Science : NPR

Grand Canyon's Age Still Not Set In Stone

November 30, 2012 • If you were to visit Grand Canyon National Park, you might encounter an exhibit called the "Trail of Time" and learn that researchers believe the canyon is six million years old. But not all scientists think that age is correct. Some think the canyon is 20 million years old, and a new report suggests that the canyon existed alongside dinosaurs some 70 million years ago. Melissa Block talks with Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach, who has covered the colorful and sometimes contentious debate among researchers.

SciFri Book Club Has 'The Right Stuff'

November 30, 2012 • This month the book club takes to the skies with the Tom Wolfe classic The Right Stuff, a behind-the-curtain look at the 20th century's most famous test pilots--including Chuck Yeager. Yeager joins the club to talk about his long career, and what he considers "the right stuff."

What Obamacare Means For Patients--And Their Docs

November 30, 2012 • House Speaker John Boehner said it himself: "Obamacare is the law of the land." But what does that mean for patients--and their doctors and nurses? Ira Flatow and guests map out the road ahead for the Affordable Care Act, and when insurance exchanges, employer rewards for exercise and other features of the law take effect.

Glacier Photographer James Balog on 'Chasing Ice'

November 30, 2012 • Photographer James Balog on Climate Change and 'Chasing Ice' — In the new documentary "Chasing Ice," photographer James Balog attempts to capture how the world's glaciers are being affected by climate change. As the film debuts across the country, Balog discusses the project, and what needs to be done to save Earth's shrinking glaciers.

Perhaps Another Reason To Spike That Eggnog?

November 30, 2012 • A few years ago, Science Friday, in collaboration with microbiologist Vince Fischetti and his lab at The Rockefeller University, conducted an experiment looking into a perennial holiday concern: will alcohol kill bacteria in homemade eggnog? We bring you the results. Please note: the sample size in this study is rather small, a single batch of nog.

David Liittschwager

Cornstalks Everywhere But Nothing Else, Not Even A Bee

November 30, 2012 • You can go to almost any cubic foot of ocean, stream, coral, backyard, ice shelves even, and if you look, you'll find scores of little animals and plants busy making a living. But here's a place — a beautiful, bountiful place — that when you look close — is a desert.

Greenland, Antarctic Ice Is Melting Faster

An iceberg that likely calved from Jakobshavn Isbrae, the fastest glacier in western Greenland. Ian Joughin/Science/AAAS hide caption

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Ian Joughin/Science/AAAS

Greenland, Antarctic Ice Is Melting Faster

November 29, 2012 • The good news: Sea level has risen by just a half-inch in the past 20 years as a result of shrinking ice. The bad news: The melting is now speeding up. Over the next century, this could contribute to another 2- to 3-foot rise in sea level — enough to flood New York City every few years.

Victory Or Defeat? Emotions Aren't All In The Face

Can You Tell Emotion From Faces Alone? A new study suggests that when people evaluated just facial expressions — without cues from the rest of the body — they couldn't tell if the face was showing a positive or negative emotion. Enlarge this photo to see the answers. Hillel Aviezer/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem hide caption

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Hillel Aviezer/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research News

Victory Or Defeat? Emotions Aren't All In The Face

November 29, 2012 • Athletes may show intense emotion in their face, but you'll need more than that to tell if they won or lost. A new study suggests people don't read extreme facial expressions to judge how a person is feeling.

Tastier Winter Tomatoes, Thanks To A Boom In Greenhouse Growing

The taste of Mock's tomatoes starts with the seed. He uses only organic varieties, including cherry and several heirloom varieties. Allison Aubrey/NPR hide caption

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Allison Aubrey/NPR

The Salt

Tastier Winter Tomatoes, Thanks To A Boom In Greenhouse Growing

November 29, 2012 • Just because it's cold doesn't mean we should have to give up delicious tomatoes. The "buy-local" movement has spurred a boom in greenhouse grown winter tomatoes in cold climates from Jackson Hole, Wyo., to Madison, Maine. And it uses less water and less land than conventional methods.

Business

Lower Water Levels Dry Up Business On Great Lakes

November 29, 2012 • The Great Lakes drought is affecting the survival of some of the small harbor towns located on North Michigan's shore. Melissa Block speaks with Russell Dzuba, the harbormaster in Leland, Mich., where a line of sand is cutting through his harbor.

Environment

Water Levels Dangerously Low On Mississippi River

November 29, 2012 • Mississippi River water levels are reaching near-record lows. Sections of the middle Mississippi River may become obstructed in December by rock outcrops in southern Illinois. The Army Corps of Engineers plan to remove the rock pinnacles in February, but river navigation industry leaders say that's not soon enough.

Space

Which Came First: The Galaxy Or The Black Hole?

November 29, 2012 • Robert Siegel talks with UT-Austin astrophysicist Karl Gebhardt about his team's discovery of a giant black hole in a tiny galaxy. The discovery contradicts traditional theories of galaxy formation.

Space Probe Finds Ice In Mercury's Craters

Researchers say they have identified traces of ice in craters on Mercury, seen here in this Oct. 8, 2008, image from the Messenger spacecraft. NASA hide caption

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NASA

Space

Space Probe Finds Ice In Mercury's Craters

November 29, 2012 • On the poles of our solar system's innermost planet, where temperatures can drop to -100 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers have identified water ice and organic "goo," most likely deposited there by comets that crashed into the planet.

Quinoa Craze Inspires North America To Start Growing Its Own

The seeds of this goosefoot plant are known as quinoa, a superfood now in high demand and grown almost exclusively in South America. But some growers think they have the formula to grow it up north. Janet Matanguihan/courtesy Kevin Murphy hide caption

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Janet Matanguihan/courtesy Kevin Murphy

The Salt

Quinoa Craze Inspires North America To Start Growing Its Own

November 29, 2012 • A North American quinoa boom may be just over the horizon, plant breeders say, as the Rocky Mountains, much of Canada, and the Pacific Northwest all have potential as production regions. Right now, almost all of the world's supply of the ancient superfood comes from a few suitable growing places in South America.

YouTube

Krulwich Wonders...

The Rubik's Cube That Isn't

November 29, 2012 • Have a look at this Rubik's Cube. Now turn it slightly. Still there?