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Trumix.com : Podcast : Science and Medicine : Science and Medicine

Science Friday

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Language: English
Category: Science and Medicine / Science and Medicine
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Weekly podcast of 'Science Friday,' a science and technology news discussion program heard on public radio stations across the USA.


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Brain Scientist Gets a 'Stroke of Insight'
Imagine experiencing a stroke, and knowing exactly what is happening to you. That's just what happened to brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor, who talks about the experience and what it taught her....

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[ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:08:14 -0400 ]


Reduced Reflexes May Indicate Future Stroke Victims
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the leading cause of adult disability. New research finds that it may be possible to identify those at risk by screening for detectable neurological abnormalities, such as reduced reflexes and unstable posture....

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[ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:08:02 -0400 ]


What Your Nose Knows and How Artists Use It
A smell scientist takes a look at what our noses can tell us about the world around us, and the co-curator of the "Odor Limits" exhibition in Philadelphia, Pa., discusses how artists are using smell in their creations....

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[ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:07:44 -0400 ]


Census Aims to Catalog World's Oceans
Taking a census of the world's oceans is a tall order, with scientists estimating that there may be three times as many species yet to be discovered as are already known. Ocean explorer Sylvia Earle checks in on the progress of the project....

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[ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:07:35 -0400 ]


'Frequency Hopping' Showcases Screen Siren's Smarts
Actress Hedy Lamarr co-invented a secret communication method used to guide torpedoes. Her story is showcased in a new stage play. Writer and director Elyse Singer talks about her dark comedy based on the collaboration between Hollywood's glamour girl and a "bad boy" composer....

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[ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:14:29 -0400 ]


How to Make a Painting Last Forever
Light, temperature, and air pollution can wreck works of art. How do museums protect and preserve artistic and historic artifacts for the ages? Experts from the Getty Conservation Institute discuss the finer points of paint makeup and how to optimize conditions in museum galleries....

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[ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:14:16 -0400 ]


Ways to Conserve Energy and Lower Bills
This week, President Bush said the U.S. could boost domestic oil production by drilling for oil offshore. John McCain said building more nuclear plants will help meet our energy needs. Is this the solution? Whatever happened to energy conservation?...

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[ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:13:56 -0400 ]


Waking up to Smell the Coffee Good for Brain too
A new study says that chemicals in coffee's aroma help protect the brain from stress-related damage. A neuroscientist from the project talks about the team's findings and whether we should just sniff our morning coffee instead of drinking it....

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[ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:13:49 -0400 ]


Reacting to the Tomato Scare: Overdone or Not Enough?
The number of Americans becoming sick from eating tomatoes contaminated with salmonella bacteria is rising. Douglas Powell, associate professor for food safety, discusses whether people are overreacting — or not reacting seriously enough — to such foodborne illnesses....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:05:26 -0400 ]


God vs. Science: Keeping Creationism out of School
This summer, the Texas Board of Education gears up to possibly consider whether biology classes should include the "strengths and weaknesses" evolutionary theory — known as creationism to some. Biology professor and textbook author Kenneth Miller discusses the debate....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:05:09 -0400 ]


Using Your Inner Clock to Up Your Batting Score
New research suggests that sports players competing more in sync with their internal clocks might have a competitive, or circadian, advantage. W. Christopher Winter of the Sleep Medicine Center talks about how players can improve their odds of winning....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:05:01 -0400 ]


Tone Deafness Study Yields Sweet Notes
Attention American Idol rebuffs: It's all in your head. In this week's journal PLoS ONE, researchers report that, while tone-deaf people cannot distinguish between "right" and "wrong" notes, their brains can hear the difference. Scientists working on the project discuss what the findings mean....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:04:50 -0400 ]


Marine Microbe Celebrates 20th Anniversary
About 20 years ago, researchers discovered Prochlorococcus, a photosynthetic marine microorganism. Penny Chisholm, a biologist at MIT whose work led to the discovery of the microbe, talks about its role in producing 20 percent of the oxygen in the Earth's air....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:04:40 -0400 ]


Digging in the Dirt, Scientists Succeed on Mars
Using a robotic arm on the Phoenix Mars lander Wednesday, scientists successfully gathered a sample of the planet's soil, clearing the way for further research on the possibility of life on Mars. The head of the Mars Phoenix mission joins Science Friday for an update....

