| May 23, 2013 |
How Fluoride Works
- Fluoride protects teeth in surprising ways.
|
| May 21, 2013 |
Aging Color Vision
- Our eyes’ ability to detect color deteriorates with age, but our brains compensate.
|
| May 17, 2013 |
Podcast for 17 May 2013
- VISION SCIENCE - A camera modeled after the compound eyes of insects. How the brain compensates for worsening color vision as we age. And, could electrical simulation to the brain improve math performance? Also: Young people are still flocking to tanning booths, despite the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma.
|
| May 16, 2013 |
Indoor Tanning
- Despite the serious risk of melanoma, indoor tanning remains alarmingly popular, especially among young women.
|
| May 10, 2013 |
Podcast for 10 May 2013
- EYES, EARS & THE BRAIN - How short-term hearing loss protects the ears. The brain's number hotspot. And: could lasers wipe out cocaine addiction? Also: A nanosponge that soaks up toxins in the body.
|
| May 7, 2013 |
Numeral Hotspot
- Scientists have discovered the area of the brain dedicated to recognizing numerals.
|
| April 22, 2013 |
Sound & Memory
- Playing soundwaves synchronized with a person's own deep sleep rhythms may improve short-term memory.
|
| April 12, 2013 |
Podcast for 12 April 2013
- ATHLETES & ROBOTS - Elite athletes are far from dumb jocks. A common ingredient in energy drinks could promote heart disease. Also: Robots that learn by watching us, and robots that can walk on sand.
|
| April 11, 2013 |
Sharing Kids
- New research suggests that young children understand the concept of fairness, but desire gets in the way of sharing.
|
| April 5, 2013 |
Psychology Roundup
- A new study suggests that mindfulness training can help people stay focused on tasks.
|
| April 4, 2013 |
Highly Observant Robots
- New robots are learning how to handle objects by watching humans.
|
| March 28, 2013 |
Fragile X Neurons
- Fragile X Syndrome, a leading genetic cause of intellectual impairments, may actually result from too much brain activity.
|
| March 27, 2013 |
Humidity vs. The Flu
- Low humidity may increase the transmissibility of the influenza virus indoors.
|
| March 26, 2013 |
Sleep & Gene Expression
- Just one week of sleep deprivation alters the expression of at least 711 different genes.
|
| March 21, 2013 |
Mental Housekeeping
- Cells that eat up defective brain cells may also target healthy cells during development.
|
| March 15, 2013 |
New Genetics Roundup
- Scientists discover shared genetic markers for five common psychiatric disorders.
|
| March 8, 2013 |
Podcast for 8 March 2013
- INSECTS & ALCOHOL - Insects that arm their offspring with alcohol. Drinking may have a 10 million year history. And the importance of wild insects to the worldwide food supply. Also: prosthetic ears from a 3-D printer and seals that sleep with one eye open.
|
|
Video Game Roundup
- Some video games can improve surgeons’ skills and help children with learning disorders.
|
| March 5, 2013 |
Alcohol Origins
- Did our ability to digest alcohol first emerge at the dawn of civilization or millions of years earlier?
|
| March 1, 2013 |
Podcast for 1 March 2013
- SWEET SCIENCE - What tomatoes can tell us about cutting back on sugar and a diabetes cure for dogs. Also, behind the mechanics of beatboxing, the evolution of whales, and writing your way to a better relationship.
|
|
Dental Roundup
- Ancient people had beneficial bacteria to fight dental plaque that is absent in modern populations.
|
| February 25, 2013 |
Beatbox Sounds
- MRI scans of beatboxers show that they've unwittingly borrowed sounds from exotic languages.
|
| February 22, 2013 |
Relationship Roundup
- Could a short writing exercise improve your relationship?
|
| February 20, 2013 |
Hard Labor
- Other people help human mothers through the emotional and physical aspects of the birth process, which help decrease the risks of childbirth. But apes have easy births, and prefer to go it alone.
|
| February 18, 2013 |
Picasso’s Paint
- High-energy X rays have resolved a longstanding question about Picasso's materials.
