A Dog’s Eye View of People
One key to our successful long-term relationship with dogs may lie in the eyes.
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.
Mimic Mimic
When an Indonesian octopus mimics poisonous fish, a smaller fish takes advantage.
Bat Brains
Like humans, bats process some types of sounds on the right side of their brains and other sounds on the left side of their brains.
Flora & Fauna Roundup
Researchers have discovered what makes buttercups so shiny.
Sounds & Colors
Like humans, chimpanzees associate high-pitched sounds with bright colors and low-pitched sounds with dark colors.
Counting Pigeons
New research suggests that pigeons, like monkeys, can count.
Old Brains
Preserved brains from the early 20th century may shed light on mental illness.
Podcast for 23 December 2011
CHANGING BRAINS - Why London taxi drivers have bigger brains, how eye movements reveal what we've really seen, and why emulating the eye movements of experts produces better surgeons. And, what long-dead brains can tell us about mental illness. Also: how violent video games could be changing young men's brains.
Infantile Justice
Eight-month-old babies seem to favor rewarding good behavior and punishing bad.
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.
Monarch Genome
Scientists have sequenced the Monarch butterfly’s genome, to better understand its epic migrations.
Giant Beaver Sounds
The giant beaver went extinct about 10,000 years ago, but it left behind clues to the sounds it may have used to communicate with.
Empathy Roundup
New research suggests that people can spot some personality traits that are strongly influenced by genes.
Cooking Up Evolution
Scientists have new evidence that cooking influenced human evolution.
Podcast for 18 November 2011
EVOLUTION - Did a giant beaver that once roamed North America communicate by whistling? A newly discovered mammalian fossil that sported fangs. And, did the advent of cooking drive human evolution? Also: new research suggests that Neanderthals' shorter legs were actually an advantage for navigating mountainous terrain.
Neanderthal Legs
Scientists have figured out how Neanderthals got by with short legs.
Podcast for 4 November 2011
THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT & VISION - A pacemaker that restarts the heart with light, and a secret code made from fluorescent bacteria. And, could a lack of outdoor activity be making kids more nearsighted? Also: new research suggests that IQ might not be as stable as once thought.
Gypsy Moth Virus
A single gene in a lethal virus makes gypsy moth caterpillars stop molting and eat constantly.
Endangered Stem Cells
Stem cell research could help bring drill monkeys and northern white rhinos back from the brink of extinction.
Oxytocin & Optimism
A gene variant may influence a person’s outlook on life.
Six Butterflies in One
One species of butterfly mimics six different species to avoid predators.
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.
Free-Market Fungi
Symbiotic plants and fungi reward generous trade partners and punish stingy ones.