| May 16, 2012 |
Spoiled Milk
- A listener asks why milk goes bad more quickly than other beverages.
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| May 11, 2012 |
Podcast for 11 May 2012
- BIRDS & DINOSAURS - Scientists discover T. Rex's feathered cousin, did dino gas warm the ancient earth? And giant fleas that may have pestered the prehistoric giants. Also: why the amorous pursuits of an Australian bird has turned it into a horticulturalist, and how ravens keep track of friend and foe.
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| May 8, 2012 |
Gardening Birds
- Male Spotted Bowerbirds unintentionally cultivate ornamental plants while attempting to woo the opposite sex.
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| March 26, 2012 |
Australian Extinction
- Human hunters drove Australia’s largest animals to extinction around 40,000 years ago.
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| March 23, 2012 |
Podcast for 23 March 2012
- EVOLUTION & EXTINCTION - What really happened to Australia's missing megafauna, how carnivores lost their sweet tooth, why lovelorn fruit flies resort to alcohol, strategic miscarriages in monkeys, and a new frog species is discovered in plain sight.
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| March 7, 2012 |
Plants into Plastic
- A new technique generates two key plastic components from plant material.
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| February 22, 2012 |
Boosting Photosynthesis
- Researchers are trying to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis in crops like soybeans, rice and potatoes to feed the world’s growing population.
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| February 18, 2012 |
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.
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| January 13, 2012 |
Flora & Fauna Roundup
- Researchers have discovered what makes buttercups so shiny.
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| December 16, 2011 |
Podcast for 16 December 2011
- BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT - why dirty laundry could be damaging the environment, how to make wine growing compatible with wildlife, what the Monarch butterfly genome can tell us about their epic migrations, and how wasps see faces.
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| December 9, 2011 |
DNA Fingerprint Roundup
- New uses for DNA fingerprinting include tracking deadly tse-tse flies and identifying species from ancient soil samples.
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| November 24, 2011 |
Wine & Wildlife
- Wildlife often suffer from our insatiable need for agricultural land. But researchers in California are finding that birds and vineyards can actually benefit each other.
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| September 29, 2011 |
Gypsy Moth Virus
- A single gene in a lethal virus makes gypsy moth caterpillars stop molting and eat constantly.
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| September 23, 2011 |
Podcast for 23 September 2011
- PLANETS & PATHOGENS - Gardening for Mars, the darkest planet, a parasite that turns rats against themselves, telling the viruses from the bacteria, and the link between caffeine and skin cancer prevention.
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| September 9, 2011 |
Podcast for 9 September 2011
- MARVELS OF EVOLUTION - A prehistoric pregnancy clears up a Mesozoic mystery. The economics of plant-fungi cooperation. How to get six butterflies in one. Counting up the species on earth. And how your stress could be bad news for your mate if you're a finch.
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Species Roundup
- A new study documents the rate at which species are moving toward the poles or up the sides of mountains to escape climate change.
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| August 31, 2011 |
Free-Market Fungi
- Symbiotic plants and fungi reward generous trade partners and punish stingy ones.
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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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| August 8, 2011 |
Plant Sonar
- A Cuban plant has acoustically-enhanced leaves that help pollinating bats find it in the dark.
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| July 1, 2011 |
Nature Roundup
- Scientists are sequencing the genomes of thousands of insect species.
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| May 11, 2011 |
Gold & Deforestation
- Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest increases as gold prices rise.
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| April 1, 2011 |
Fruit & Flies Roundup
- A delicious, but neglected fruit could get its day in the sun again with a bit of genetic engineering.
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| March 24, 2011 |
Celery Roses
- Splicing a celery gene into roses and other blooms could make them last longer.
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| March 18, 2011 |
Podcast for 18 March 2011
- An early screening test for autism, a car controlled by thoughts, the safety of fruit seeds, blaming the hero, and testing an ancient Egyptian prosthetic.
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| February 14, 2011 |
Bats & Carnivorous Plants
- At least one carnivorous plant appears to have lost its taste for insects in favor of bat guano.
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| January 28, 2011 |
Science Illiteracy Roundup
- A new study reflects an alarming lack of science literacy among U.S. college students.
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| December 31, 2010 |
Lightning Bug Roundup
- Fireflies could help doctors deliver the right dose of heparin to prevent blood clots.
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| November 25, 2010 |
Crops & Carbon
- Replacing native plants with crops diminishes the Earth's ability to store carbon.
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| September 7, 2010 |
Fearless Aphids
- Habituating crop-munching aphids to their own distress pheromone may make them more vulnerable to ladybugs.
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| July 21, 2010 |
Weed-Sniffing Dogs
- Trained dogs sniff out invasive plants.
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| July 16, 2010 |
Podcast
- ANIMAL UPDATE: Arctic fish respond to climate change, bees that aren't as busy as you'd think, adding some romance to the lives of flamingos, and training dogs to sniff out invasive plants.
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| July 13, 2010 |
Flowers & Rainfall
- Flowering plants keep the world cooler and wetter than it would be otherwise.
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| July 2, 2010 |
Podcast
- HEALTH & THE ENVIRONMENT: Cutting down the Amazon rainforest leads to increased rates of malaria, tracking plastic debris in the Atlantic Ocean, choosing between "organic" and synthetic pesticides, and more.
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| May 7, 2010 |
Podcast
- How plants know it's spring, color vision in bees, how pigeon flocks make decisions, and hermit crab shell games.
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| April 23, 2010 |
Plants vs. Insects Roundup
- A protein in coffee beans is an effective pesticide.
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| March 19, 2010 |
Environmental Health Roundup
- Despite looking green and attractive, many parks may actually create more pollution than they prevent.
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| January 25, 2010 |
Disappointing Ginkgo
- Researchers report that ginkgo biloba is ineffective against cognitive decline in older adults.
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| January 21, 2010 |
Gelatin Source
- Reality Check investigates the urban legend that gelatin is made from cow hooves.
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| January 15, 2010 |
Podcast
- THE FOOD SHOW - High school students expose food fraud in New York City. Does gelatin really come from cow hooves? And the hormone behind eating when you're already full.
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| November 30, 2009 |
Ancient Pollination
- Millions of years before flowers evolved, insects were pollinating non-flowering plants.
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| November 20, 2009 |
Podcast
- Ancient insect pollinators, your body's unique microbes, a marine creature that could fix broken bones. Also: does chewing gum really take years to digest?
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| October 8, 2009 |
Ancient Fibers
- Ancient flax fibers found in a cave suggests humans may have been turning the plant into clothing or rope as far back as 36,000 years ago.
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| September 22, 2009 |
Fall Color Differences
- A new hypothesis explains why fall colors differ in the U.S. and northern Europe.
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| September 10, 2009 |
Early Climate Change
- Humans may have affected the Earth's climate thousands of years ago.
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| August 31, 2009 |
Chimp Malaria
- Malaria probably passed from chimpanzees to humans around 5,000 years ago.
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| August 27, 2009 |
Mayan Forestry
- The early Maya culture practiced forest conservation – and may have paid a heavy price when they stopped.
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| August 21, 2009 |
Podcast
- AMAZING ORGANISMS: Assessing the developmental level of canines, the origin of malaria, powerful bacteria, and more.
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Plant Roundup
- Plant geneticists are developing crops that can thrive in salty soils.
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| July 17, 2009 |
Podcast
- Staring into space, assessing ocean health via satellite, teaching robots to smile, and the dangers of cancer in wildlife.
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| July 3, 2009 |
Green Cows & Trees Roundup
- Today's cows are more efficient than those of 50 years ago.
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