|
| February 16, 2013 |
Podcast for 16 February 2013
- 2013 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, BOSTON, MA - Researchers are discussing how to treat psychological problems in chimpanzees, and why childbirth is such an ordeal in humans but not in apes. Also: scientific detectives have solved an art mystery. And researchers have unveiled ultrathin, wireless sensors that can monitor your brain activity.
|
|
Hard Labor – 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting Coverage
- Other people help human mothers through the emotional and physical aspects of the birth process, which help decrease the risks of childbirth. But apes have easy births, and prefer to go it alone.
|
| February 14, 2013 |
Facebook Memory
- We remember Facebook posts much better than sentences from books or actual faces.
|
| February 13, 2013 |
Harmonica Colds
- A listener asks if he can reinfect himself with the same cold.
|
| February 12, 2013 |
Bad Multitaskers
- People who multitask the most are probably the ones who should multitask the least.
|
| February 8, 2013 |
Mood & Brainpower Roundup
- Mood can affect older adults’ performance on cognitive tests.
|
| February 2, 2013 |
Podcast for 1 February 2013
- LIGHT - Lightning bugs inspire LED design. A new type of light makes others look dim by comparison. And, could lightning be related to migraine headaches?
|
| February 1, 2013 |
Cancer Stress Roundup
- Scientists are learning how stress can promote cancer.
|
| January 31, 2013 |
Parkinson’s Test
- A salivary gland biopsy may finally make it possible to definitively diagnose Parkinson's Disease in living patients.
|
| January 30, 2013 |
China’s Only Children
- China's “one-child” social policy may have unintended effects on the children.
|
| January 29, 2013 |
Making Room for Memories
- Children are better at forming long-term memories than adults for a surprising reason.
|
| January 28, 2013 |
Cancer Decline
- Cancer deaths have declined significantly since 1991.
|
| January 25, 2013 |
Podcast for 25 January 2013
- MEDICINE & MEMORY - Scientists have developed a test for Parkinson's disease. Also, drugs for the condition may have beneficial side effects. There's good news about cancer. And, researchers say babies start learning their native tongue before they're even born. Also: why grown-ups don't form long-term memories as well as kids do.
|
| January 22, 2013 |
Parkinson’s & Creativity
- Side effects of meds for Parkinson's disease may include bursts of creativity.
|
| January 21, 2013 |
Newborn Language
- Newborn babies have a preference for their mother's language over foreign languages.
|
| January 17, 2013 |
Technology vs. Reading
- Chinese children's reading development has gone downhill since electronic communication technologies became common.
|
| January 14, 2013 |
Neolithic Woodworking
- The discovery of ancient wooden wells in Germany reveals that Neolithic woodworking was more sophisticated than previously believed.
|
| January 9, 2013 |
Tree-Climbing People
- The Twa people of Uganda climb trees with ease. A new study suggests that the trait may be the result of practical necessity.
|
| January 4, 2013 |
Microbe Roundup
- Microbes in the human gut could be partially responsible for food cravings.
|
| December 21, 2012 |
Podcast for 21 December 2012
- THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT - What a scallop's cough can tell us about environmental health, how melting Arctic ice may have caused the earth's last big freeze, and why climate change may have undone the Maya empire. Also: using weather forecasting techniques to predict flu outbreaks, and revisiting the apocalypse myth surrounding the fictional planet Nibiru.
|
| November 30, 2012 |
Podcast for 30 November 2012
- CHILD DEVELOPMENT - Are kids naturally stingy? Why children's self-control could depend on the adults around them. And why math anxiety "hurts". Also: What monsters from Dungeons & Dragons can tell us about the importance of eyes.
|
|
Sleepy Roundup
- Researchers think they’re found the cause of hypersomnia, a condition which causes people to feel constantly sedated.
|
| November 28, 2012 |
Owning Genes
- In an upcoming case, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether diagnostic genes for breast cancer can be patented.
|
| November 27, 2012 |
Anti-Cheating Hormone
- The hormone oxytocin has many functions in the human body. Scientists now think it may also help deter cheating.
|
| November 21, 2012 |
Stingy Kids
- Children, like adults, act more generous when they’re being watched.
|
