Lupus vs. Cancer
Lupus antibodies may become an unlikely ally against cancer.
Podcast for 16 November 2012
BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & BEETLES - How radar helped solve a migration mystery, why malaria could be heading north, and how dung beetles cool themselves off. Also: a 21st century technology that's helping archaeologists crack an ancient code.
Autism Roundup
The incidence of autism has increased in recent years, and so have efforts to identify and treat it earlier.
Second-Generation Smoking
Smoking while pregnant may cause DNA damage not just to the developing baby, but to that baby's future children.
Eyes vs. Faces
Monsters from the role playing game “Dungeons & Dragons” help reveal what’s most important to us.
Butterfly Migration Radar
Radar data, along with highly coordinated observations, has solved a disappearing-butterfly mystery.
Podcast for 9 November 2012
SURVIVAL - Why female Komodo dragons die young, a whale that sounded like a person, and algae that flee their predators. Also: how the brain's insulation differs between us and chimpanzees, and why that insulation is so important to social development.
Evolution Roundup
Evidence suggests that an ancestor of modern humans both walked upright and climbed trees.
Komodo Dragon Housework
Housework may be killing female Komodo dragons at an early age.
Electronic Senses Roundup
An electronic nose can sniff out sleep apnea.
Amniotic Fluid Medicine
Cells from amniotic fluid can be reprogrammed more stably than traditional stem cells.
Podcast for 26 October 2012
MEDICAL INNOVATION - Medical implants that just melt away, how cancer research could make the plastics industry less dependent on fossil fuels, and why ultraviolet light is cleaning up hospital rooms. Also: scientists find a surprising new source of re-programmable cells in amniotic fluid. And a new genetic test that could help babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Exergame Roundup
Video "exergames" may be helping young people get more exercise.
Fleeing Phytoplankton
Scientists report that plant-like organisms called phytoplankton flee their predators just like animals do.
Podcast for 19 October 2012
ANIMAL GENES & BEHAVIOR - The genes responsible for cat coat patterns, why male killer whales are momma's boys, what's behind the hummingbird's aerial acrobatics, and how epigenetics explains honeybee castes.
Inflammation Roundup
Scientists have identified a key to the soothing qualities of mineral baths.
Malaria Heads North
Global warming may drive malaria northward in coming years.
Long-lived Eunuchs
Over several centuries in Imperial Korea, eunuchs far outlived their non-castrated counterparts.
Reversible Bee Brains
When worker bees and nurse bees switch roles, their brains get a genetic re-boot.
Podcast for 12 October 2012
WEIRD SCIENCE: Listen to an archival podcast that delves into the weird and wacky side of science: Behind the legend of the chupacabra, does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis? A physiological explanation for near-death experiences, and animals that live without oxygen.
Healthy Viruses Roundup
Most viruses are actually harmless, and some can even help us stay healthy.
Orca Momma’s Boys
Killer whale moms live long past menopause, apparently to support and protect their adult sons.
Transparent Soil
A transparent soil substitute may lead to big strides in plant research.
Chimpanzee Brain Development
The insulation surrounding nerves develops more quickly in chimpanzees than in humans.