein may lead to treatments for hypothermia and improvements in surgery.
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| October 19, 2011 |
Tooth Regeneration
- A new technique can reverse early tooth decay without drilling.
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| October 18, 2011 |
Slick Pitcher Plants
- The specialized leaves of carnivorous pitcher plants are inspiring the next generation of super-slick materials.
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| September 8, 2011 |
Electronic Skin
- Engineers have packed medical electronics into a thin, stretchy temporary tattoo.
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| August 26, 2011 |
Podcast for 26 August 2011
- FEAR, LIES & SHRINKING BRAINS - Why our brains shrink, but chimps' don't, why computers are better at spotting lies than we are, and an enzyme for fear. Also, medical electronics that resemble tattoos, and how organic chicken farms could be a boon to public health.
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| June 29, 2011 |
Rainbow Polymer
- Color-shifting polymers could make money and other documents harder to copy.
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| May 13, 2011 |
Beetle Technology Roundup
- Beetles are inspiring new design technologies.
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| May 5, 2011 |
Anti-Explosive Spray
- An inky spray changes color when explosives are detected.
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| April 29, 2011 |
Toxin Filters Roundup
- In the event of a nuclear accident, a new filter made of natural materials could treat water contaminated with radioactive iodine.
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| March 14, 2011 |
Slimy Frog Skin
- A listener asks: Why is frog skin slimy?
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| February 25, 2011 |
Animal Strength
- Mother of pearl gets its strength from the combination of two very different kinds of materials.
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| February 24, 2011 |
Similar Snowflakes
- A listener asks: Why do snowflakes appear so similar to each other?
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| February 20, 2011 |
Podcast for 20 February 2011
- ANNUAL MEETING SPECIAL: The new science of aeroecology, deconstructing taste preferences, new ways to store energy, and 3-D printers that could one day produce replacement organs.
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| January 27, 2011 |
Sea Urchin Teeth
- The sea urchin's super-sharp could inspire new nano-materials.
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| January 20, 2011 |
Solar Wasps
- Wasps that harvest the sun's rays could inspire solar cell design.
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| January 7, 2011 |
Podcast
- NATURE OF INVENTION: Sea urchin teeth could inspire new nano-materials, and hornet stripes could lead to better solar technology. Also: automatic transmissions could revolutionize electric wheelchairs, and there's new research on the genetics of hair color and male pattern baldness.
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E-Book Roundup
- Electronic paper could bring video to newspapers and magazines.
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| December 2, 2010 |
Speedy Diodes
- A new processor technology may potentially supplant the silicon chip.
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| September 22, 2010 |
Mica Life Hypothesis
- A new hypothesis suggests that life began between ultra-thin sheets of minerals.
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| September 13, 2010 |
Moons of Jupiter
- Designing instruments for planned missions to explore Jupiter's many moons requires a combination of scientific acumen and engineering skill.
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| September 10, 2010 |
Podcast
- FLU SEASON: Can exercise help stave off illness? Changes to the seasonal flu vaccine, bacterial surprises, and better ways to purify water in developing countries. Also: did life originate between mica sheets?
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| September 8, 2010 |
Motor Oil
- A listener asks what the numbers on a bottle of motor oil mean.
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| August 27, 2010 |
Podcast
- Cold weather heart attacks, a new test for ovarian cancer, high-elevation adaptations, what the numbers on a bottle of motor oil mean, and a telephone translator.
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| August 6, 2010 |
Podcast
- SUNSCREEN & SUPPLEMENTS: Sunscreens from ivy, why tanning oil speeds up skin damage, and when to apply sunscreen. Also: the link between fructose and pancreatic cancer, and over-the-counter weight-loss supplements fail the grade.
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| August 4, 2010 |
Ivy Sunscreen
- English ivy produces natural nano-sized particles that could improve sunscreens.
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| June 30, 2010 |
Sharkskin Paint
- A paint modeled on sharkskin could reduce drag on aircraft and save fuel.
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| June 28, 2010 |
Forgery-Foiling Butterflies
- The colors that make up some butterfly wings could help foil forgery.
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| June 11, 2010 |
Podcast
- ANIMALS: Vibrating frogs, confused ducks, forgery-foiling butterflies, and the unsung heroes of the savanna.
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| June 9, 2010 |
Hydrogen Catalyst
- A new molecular catalyst may make clean hydrogen power economically viable.
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| June 7, 2010 |
Waste into Plastic
- Scientists have developed a way to turn municipal waste into biodegradable plastic.
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| June 4, 2010 |
Podcast
- TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: Ecologically-friendly plastic, a cleaner way to produce hydrogen fuel, cell phone air sensors, the perils of spaceflight, the ethical implications of synthetic life, and more.
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| June 2, 2010 |
Chitosan
- A material found in lobster shells helps repair damaged nerves.
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| May 7, 2010 |
Biofuels Roundup
- Researchers look into novel new biofuel sources.
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