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[ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:04:30 -0400 ]


Richard Preston 'Journeys to the Edge of Science'
Best-selling author Richard Preston, known for his New Yorker profiles of science and scientists, talks about his latest project, Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science. Preston talks with host Ira Flatow about his craft, and about the stories and people he has covered over the years....

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[ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:03:45 -0400 ]


Will We Recognize the Future?
Futurist Ray Kurzweil explains the idea of the "singularity" — what happens when technology advances so much that it's impossible to predict what happens next. Will artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and biotechnology be able to completely reshape what it means to be human?...

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[ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:03:35 -0400 ]


Greener Cars Change U.S. Auto Landscape
Honda plans to lease at least 200 fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. over the next three years. And automaker General Motors announced it will shift production away from large SUVs toward smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles — and close four factories in the process....

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[ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:03:28 -0400 ]


Climate Change Legislation Fails in Senate
The U.S. Senate debated proposed climate change legislation on Tuesday — but the bill failed to win the needed number of votes to avoid a filibuster and was pulled from the floor. The bill would have cut greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by the year 2050....

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[ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:03:17 -0400 ]


Shyamalan Turns to Environment for Thriller Plot
Film writer and director M. Night Shyamalan discusses The Happening, his upcoming spooky thriller about people trying to save themselves from a worldwide environmental catastrophe. He talks with host Ira Flatow about the intersection between real-world environmental issues and fantasy....

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[ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:03:10 -0400 ]


Monkeys Control Robotic Arm Just by Thinking
Monkeys were able to use the arm to perform tasks such as feeding themselves — and, the researchers say, the monkeys appear to regard the robotic device as part of their own bodies. What could this research mean for human prosthetics?...

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[ Fri, 30 May 2008 19:30:27 -0400 ]


Organism Captures and Assimilates Foreign DNA
Small freshwater invertebrates known as rotifers have the uncanny ability to capture bits of DNA from other organisms and assimilate that genetic code. Researchers writing this week in the journal Science report that the genome of one class of rotifers can include DNA from bacteria, fungi, and even plants....

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[ Fri, 30 May 2008 19:29:56 -0400 ]


A Meeting of the Minds at the World Science Festival
Great science minds from around the world are converging on New York City this week for the five-day World Science Festival. Brian Greene, co-founder of the festival, discusses the purpose of the event and what the organizers hope to achieve....

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[ Fri, 30 May 2008 19:27:42 -0400 ]


Report Documents Effects of Climate Change in U.S.
A new report published by the federal government states that climate change is already affecting U.S. water resources, agriculture, land resources and biodiversity. Some forests are seeing more fires and insect infestations. Water use is on the rise, and invasive weeds are spreading....

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[ Fri, 30 May 2008 19:26:53 -0400 ]


Study Waves Cautionary Flag About Nanotubes
Tiny tubes made of carbon atoms have been among the main ingredients of the nanotech revolution. But researchers have found that when injected into mice, nanotubes could behave in a way similar to the way asbestos fibers behave, forming lesions that lead to cancer....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:06:27 -0400 ]


Astronomers Capture Supernova from the Start
Astronomers who happened to be observing in the right place at the right time recently collected new pieces of data that allow them to paint an unprecedented picture of what goes on during the initial stages of an ultra-powerful stellar explosion....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:06:21 -0400 ]


Scientists Find Internal Clock Sets at Mealtime
It is well known that many organisms have a "circadian clock" — a biological time-keeping mechanism that connects the body's rhythms to external light levels. Now, researchers have found a second internal clock connected to food consumption that can overrule the regular light-based clock....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:06:14 -0400 ]


The Mystery Behind the Crystal Skulls
Indiana Jones is back on the big screen with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But what exactly is a "crystal skull"? Archaeologist Jane McLaren Walsh explains....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:06:05 -0400 ]


Calculating Bacteria: Real Computer Bugs?
Computer logic usually consists of electronic switches, but recently, scientists have been exploring alternative means for conducting calculations. Scientists report that they have created specially-modified E. coli bacteria capable of performing a specific type of calculation....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:05:56 -0400 ]


Countdown to the Mars Phoenix Landing
The Mars Phoenix is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet on Sunday. It will land in an arctic plane and then hunt for frozen water and possibly for signs of life. The Phoenix incorporates some of the experiments and technologies that were originally scheduled to fly on previous, failed missions....

