Science

The Cassini spacecraft has been taking radar images of Titan for years now. This modified image of the Ligeia Mare, a sea on Titan's north pole, is a composite of some of those.

Science

Scientists Observe Springtime Changes On One Of Saturn's Moons

2:15pm June 23, 2014

by Rae Ellen Bichell

On Titan, summer is almost three years away. But in a dark, placid ocean of natural gas, scientists have spotted something that could be the first inkling of springtime.

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Science

Run Robot Run!

12:06pm June 20, 2014

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

SciWorks Radio is a production of 88.5 WFDD and SciWorks, the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County, located in Winston-Salem.

(Find out about the adult Robot Fun Run happening Friday June 27, 2014.)

Many of us have grown up with heroes like Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, or Jack Horner, the famous paleontologist. These days, who in Science truly inspires our kids?

You can ask any middle schooler to name an athlete and they can name 10, but you ask them to name a single living scientist and the chance of them answering that question is slim to none.

Science is not for Albert Einstein type characters. This is for everyone.
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Science

6 Decades Of Research Examines Prisoners Of War

7:29am June 20, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

The release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl prompted a firestorm of debate. We step away from that debate to look at what's been learned about the psychological effects of being captured in wartime

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Science

Seeking the Solstice: Kick Off Your Summer of Cosmic Sunsets

7:12pm June 19, 2014

by Adam Frank

Just in time for the official start of summer, NPR's Adam Frank heads outside to better understand the summer solstice. The secret, he says, is in the sunsets.

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Plastic floats ashore in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Plastics Don't Disappear, But They Do End Up In Seabirds' Bellies

8:33pm June 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

When bottles and bags are cast out to sea, the debris never truly goes away — it just gets smaller. And these plastic particles, called microplastics, are ready meals for fish and birds.

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Science

Moving Beyond The Turing Test To Judge Artificial Intelligence

6:17pm June 14, 2014

A computer program known as "Eugene Goostman" passed the Turing Test by convincing a group of people, via chat, that it was actually a 13-year-old boy. Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus argues that the Turing Test needs an update for the 21st Century.

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Stanford Dumps Its Holdings In Coal, With Climate In Mind

9:59am June 10, 2014

by Melissa Block

Stanford says it will its divest holdings in coal companies over climate change concerns. It's the most prominent of the roughly one dozen colleges that have decided to sell off fossil fuel holdings.

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Clint Muhlfeld, an aquatic ecologist with the USGS, holds a native Westslope cutthroat trout in Glacier National Park.

Hybrid Trout Threaten Montana's Native Cutthroats

9:53am June 10, 2014

by Christopher Joyce

Climate change in the West is luring rainbow trout to higher elevations, where the fish are mating with native cutthroats, genetic evidence shows. Biologists and anglers worry cutthroats could vanish.

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Doctors used a rapid DNA test to identify a Wisconsin teen's unusual infection with Leptospira bacteria (yellow), which are common in the tropics.

Quick DNA Tests Crack Medical Mysteries Otherwise Missed

9:07am June 07, 2014

by Richard Harris

Scientists used high-powered DNA sequencing to diagnose infections missed by usual lab tests. The pricey method is still experimental, but might offer a way to identify tough-to-diagnose infections.

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Doughnuts at a Krispy Kreme store in Washington, D.C. An environmental coalition says leading doughnut companies like Krispy Kreme source palm oil from suppliers who are clear-cutting rain forests and destroying wildlife habitat.

Doughnut Day Downer: Palm Oil In Pastries Drives Deforestation

7:29pm June 06, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

An environmental group is blasting Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme for buying palm oil from suppliers who destroy rain forest and peatlands. The group says sustainable palm oil should be used instead.

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