Bat Navigation
Bats have tiny hairs on their wings that help them maneuver in complete darkness.
Podcast for 15 July 2011
THE SCIENCE OF FACES: when pigeons look at us, and the genes behind how we look at faces. Also: what causes hot flashes, determining your age from your DNA, and the hormone behind stress eating.
Appliance Roundup
Some of the world’s most forbidding environments occur right in our own homes, but microorganisms are finding a way to colonize them.
Promiscuous Finches
Promiscuity-related genes in finches may exist to exist solely to benefit males.
Double Dolphin Sonar
Using precision instruments, scientists have discovered a second dolphin echolocation signal previously unknown to science.
Podcast for 8 July 2011
NOISE & NAVIGATION: Bats maneuver in the dark with the help of microscopic wing hairs, researchers expose a dolphin's secret sonar, killer whale ears inspire better microphones, and how a tiny bug with a big sound has eluded biologists for centuries. Also: Do humans have an internal compass?
Theta Waves
A type of spontaneous brain activity seems to create favorable conditions for remembering things.
Kids & Pet Allergies
A new study suggests that babies exposed to pets in the home are less likely to develop allergies to them.
Podcast for 1 July 2011
A failing grade for fat substitutes, a master regulator gene for fat, a brainwave that helps control memory, and turning skin cells into brain cells.
Nature Roundup
Scientists are sequencing the genomes of thousands of insect species.
Reindeer Vision
Reindeer can detect ultraviolet light with their retinas, which may help them survive dark Arctic winters.
Podcast for 24 June 2011 – Birds of a Feather
The genes behind unfaithful finches, mapping the diversity of bird plumage colors, what feathers can tell us about pollution, and what baby birds drink. Also: could living with a dog or cat decrease a child's risk of developing allergies?
A Nestling Mystery
A listener asks: How do baby birds get enough water when they’re still in the nest?
Brainy Noses
We may owe our large brains in part to the earliest mammals’ sense of smell.
Podcast for 10 June 2011 – Vision & The Brain
What reindeer can see that we can't. How some blind people are using echolocation to navigate the world. And, how the retinas of deaf people change their experience of the world. Also: better noses spelled bigger brains for ancient mammals, and: what the teeth of Neanderthals tell us about their hands.
Sleep-Deprived Brains
A brain chemical called adenosine plays a major role in symptoms of sleep deprivation.
Silky Tarantula Feet
Tarantulas produce life-saving silk from their feet.
Podcast for 3 June 2011 – Searching for Life in Outer Space
Astronomers are using new tools to look for life in outer space. And, the search for intelligent life in the universe is targeting the best candidate planets. Also: how tsunamis impact sealife.
Brainless Navigation
Although they lack real brains, box jellyfish can follow landmarks above the water's surface.
Podcast for 27 May 2011
Why sleep deprivation clouds thinking, what the brainwaves of sleeping teenagers reveal, and how a video game helps sick kids strengthen their lungs. Also, why a team of epidemiological sleuths invaded school graduations across Maryland last year. And, new study reveals extreme gender bias in children’s books.
Podcast for 20 May 2011 – All That Glitters
The soaring price of gold drives deforestation in the Amazon, colonoscopies laced with gold could help detect cancer, and honey protects against antibiotic resistance. Also: a starless starfish, and a jellyfish that navigates without a brain.
Oldest Toothache
A fossilized reptile jaw from 275 million years ago has the oldest known case of dental disease.