Science

A woman wins the lottery not once, not twice, but four times. What are the odds? According to mathematician Joseph Mazur, it depends on how you ask the question.

Science
Arts

Magic, Or Math? The Appeal Of Coincidences, And The Reality

9:00pm May 08, 2017

This week on Hidden Brain: coincidences. Why they're not quite as magical as they seem, and the psychological reasons we can't help but search for meaning in them anyway.

Violinist Adrian Pintea, from The Julliard School, plays a 1729 Stradivari known as the "Solomon, Ex-Lambert" in 2007 at Christie's in New York.

Is A Stradivarius Violin Easier To Hear? Science Says Nope

5:34pm May 08, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Old Italian violins like those made by Stradivari are famous for their ability to project their sound. But a study found people in a blind test thought new violins projected better than old ones.

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(From bottom to top) Chemist Michael Gonsior, from the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science, works with researcher Melinda Forsyth and graduate student Katie Martin to gather and check water samples near the Chesapeake Bay, on Cocktow

Trump's Budget Would Eliminate A Key Funder Of Research On Coastal Pollution

5:34pm May 08, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

The Sea Grant program, which funds research on coastal environments, is slated by White House for elimination in 2018. If it goes, a project that finds leaking septic tanks goes down the drain, too.

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The Air Force's secret X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle landed at NASA 's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida on Sunday, setting off a sonic boom that surprised residents.

Secret U.S. Space Plane Lands With A Boom In Florida

10:18am May 08, 2017

by Bill Chappell

For a secret aircraft, the X-37B wasn't very stealthy about its return to Earth. The space plane was launched in 2015.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (center) walks to the House chamber ahead of a budget vote on Capitol Hill. Though Ryan was able to deliver 217 votes Thursday to get his GOP health plan through the House, there are still significant hurdles before the bill become

5 Things To Watch As GOP Health Bill Moves To The Senate

6:45pm May 07, 2017

by Julie Rovner

Just three "no" votes by Senate Republicans would likely be enough to sink the GOP health bill. Democrats who lost the battle in the House are still convinced they can win the political war.

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Science

NASA Has A Spacesuit Shortage

8:16am May 07, 2017

NASA has only 11 spacesuits in use, and they were designed decades ago. Spacesuit designer Pablo de Leon tells Lulu Garcia-Navarro about how the shortage affects operations in space.

Crayola's new blue crayon is inspired by the YInMn pigment discovered at Oregon State University in 2009. It will replace Dandelion, the bright yellow hue that the company is retiring.

Crayola Gives The People What They Want: A New Blue Crayon

12:39pm May 05, 2017

by Wynne Davis

After Crayola announced it was retiring the yellow crayon Dandelion, the company said its replacement would be blue, but would it be a true blue? No, it's actually an accidental blue.

You're born with roughly 9,000 taste buds, and they're very good at regenerating — which is why you can recover the ability to taste just days after burning your tongue. But that can change as we age.

Two wolves, as caught in night-vision footage by a game camera in West Jutland, Denmark. Scientists say that since 2012, they have confirmed at least five different wild wolves in the country — four males and one female.

Denmark Now Has A Wild Wolf Pack Again — For The First Time In 200 Years

6:28pm May 04, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Citing CCTV footage and DNA samples, two researchers say a female has migrated more than 340 miles from Germany to join a small group of wolves in the Jutland peninsula.

Cars line up at the south entrance to Zion National Park in Utah, bringing with them the urban soundscape.

America's Protected Natural Areas Are Polluted, By Noise

5:43pm May 04, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

A new survey shows that the sound of cars and planes and other forms of noise pollution are rampant across the American wilderness. In many cases, man-made noise is drowning out the background sounds.