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:05:49 -0400 ]


The Science of Making Great Beer
How do yeast, water, hops and grain combine to form a lager, pilsener or ale? The process requires careful supervision and tightly controlled conditions. Expert brewmasters explain how temperature, timing and ingredients all factor into making an excellent beer....

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[ Fri, 16 May 2008 19:17:56 -0400 ]


Communities Take Action to Protect Great Lakes
The five Great Lakes — Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior — are said to hold one-fifth of the world's surface fresh water. The lakes are threatened by fluctuating water levels, invasive species and pollution — and nearby communities are looking for ways to help....

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[ Fri, 16 May 2008 19:17:36 -0400 ]


Scientists Mark 25 Years of HIV Research
In May 1983, the first scientific papers were published describing the possible connection between a retrovirus and the development of AIDS. The virus went on to become known as HIV. Experts discuss whether, 25 years later, scientists any closer to a cure for AIDS or to a vaccine to prevent HIV transmission....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:46 -0400 ]


Study: Sahara Gradually Dried Up Over 6,000 Years
What made the Sahara Desert go dry — and are there ancient waters still hidden below the sands? In a controversial study published in the journal Science researchers argue that the drying of the Sahara took place over thousands of years — not suddenly as was previously thought....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:40 -0400 ]


Mysterious Memristor: Electronics' Missing Link?
Introductory electronics classes focus on circuit diagrams involving combinations of resistors, capacitors and inductors. Now, researchers have discovered a fourth passive circuit element — one that fills in a gap in equations describing relationships between voltage, current and magnetic flux....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:32 -0400 ]


Common Weedkiller May Cause Hormonal Problems
Researchers report that atrazine, the second-most-applied weedkiller in the U.S., may be able to disrupt hormonal signaling in humans. The herbicide, which has been banned in Europe, is suspected of playing a role in sexual abnormalities in fish, frogs and other aquatic organisms....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:27 -0400 ]


Is It Better to Eat Locally or Eat Differently?
When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, what you eat may be more important than where your food comes from. A new study finds that replacing red meat and dairy products with chicken, fish or vegetables could have the same impact as shifting to an entirely locally-grown diet....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:19 -0400 ]


TV Viewers Prepare for Digital Transition
In February 2009, all full-power broadcast television stations in the U.S. will stop analog transmissions and begin broadcasting only in digital. Viewers who have cable or satellite are fine, but those who have older TVs receiving over-the-air signals may need to buy converters....

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:05:11 -0400 ]


Life Expectancy Declines for Poor Women in U.S.
Women living in America's poorest counties have seen their average life expectancy decline in recent years. New research shows that the gaps between the best-off and worst-off groups are widening — as much as 18 years between the two — in connection with smoking, high blood pressure and obesity....

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:04:55 -0400 ]


Advances in Gene Therapy Treatment for Blindness
Researchers using a gene therapy technique to treat one form of congenital blindness have reported some success. Two teams of scientists have used modified viruses injected into the eye to partially restore vision to people who have Leber congenital amaurosis, an illness that results in the degradation of the retina....

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:04:40 -0400 ]


U.S. Carbon Footprint Difficult to Reduce
According to a new survey, even the people in the U.S. with the lowest energy usage have a carbon footprint about twice as high as the average global citizen. What changes can an American make to have a significant effect on emissions?...

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:04:35 -0400 ]


Peering into the Human Brain with fMRI Techniques
What's really going on inside your head when you make a decision, make a mistake, or have a few drinks? Researchers are using fMRI techniques to monitor blood flow through the brain and are hoping to shed light on the mysterious inner workings of the human mind....

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:04:17 -0400 ]


Salt Water Irrigation Yields Tasty Tomatoes
Researchers report that growing cherry tomatoes in diluted seawater can make them tastier and richer in antioxidants. The findings could encourage the use of slightly brackish water in tomato agriculture, extending precious supplies of fresh water....

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:04:11 -0400 ]


Building a More Sociable Robot
Can't find anyone who wants to hang out this weekend? Help may be on the way. Inventors are working to develop robots that can interact with people on a deeper level: communicating, responding to emotion and operating under specific rules of social behavior....

