Science

Workers clear honey from dead beehives at a bee farm east of Merced, Calif.

Are Agriculture's Most Popular Insecticides Killing Our Bees?

10:42am March 28, 2013

by Dan Charles

Neonicotinoids are pesticides widely used to coat the seeds of agricultural plants, especially corn. But some evidence suggests these chemicals may also be poisoning bees. A tell-tale clue: reports of massive bee die-offs that all took place during corn-planting season.

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Wind turbines at the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm in Whitewater, Calif., in 2012.

Science

Is The Sky The Limit For Wind Power?

9:55pm March 27, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

Building huge turbine farms too close together might significantly reduce their power, some atmospheric scientists say. The problem is "wind shadow" — the turbulence created by one big cluster of turbines that steals wind from another cluster down the road.

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People who are socially isolated may be at a greater risk of dying sooner, a British study suggests. But do Facebook friends count? How about texting?

Maybe Isolation, Not Loneliness, Shortens Life

11:54am March 27, 2013

by Jon Hamilton

Loneliness and isolation often go hand in hand, so teasing out which factor is harder on health isn't easy. But a British study now suggests that, while loneliness may make you unhappy, it's social isolation that could take years off of your life. Discuss (with a friend).

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Good Luck With That 'Perfect' March Madness Bracket. You'll Need It

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Adam Cole

Millions of basketball fans will fill out NCAA tournament brackets this week and try to correctly predict the outcomes of every game. The chances of succeeding are about 1 in 150 quintillion. A group of computer scientists are trying to beat those odds by writing programs that learn to pick winners.

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Demonstrators carry a mock pipeline as they pass the White House to protest the Keystone Pipeline, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18, 2012.

After Keystone Review, Environmentalists Vow To Continue Fight

2:33pm March 25, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

A report released by the State Department Friday says the pipeline won't have much of an impact on the development of oil from Alberta. But activists who oppose the project aren't giving in.

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Same-sex marriage advocates protest outside the county clerk's office in San Francisco on Feb. 14.

Shift In Gay Marriage Support Mirrors A Changing America

8:42am March 25, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

The latest polls indicate 58 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. In 1977, that number was 13 percent. One researcher says that jump in support isn't the result of a generational gap — it's that many who once opposed gay marriage have changed their minds or softened their opposition.

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Future Robot's FURo robot acts as a host.

Science

Four Robots That Are Learning To Serve You

6:34pm March 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

Robots are moving further from sci-fi into everyday reality. They can now assist with doing housework, giving directions and even performing surgery. They're still a few years off, but here are a few robots we may live with someday.

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The Abnormally Normal Science Of Sinkholes

2:58pm March 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

When a Florida man vanished into a massive sinkhole that opened underneath his home in February, the case garnered national attention. But geologists say sinkholes occur regularly without much notice.

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Scientists Search For Gulf War Illness Answers

2:14pm March 22, 2013

According to the Institute of Medicine as many as 250,000 of 700,000 veterans of the first Gulf War suffer from an array of unexplained medical ailments. Guests discuss the latest research on Gulf War illness and its treatment and why it's been hard to pinpoint a cause.

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Science

Project Seeks To Bring Extinct Species Back

1:47pm March 22, 2013

Although the gastric brooding frog became extinct in the mid-1980s, the genome of that Australian amphibian species is alive again thanks to modern biotech techniques. Michael Archer, leader of the 'Lazarus Project,' describes early efforts to resurrect extinct species.

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