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Science

Monday

Gulf Oil Spill: Containment And Clean Up

Florida Fishing Town On Edge Over Gulf Oil Spill

No oil has yet been found on any Florida beaches. But the huge spill in the Gulf of Mexico is taking a toll on tourism and the seafood business. Concerns are rising in Apalachicola, a fishing town on Florida's Panhandle, just as the summer vacation season begins.

Florida Fishing Town On Edge Over Gulf Oil Spill

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With Drinking, Parent Rules Do Affect Teens' Choices

New research finds that socializing kids to drink at the family table -- often referred to as the "European drinking model" -- doesn't necessarily translate to more responsible drinking patterns. Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images hide caption

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Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images

Children's Health

With Drinking, Parent Rules Do Affect Teens' Choices

Research suggests that parents have a great deal of influence over when and how their teens start drinking alcohol. Parents who disapproved completely of underage drinking tended to have students who drank less.

With Drinking, Parent Rules Do Affect Teens' Choices

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Study: A Cigarette A Month Can Get A Kid Hooked

Teens who bum cigarettes every now and then find that addiction can happen before they know it. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Children's Health

Study: A Cigarette A Month Can Get A Kid Hooked

Occasional smoking among middle-schoolers can lead to tobacco addiction, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Of the young people in the study who said they had inhaled from a cigarette, nearly two-thirds said they smoked at least once a month. Half experienced symptoms of dependence.

Study: A Cigarette A Month Can Get A Kid Hooked

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Sunday

National

Top Kill Fails; Oil Continues To Gush

Oil will continue gushing into the Gulf of Mexico until later this week at the very least. That's because BP's "top kill" strategy for stopping the leak didn't work. Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR Science correspondent Richard Harris.

Top Kill Fails; Oil Continues To Gush

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National

La. Coast Darkens As BP Turns To Plan B Again

Saturday, oil giant BP gave up on its latest attempt stop the leak spewing millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was just the most recent in a series of disappointments for southern Louisiana as residents watch mushrooming and shifting columns of oil march against their coastline.

La. Coast Darkens As BP Turns To Plan B Again

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Politics

Federal Response To Immigration Unconvincing

The national debate over illegal immigration is heating up. It's been fueled by Arizona's passage of a controversial law, which allows police to question people suspected of being undocumented. This past week, President Obama announced his plan to send 1,200 National Guard troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border, a plan that some say is inadequate. Host Liane Hansen talks with Rick Nelson, director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Federal Response To Immigration Unconvincing

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Saturday

National

Top Kill's Success Uncertain

Oil giant BP says it won't know for another day or two whether its effort to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico has succeeded. While the company works on a plan referred to as the “Top Kill,” oil continues to spread across the water and into fragile coastal areas. On Friday, President Obama got a first-hand look at the damage and said his administration will do whatever it takes to end the disaster. But an aerial view of the contaminated water shows what a challenge that is.

Geoengineering: 'A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come'

Geoengineering: 'A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come'

Driving a Prius and putting up solar panels aren't the only options for cooling the earth's climate. More radical ideas include brightening clouds, creating giant algae blooms in the ocean and launching spacecraft to deploy giant sunshades. It might sound a bit far-fetched, but scientists are considering ideas like these — known as geoengineering — to alter the climate.

Geoengineering: 'A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come'

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Friday

Aliens Found In Ohio? The 'Wow!' Signal
Image courtesy of the OSU RO and NAAPO

Krulwich Wonders...

Aliens Found In Ohio? The 'