Science : NPR

Could Pregnancy Hormone Help Heal Brain Injuries?

October 31, 2009 • Dr. Donald Stein of Emory University noticed that women healed from traumatic brain injuries quicker than men. He's been able to isolate the likely reason — the pregnancy hormone progesterone. Stein talks to NPR's Guy Raz about his research and the future of treating brain injuries — from concussions to strokes.

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Why Leaves Really Fall Off Trees

October 30, 2009 • You think you know why leaves fall off trees. Well, you're wrong. It's not the wind. It's not the cold. Because leaves aren't the brightest bulbs in the world, the tree has to make an executive decision come fall.

U.K. Drug Adviser Fired After Marijuana Comments

October 30, 2009 • David Nutt said a government decision to tighten restrictions on marijuana over the protests of many prominent British scientists had undermined public faith in government science. Nutt had long argued that marijuana is far less dangerous than legal drugs — including alcohol.

The History Of Plastic: From Billiards To Bibs

October 30, 2009 • Plastics have been touted as a miracle material by some, and criticized as artificial and toxic by others. But, nowadays, it's hard to imagine life without plastics: Cars, textiles, televisions, computers and food containers all have plastic parts. But synthetic plastics are a relatively new invention; production of consumer plastics didn't really take off until after World War II.

People ... People Who Eat People

October 30, 2009 • In her book Dinner With a Cannibal, writer Carole Travis-Henikoff documents the long — and often hidden — history of cannibalism in humans. Travis-Henikoff notes that cannibalism wasn't always taboo, whether it be eating loved ones out of respect or eating enemies out of disdain.

Why Runners Like To Feel The Burn

October 30, 2009 • What compels hundreds of thousands of runners to compete in marathons every year? Ira Flatow and guests discuss running research — from how humans are adapted specifically for long-distance running to why working up a sweat might be good for the brain, as well as the body.

Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness

October 30, 2009 • Reporting in The Lancet, doctors found success in treating Leber's congenital amaurosis, a rare type of blindness, with gene therapy. Study author Katherine High explains how injecting a gene-carrying virus into the eye has improved vision in a handful of patients.

A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain

October 30, 2009 • Psychiatrist Steven Schlozman recently expanded his practice from humans to the inhuman. Poring over his library of classic zombie films, he came up with neurobiological explanations for the behavior of the undead, such as lack of a frontal lobe and an overactive amygdala.

NASA Launches Mission To Track Polar Ice By Plane

Melting at the base of this Texas-sized ice pack in the Amundsen Sea off Antarctica could lead to significant ocean level rise in the long term. This image of the ice shelf was taken on the first flight of Ice Bridge from an altitude of 20,000 feet. NASA hide caption

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