Titanium Rings Tough To Crack In Emergencies
A patient's ring was stuck, his finger dangerously swollen. Doctors tried everything to remove the ring — and finally hit upon a solution they hope will help other people.
Science
Engineers Make Narcotics With Yeast. Is Home-Brewed Heroin Next?
The yeast produce only tiny amounts of the drug. But eventually, the technology could lead to better painkillers and other medicines. Drug officials worry the microbes could fall into the wrong hands.
Research Biologist Coins Term 'Kilo-Author' For Scientific Journal Articles
NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Zen Faulkes of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley about the term, which describes the trend of adding more names as contributors to science journal articles.
Decoding Nature: Identifying Sounds A Horned Owl Makes
A listener responded to our invitation to send recordings of backyard wildlife with audio of a spooky bird screech. An expert at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helped solve the mystery.
Tonight, Look For A Rare (But Not Quite Blue) Moon
The modern definition of a "blue moon" has nothing to do with its color.
EPA Says It Released 3 Million Gallons Of Contaminated Water Into River
The spill on Wednesday sent heavy metals, arsenic and other contaminants into a waterway that flows into the San Juan National Forest. Estimates of the spill's size have risen sharply since then.
Scientists Discover 15th Convex Pentagon Able To Tile A Plane
NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Julie Rehmeyer, a contributing editor at Discover magazine, about a newly discovered pentagon.
Close Listening: How Sound Reveals The Invisible
The stethoscope seems so simple — a 19th century tool for listening more closely to the human heart or lungs. It also sparked a culture of listening that is transforming the way scientists learn.
Katrina's Emotional Legacy Includes Pain, Grief And Resilience
Ten years after the storm some residents have found healing — in the arts, family and new opportunities. Others suffer lingering grief and other difficulties they trace to Katrina.
With Discovery, 3 Scientists Chip Away At An Unsolvable Math Problem
For decades, we have known of only 14 convex pentagons that can do something called "tiling the plane." Now there is a 15th shape, but mathematicians are still far from knowing exactly how many exist.