Science

Science

Research: Children Of Judges May Influence Court Decisions

12:57pm May 28, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

It's been suspected that judges are swayed by their personal beliefs and affiliations. An analysis found that judges become more likely to rule in "pro-feminist" ways if the judges have daughters.

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Current water-filtering technology is costly, but MIT scientists are testing a simpler and cheaper method that uses wood from white pine trees.

To Clean Drinking Water, All You Need Is A Stick

3:25pm May 27, 2014

by Joe Palca

Removing bacteria and other impurities from water could be done more cheaply thanks to researchers at MIT. They're taking advantage of the way trees move water to filter it.

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A minke whale photographed in Antarctica last year. The minke, smallest of the baleen whales, turned out to be the mysterious "bio-duck."

Science

Scientists Pinpoint Source Of Antarctic 'Quack'

2:51pm May 27, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

For decades, a mysterious quacking "bio-duck" has been heard roaming the waters of the Southern Ocean. Now scientists say the source is a whale.

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Science

'TED Radio Hour': What We Fear And How To Fight It

2:09pm May 24, 2014

TED Radio Hour host Guy Raz examines what makes us afraid. He spoke to retired astronaut Chris Hadfield about the scariest day of his life: being shot into space.

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Workers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are still investigating what caused a radioactive release at the site, but organic cat litter may be the culprit.

Science

Organic Cat Litter Chief Suspect In Nuclear Waste Accident

3:12am May 24, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

The release of plutonium at a New Mexico nuclear dump may have been caused by a bad purchase at the pet shop.

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Science

Air Quality - The Connection

1:14pm May 23, 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.

We all know well by now that our smallest actions can have a consequence on the environment. While we often think of long term effects on climate, many of us overlook the immediate local impact. In this second Earth Day series installment of SciWorks Radio, we spoke with Lorelei Elkins, Program Coordinator at Triad Air Awareness, based in the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection.

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Rebecca Woolf takes a lot of photos of her children for her blog, Girl's Gone Child, but says she tries to not let the camera get in the middle of a moment.

Overexposed? Camera Phones Could Be Washing Out Our Memories

12:58pm May 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

When you snap lots of photos, psychologists say you're subconsciously relying on the camera to remember the experience for you. And your memory, they say, may suffer because of it.

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NASA's Comic Background Explorer (COBE) was launched in 1989. It showed the background wasn't entirely even.

Science

Big Bang's Ripples: Two Scientists Recall Their Big Discovery

10:20am May 21, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Fifty years ago today, two astronomers in New Jersey accidentally discovered the Big Bang's afterglow. The roaring space static their hilltop antenna detected came from the birth of the universe.

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Science

Mating Rituals: Why Certain Risky Behaviors Can Make You Look Hot

9:29am May 21, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Social science research suggests risky behavior such as braving heights or swimming in deep waters increases your sex appeal. Driving without a seat belt? Not so much.

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Science

Gluten Researcher Reverses His Earlier Finding

11:43am May 20, 2014

A 2011 study found gluten can cause gastrointestinal distress even in people who don't suffer from celiac disease. Peter Gibson published that study, and in a new paper he says the opposite is true.

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