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[ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:08:51 -0400 ]


T. Rex Protein Evidence Links Dinosaurs to Birds
Analysis of proteins found in a scrap of collagen from a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex leg bone provides strong evidence for the idea that dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern-day birds. Paleontologist Mary Higby Schweitzer talks about the finding and what it means for our understanding of evolution....

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[ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:08:43 -0400 ]


PETA Offers Incentive for Test-Tube Meat Research
Animal rights group PETA is offering a $1 million prize for the development of commercially-viable "test-tube meat" — real meat grown through a lab process, not from a live animal. To win, the lab-grown meat must have a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh....

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[ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:08:35 -0400 ]


Pine Forests Destroyed by Beetle Takeover
Canadian forests are being hit hard by an outbreak of the mountain pine beetle. Though the beetles are small — less than 1/3 of an inch long — they're hungry, and bore through the wood of a variety of pine tree species. Ecologists are worried that the death of so many trees will have a significant impact on the carbon balance in North America....

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[ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:08:29 -0400 ]


Bats Plagued by Mysterious 'White-Nose' Disease
Wildlife experts are trying to determine what's causing hibernating bats in the Northeast to die en masse. The condition has been dubbed "white-nose syndrome," after a white fungus seen on bats' noses. Researchers are racing to explain the deaths and keep the disease from spreading....

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:43 -0400 ]


Sachs Explains 'Economics for a Crowded Planet'
Economist Jeffrey Sachs says that the world's population, climate change, poverty and resource use are all closely intertwined. In his book Common Wealth, Sachs discusses the intersection of economics and the environment and argues that humanity must address global problems on a global scale....

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:34 -0400 ]


Meltwater Can Quickly Crack Glaciers
Scientists in Greenland have found that lakes of water on a glacier's surface can quickly cut all the way through to the base of the ice. A study in the journal Science describes an 11 billion-gallon lake of meltwater draining completely within 24 hours a flow rate exceeding that of Niagara Falls....

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:23 -0400 ]


Do Warmer Temps. Really Yield Stronger Storms?
In a 2005 paper published just weeks before Hurricane Katrina, Kerry Emanuel of MIT said that there appeared to be a statistical link between warmer temperatures and hurricane intensity. Now, using new models of the atmosphere, Emanuel and colleagues say the link may not be so clear after all....

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:19 -0400 ]


Bush Details 'Right' and 'Wrong' Climate Policy
President Bush has announced a new set of national goals related to climate change and called for a stop to growth in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Speaking Wednesday in the Rose Garden, he said that "there is a wrong way and a right way to approach reducing greenhouse gas emissions."...

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:13 -0400 ]


Lack of Sleep Linked to Later Heath Problems
Connections between sleep and other health conditions are the focus of the April edition of the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Research published in the journal draws connections between sleep and a variety of conditions, including ADHD, obesity and long-term mental health....

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:09:45 EDT ]


NIH to Increase Accessibility of Research
New rules mandate that reports of research funded by the National Institutes of Health, the major medical research funding agency in the U.S., must be made freely available after a maximum of one year. A publication based on NIH-funded work is now required to be deposited in a public database....

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:09:35 EDT ]


Charcoal May Help Improve Soil Quality
Researchers say that adding charcoal to soil may provide more benefits for long-term soil quality than compost or manure. It could also be used to sequester carbon captured from carbon dioxide emissions. Mingxin Guo discusses new applications for the technique, used more than 1,500 years ago in the Amazon basin....

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:09:30 EDT ]


Scientists Seek New Ways to Produce Biofuel
Fermenting corn can make ethanol, and vegetable oil can become biodiesel -- but what other roads lead to biofuel? Researchers discuss investigations into innovative ways to harvest energy from plant materials, including gasoline-like chemicals and hydrogen production....

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:09:17 EDT ]


Massive Particle Collider Raises Hopes, Concerns
Scientists are hoping the world's largest particle accelerator will provide insight into particles and interactions that have eluded scientists thus far. But a lawsuit now argues that high energy collisions could produce unusual miniature black holes that could put the planet at risk....

