Science : NPR

Putting A Price On 'Dueling Dinosaur' Fossils

November 30, 2013 • What would you pay for a fossil of two complete dinosaurs locked in what seems to be a fight to the death? An auction house put that question to the test with the dinosaurs, discovered in 2006 in the Hell Creek formation of Montana. It got an unexpected answer.

Science Reporter Emily Graslie Reads Her Mail — And It's Not So Nice

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Krulwich Wonders...

Science Reporter Emily Graslie Reads Her Mail — And It's Not So Nice

November 30, 2013 • Reporter Emily Graslie explores natural history museums, showing us what's going on behind the scenes. Her viewers write her, of course, and in this video, she reads some of those letters. They're not about science. Or Museums. They're about Emily. And it's embarrassing.

These Cookbook Photos Redefine What Fresh Seafood Looks Like

How to make dead fish look attractive? That's the challenge New York-based duo Shimon and Tammar Rothstein faced when they were hired to do the photography for famed French chef Eric Ripert's book On the Line. Photos by Shimon and Tammar, Courtesy of Shimon and Tammar hide caption

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Photos by Shimon and Tammar, Courtesy of Shimon and Tammar

The Salt

These Cookbook Photos Redefine What Fresh Seafood Looks Like

November 30, 2013 • Famed French chef Eric Ripert specializes in seafood. So for his book On the Line, photographers Shimon and Tammar Rothstein really wanted to highlight the freshness of his ingredients. Their solution? Make the fish look as if they were still alive.

From Lab To Lectern, Scientists Learn To Turn On the Charm

Physics professor Chad Orzel gives a TED talk in New York. In science, he says, public speaking is an important part of making a reputation. Ryan Lash/Flickr hide caption

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Ryan Lash/Flickr

National

From Lab To Lectern, Scientists Learn To Turn On the Charm

KPBS Radio

November 30, 2013 • Science isn't known as a career field that attracts showboats. But academics must give seminars, pharmaceutical researchers present results, and graduate students defend their work. In San Diego, one of the country's science hubs, a group aims to teach scientists the art of small talk and public speaking.

Tech Leaders, Economists Split Over Clean Energy's Prospects

Andres Quiroz, an installer for Stellar Solar, carries a solar panel during installation at a home in Encinitas, Calif. Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Environment

Tech Leaders, Economists Split Over Clean Energy's Prospects

November 30, 2013 • Renewable energy has become a $220 billion a year industry. But to significantly slow climate change, the power of wind, solar and other renewable sources must vastly expand. Some say the tech breakthroughs needed are on the horizon, though a top economist sees a tougher road ahead.

Environment

'Forecast Bust:' Why 2013 Hurricane Predictions Were So Wrong

November 29, 2013 • Forecasters expected the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season to be really busy — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Americans to expect between seven and 11 hurricanes. But this year has been one of the quietest on record. Why were the predictions so far off?

Phantom Traffic Jams: What Causes Mysterious Highway Backups?

November 29, 2013 • Sometimes highway traffic jams up for no apparent reason. There's no accident, and no real reason to step on the brakes — except to avoid hitting the car in front of you. What causes these backups? An MIT scientist thinks he's found a way to prevent these tie-ups.

Dance

At STREB Action Lab, Dance and Physics Collide

November 29, 2013 • Choreographer Elizabeth Streb pushes the boundaries of Newtonian physics--with dance. In her show Forces, dancers fly, fall, and collide in mid-air. No wonder the "action architect" has her share of scientist fans, among them, big-thinking particle physicist Lisa Randall.

Food

Eating 'Wilder' Foods for a Healthier Diet

November 29, 2013 • In Eating on the Wild Side, author Jo Robinson reveals how the nutrition and flavor has been bred out of supermarket fruits and vegetables. Robinson tells us what we can do to reclaim our wild roots and the nutrition from our foods.

Games & Humor

Annual Prizes Honor the Stranger Side of Science

November 29, 2013 • If you've ever wondered about opera's effects on mouse heart surgery, or pondered the timing of when cows are likely to get up or lie down, you're in luck. At the annual IgNobel Prize ceremony, awards go to scientific research that first makes you laugh, then makes you think.

Fate Of Comet ISON Unclear Hours After Its Encounter With Sun

Comet ISON nears its apparently fatal encounter with the sun on Thursday. NASA hide caption

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NASA

The Two-Way

Fate Of Comet ISON Unclear Hours After Its Encounter With Sun

November 28, 2013 • Most of ISON, a huge comet formed at the birth of the solar system, apparently did not survive Thursday's encounter with the sun, NASA said. Scientists detected the comet last year and had hoped to continue studying it for information to be mined from its "primordial ices."

Brain Cells 'Geotag' Memories To Cache What Happened — And Where

Benjamin Arthur for NPR

Shots - Health News

Brain Cells 'Geotag' Memories To Cache What Happened — And Where

November 28, 2013 • Scientists have identified special cells in the brain's hippocampus that mimic a trick of some digital cameras. These cells automatically 'tag' the memory of each event in our lives with information about where that event took place — the better to recall, perhaps, where we left our lost keys.

On Thanksgiving, Everybody Needs A Friend — And That Means Everybody

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Krulwich Wonders...

On Thanksgiving, Everybody Needs A Friend — And That Means Everybody

November 28, 2013 • Today's a day to share, so that's why I want to share this moment: Two girls are on a city street, trying to figure out who's going to be friends with the nastiest person they can think of. Not an easy problem, but they solve it. Gorgeously.

World

By Accident, Scientists Discover Lakes Beneath Greenland

November 28, 2013 • There are hundreds of lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, but nobody has found lakes under Greenland's ice. That is until now, and they weren't even looking for them.

'The Coolest Thing Ever': How A Robotic Arm Changed 4 Lives

Dee Faught tests a robotic arm installed on his wheelchair in September. Commercially produced robotic arms can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but three Rice engineering students built one for Dee for about $800. Eric Kayne for NPR hide caption

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Eric Kayne for NPR

Shots - Health News

'The Coolest Thing Ever': How A Robotic Arm Changed 4 Lives

November 28, 2013 • For a class project, three engineering students at Rice University devised an inexpensive robotic arm to help a teenager with an uncommon bone disease.