Humans

Science

Canine Mystery: How Dogs Became Man's Best Friend

1:03pm January 25, 2013

Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, but scientists have long debated precisely how--and when--it happened. With archaeological records and genetic research leading to different hypotheses, are we any closer to understanding how dogs became man's best friend?

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Health & Safety

The Self That's Left When Memories Fade

9:41am January 25, 2013

Our memories and experiences help shape who we are, so what happens when memories are erased? Host Neal Conan talks with neuroscientist Daniel Levitin about the role memories play in defining our sense of self and the challenges that arise when we lose them.

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William Shakespeare, depicted in this 17th century painting, penned his sonnets on parchment. Now his words have found a new home ... in twisting strands of DNA.

Science
Arts

Shall I Encode Thee In DNA? Sonnets Stored On Double Helix

1:19pm January 24, 2013

by Adam Cole

The world is full of data — and that's a problem. We have to find a place to store all those digital photos, tax records and unfinished novels. British scientists have demonstrated a possible solution: They've stored all of Shakespeare's sonnets on several small stretches of DNA.

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Dementia Takes The Stage In 'The Other Place'

1:03pm January 18, 2013

In the Broadway play The Other Place actress Laurie Metcalf ("Jackie" on the TV show "Roseanne") plays a scientist suffering from the dementia she studies. Playwright Sharr White discusses the play and the challenge of presenting complicated science on a theater stage.

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Science
Arts

Edward Tufte Wants You to See Better

1:03pm January 18, 2013

Data scientist Edward Tufte (dubbed the "Galileo of graphics" by BusinessWeek) pioneered the field of data visualization. Tufte discusses what he calls "forever knowledge," and his latest projects: sculpting Richard Feynman's diagrams, and helping people "see without words."

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Science

Simulating The Red Planet, On The Pale Blue Dot

1:03pm January 11, 2013

What's it like to live--and cook--on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia, and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano. Kim Binsted talks about her study to whip up tastier space food. Porcini mushroom risotto, anyone? And sleep expert Charles Czeisler talks about how humans adapt to the 24.65-hour Martian day.

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How E-Waste Is Becoming a Big, Global Problem

1:03pm January 11, 2013

According to the EPA, more than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is produced each year in the U.S. Derek Markham, a contributing writer for Treehugger.com, discusses the global impacts, and why you should think twice before discarding your old cell phone.

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Getting A Handle On Why Fingers Wrinkle

1:03pm January 11, 2013

Why do your fingers get pruney after a long water bath? Only a handful of researchers (ever) have looked into the finger-wrinkling experience. Reporting in the journal Biology Letters, researchers make the case for finger wrinkles as treads — wet wrinkled fingers seem to grip better than wet smooth ones.

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Shea Catlin, a nurse practitioner, doses out flu vaccine to give a shot at a CVS Minute Clinic in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 3.

Can You Get A Flu Shot And Still Get The Flu?

6:06am January 08, 2013

by Rob Stein

Vaccination is still the best way to avoid getting sick, but it's not 100 percent protective. Some people may get infected with a strain of flu that isn't covered by this year's vaccine. For others, the shots just don't work.

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'Full Planet, Empty Plates'

12:23pm January 07, 2013

In Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, Lester Brown says the world's food supply is tightening, and the reasons are many. People in developing countries are eating more meat, a grain-intensive food; farmers are overpumping, causing water tables to fall; and crop yields have plateaued, despite technological advances.

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