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:09:11 EDT ]


1860 'Phonautograph' Is Earliest Known Recording
Audio historians have found a sound recording that predates Edison's phonograph by nearly 20 years. The "phonautograph" was patented in 1857 by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville; the device recorded images from sounds, tracing squiggles in black soot coating a surface....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:04:32 EDT ]


Protections Needed in Genetic Testing, Experts Say
Genetics policy experts are voicing concern over the lack of basic protections to ensure the validity of genetic tests before they go to market. The authors of a critical analysis published in Science talk about what is needed to make testing safe and dependable....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:04:24 EDT ]


City Planners Get Creative to Cut Energy Use
In Amsterdam, the cool waters of a local lake are being used to reduce energy spent on air conditioning. In Chicago, city planners are turning to rooftop gardens to keep cool. Journalist Jim Carleton discusses the ways that nine different cities are working to cut back their energy consumption....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:04:19 EDT ]


Using 'Phage' Viruses to Help Fight Infection
In the days before modern antibiotics, some researchers saw viruses that can seek out and destroy bacteria -- called bacteriophages -- as promising candidates for fighting infections. Now, as more organisms develop resistance to existing antibiotics, phage research is finding new favor....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:04:08 EDT ]


Scientists Discover Antibiotic-Eating Bacteria
Researchers have found several hundred species of bacteria that have antibiotic-eating ability, some of which are related to bacteria capable of causing disease in humans and animals. George M. Church, who studies the soil-living bacteria, discusses the findings....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:04:03 EDT ]


Hands-Only CPR Avoids Need for Mouth-to-Mouth
The hands-only first aid technique involves pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest to provide high-quality chest compressions. The American Heart Association found that hands-only CPR is an effective life-saving option for individuals who aren't trained in mouth-to-mouth CPR....

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[ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:03:44 EDT ]


The Science Behind Baseball
Major League Baseball began its season this week with a series between Boston and Oakland played in Japan. Guests discuss the science behind America's favorite pastime -- from statistics, to orthopedics, to the psychology of die-hard fans....

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[ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:09:11 EDT ]


What Defines a Planet?
In 2006, astronomers voted to remove Pluto from the list of planets in Earth's solar system -- continuing an ongoing controversy over what exactly defines a planet. Planetary scientist Mark Sykes argues in the journal Science that a planet is simply "a round object orbiting a star."...

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[ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:09:05 EDT ]


Birds to Listen and Look For in Your Backyard
Birding experts talk about the signs of spring in the avian world, from migrations, to nesting, to birdsong. They'll also weigh in on some threatened birds that enthusiasts should make a special effort to see this spring....

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[ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:08:50 EDT ]


NASA Weathers Departure, Rumors of Budget Cuts
Planetary scientist Alan Stern has announced that he is stepping down as NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, the head role in the space agency's science programs. His departure was unexpected, and the agency gave no reason for the sudden departure....

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[ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:08:47 EDT ]


Web Privacy Concerns Prompt Facebook Changes
Does it sometimes seem like the Web sites you visit know a little too much about you? While many users say they want more privacy on the Web, they are still likely to reveal data about themselves and their habits online....

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[ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:11:00 EDT ]


Sensing the Atmosphere of Distant Planets
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have been able to detect the chemical signature of methane in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star 63 light-years away. It's the first detection of an organic molecule around a planet outside the Earth's solar system....

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[ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:10:54 EDT ]


Fresh Water Out of Reach for Many Worldwide
March 22nd is annual World Water Day, a tradition started by the United Nations in the early 1990s. "Every 20 seconds," says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, "A child dies as a result of the abysmal sanitation conditions endured by some 2.6 billion people globally."...

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[ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:10:37 EDT ]


Pi Day: An Infinite Number of Ways to Celebrate
On Friday, math enthusiasts celebrate pi, the infinite number representing the relationship between a circle's diameter and its circumference. Represented by the Greek letter pi, the number is usually shortened to 3.14, so festivities take place on March 14 or 3/14....

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[ Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:05:49 EDT ]


Pandemic Flu Simulations Model Outbreak
A team of scientists used three different computer models to examine how a pandemic influenza outbreak might travel through a city similar in size to Chicago. What can simulations of a flu outbreak teach us about how to better respond to a real-world pandemic?...

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[ Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:05:42 EDT ]


Discovery Casts Doubt on 'Hobbit' Theory
Researchers say that skeletal remains discover