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Science

Saturday

Improving the Science of Arson Detection

John Lentini, an arson expert, tells Scott Simon about changes that have brought into question many convictions based on outdated methods of determining arson. One of this convictions resulted in the execution of a Texas man in 2004.

Improving the Science of Arson Detection

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Friday

Education

Kansas Weighs Teaching Intelligent Design

A preview of next week's hearings in Kansas on how science will be taught in their schools. In presentations over several days, advocates for the teaching of evolution and the idea of "intelligent design" will speak to a subcommittee of the Kansas State Board of Education. The board is scheduled to revise curriculum standards for science in June.

Kansas Weighs Teaching Intelligent Design

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Space

Fuel Tank Issue Delays NASA Shuttle Launch

NASA postpones shuttle Discovery's planned May launch to July 13, at the earliest. Engineers discovered that the shuttle's external fuel tank still needs work to reduce the chances that hazardous debris will fall from it during liftoff.

Fuel Tank Issue Delays NASA Shuttle Launch

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Radio Expeditions

The Future of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Even before it disappeared in the 1940s, the ivory-billed woodpecker had near-mythical status. Christopher Joyce reports on what scientists are planning now that they believe they've rediscovered a species long thought extinct.

The Future of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

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Environment

Measuring the Success of River Restorations

Taxpayers and foundations spend more than $1.5 billion a year to save and restore U.S. rivers, says a new study published in the journal Science. But although billions of dollars are spent on river restoration projects, there is little agreement on how their success is measured. A look at the controversy surrounding reengineering waterways.

Measuring the Success of River Restorations

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News

The Significance of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Phillip Hoose explains the importance of the ivory-billed woodpecker sighting. Hoose is author of The Race to Save the Lord God Bird and senior conservation planner for the Nature Conservancy's Canada-U.S. Partnership.

The Significance of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

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Thursday

Radio Expeditions

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered in Arkansas

Scientists say a rare ivory-billed woodpecker — thought to be extinct — has been found in a remote nature reserve in Arkansas. The sighting was kept secret for a year, in part to protect the habitat.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered in Arkansas

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Opinion

Space

Slate's Explainer: Disposing of Spent Satellites

Slate contributor Daniel Engber explains how the federal government disposes of satellites when they are no longer in operation. Space agencies track some 13,000 objects orbiting the Earth, many of them dead satellites or space debris. Sometimes, the satellites are sent into a higher orbit, away from active satellites -- but often spent satellites burn up re-entering the atmosphere.

Slate's Explainer: Disposing of Spent Satellites

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Environment

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Found Not to Be Extinct

The ivory-billed woodpecker was thought to be extinct. Now, scientists say it's been sighted again and conservationists are planning ways to protect it. The striking bird has been discovered in the Big Woods area of Arkansas.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Found Not to Be Extinct

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Space

Ira Flatow on Science: 15th Anniversary of Hubble

Madeleine Brand speaks with Ira Flatow, host of NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday, about the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble telescope. The invaluable orbiting platform could become inoperable unless a Space Shuttle mission is sent to repair it.

Ira Flatow on Science: 15th Anniversary of Hubble

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Opinion

World

The Story of Pakistan's Nuclear Father

Fresh Air

Physicist David Albright is president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C. He's the co-author of a new report on A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, that was published in the Spring 2005 edition of The Washington Quarterly. Khan sold nuclear technology and information to Iran, Libya and North Korea. He was reportedly able to do this for the last 20 years, while eluding authorities and intelligence agencies. Albright says Khan's actions have had an impact on nuclear proliferation.

The Story of Pakistan's Nuclear Father

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Wednesday

Opinion

From Our Listeners

To the North Pole!

A group of explorers has reached the North Pole in record time, thereby proving the possibility of an earlier claim to the pole made almost 100 years ago. We speak with the expedition leader, who is still camped out in the Arctic region.

To the North Pole!

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Tuesday

Research News

Report Outlines Ethics of Stem-Cell Research

A report from the National Academies offers U.S. scientists a set of voluntary ethical principles to follow in deriving, storing and working with human embryonic stem-cell lines. A consequence of a ban on federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research is a lack of federal oversight.

Report Outlines Ethics of Stem-Cell Research

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Research News

Breast Cancer Drug Shows Promise

A new treatment called Herceptin has stopped tumors from coming back in a significant number of breast-cancer patients. Two studies of the drug have proved successful enough that the National Cancer Institute has stopped them. The women affected have too much of a protein called HER-2 in their cancer cells.

Breast Cancer Drug Shows Promise

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