| May 15, 2012 |
Raven Relationships
- Ravens remember other ravens as friendly or adversarial, even years later.
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| May 14, 2012 |
Sizing Up Weapons
- People think others are larger and stronger if they’re holding a weapon in their hands.
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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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| April 30, 2012 |
Dream:ON App
- Can a smartphone app influence your dreams?
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| April 27, 2012 |
Chilly Relationships Roundup
- Social anxiety can affect how you sense temperature.
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| April 25, 2012 |
Baboon Words
- Baboons can learn to distinguish English words from nonsense letter sequences.
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| April 20, 2012 |
Podcast for 20 April 2012
- SOUND SCIENCE - Can sounds influence dreams? Emotional similarities between music and speech. Does a deeper voice lead people to vote for a political candidate? Baboons that recognize words. And baby goats with accents.
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| April 17, 2012 |
Emotional Music
- Music and speech use the same tonal qualities to evoke happy and sad emotions.
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| April 16, 2012 |
Internet Symptom Checkers
- People draw different conclusions from online symptom checkers, depending on how the symptoms are listed.
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| April 12, 2012 |
Deep-Voiced Politicians
- Politicians with deep voices may garner more respect – and votes.
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| April 6, 2012 |
Podcast for 6 April 2012
- MEDICINE - A promising new drug that could work on all types of cancer. New evidence linking antibiotic use to asthma. Also, a test that takes the guesswork out of choosing the right antibiotic when one is needed. And, how your biological clock affects your health.
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| March 30, 2012 |
Podcast for 30 March 2012
- GERMS & PEOPLE - Does opening the windows spread germs around? Why health-related websites may be scaring people unnecessarily. And, how the heart burns fat.
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| March 29, 2012 |
Sex, Flies & Alcohol
- Sex-deprived male fruit flies consume more alcohol than sexually satisfied flies.
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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 22, 2012 |
Navigating With Smartphones
- A combination of smartphones, GPS and radar could help the blind navigate the cities of the future.
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| March 16, 2012 |
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.
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Chemical Roundup
- Though illegal, the drug LSD may be effective against alcoholism.
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| March 13, 2012 |
Ethics & Social Class
- The higher your socioeconomic status, the more prone you may be to unethical behavior.
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| March 9, 2012 |
Podcast for 9 March 2012
- NEW MEDICINE - A rare mutation that protects people from diabetes and cancer. How the pancreas "tastes" sugar. And a new implantable microchip that delivers an osteoporosis drug. Also: chimpanzees may yawn for the same reason humans do.
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Health Chemistry Roundup
- New research suggests that caffeine drinking by breastfeeding mothers may cause irritability in their babies.
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| March 8, 2012 |
Science for Society
- A group of 19th century scientists mapped the world’s tides, making the oceans safer for seafaring.
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| March 5, 2012 |
Contagious Yawns
- Both humans and chimpanzees can’t resist the urge to yawn when others do.
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| March 2, 2012 |
Podcast for 2 March 2012
- ALL ABOUT LANGUAGE - Neuroscientists are beginning to reconstruct what we've heard by listening to brainwaves, how scientists measure language delays around the world, using technology to keep endangered languages vibrant, and a musical instrument that allows you to sing...with your hands, Also: decoding the secret language of worms.
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Psychology Roundup
- A blood test may help diagnose major depression.
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| February 29, 2012 |
Language Delays
- Screening criteria for language delays in children depend on the culture.
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| February 27, 2012 |
Brain Voices
- Scientists are beginning to reconstruct the words people hear based on electrical activity in their brains.
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| February 23, 2012 |
Endangered Voices
- Digital technology and social media are helping save endangered languages.
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| February 21, 2012 |
Hands-on Music
- Specialized gloves allow musicians to sing with their hands.
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| February 20, 2012 |
Video Games vs. Cataracts
- Playing certain types of video games can improve the vision of people who were born with cataracts.
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| February 10, 2012 |
Politics Roundup
- Research suggests that conservatives pay more attention to unpleasant images and liberals, to pleasant ones.
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| February 8, 2012 |
Sex Ratio & Spending
- The perception that women are scarce may make men less careful with their money.
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| February 3, 2012 |
Podcast for 3 February 2012
- BABY SCIENCE - Why babies read lips, and how toddlers' napping habits could affect their mood for the rest of their lives. Also: Do Stradivarius violins really sound better?
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| February 2, 2012 |
Fat Receptors
- A protein found in our tongues determines our ability to taste fat.
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| February 1, 2012 |
Lip-Reading Babies
- Reading adults' lips may help babies learn to talk.
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| January 26, 2012 |
A Dog’s Eye View of People
- One key to our successful long-term relationship with dogs may lie in the eyes.
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| January 25, 2012 |
Kinder, Gentler Monkeys
- Rhesus macaque monkeys become kinder after inhaling the hormone oxytocin.
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| January 24, 2012 |
Violin Confusion
- The Stradivarius is the violin by which all others are judged. But does it deserve its reputation?
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| January 20, 2012 |
Podcast for 20 January 2012
- ANIMALS & PEOPLE - Levitating flies, what dogs and babies have in common, how oxytocin makes kinder, gentler monkeys, a fish that mimics an octopus that mimics a fish, and how bats hear with both sides of the brain.
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| January 19, 2012 |
Toddler Naps
- New evidence suggests that napping helps young children regulate their emotions and take pleasure in their activities.
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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 11, 2012 |
Sounds & Colors
- Like humans, chimpanzees associate high-pitched sounds with bright colors and low-pitched sounds with dark colors.
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| January 10, 2012 |
Antidepressant Drug Test
- A blood test reveals how well a patient may respond to a particular antidepressant.
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| January 6, 2012 |
Calendar Roundup
- Researchers say they’ve developed a better calendar.
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| January 4, 2012 |
27 Club Myth
- Statisticians test whether famous musicians are really more likely to die at age 27.
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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 30, 2011 |
Podcast for 30 December 2011
- DRUGS & ROCK 'N ROLL - Predicting drug side-effects before they can harm patients. A blood test for antidepressant effectiveness. Is 27 really an unlucky number for famous musicians? Are collecting and hoarding related? And why babies favor vigilante justice.
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| December 29, 2011 |
Video Game Brains
- Violent video games can affect brain activity well after the games are over.
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| December 28, 2011 |
Collecting & Hoarding
- A listener asks why some people become collectors and hoarders.
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| December 27, 2011 |
Eye-Witness Accuracy
- Tracking witnesses’ eye movements may help reveal what they’ve really seen.
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| December 26, 2011 |
Old Brains
- Preserved brains from the early 20th century may shed light on mental illness.
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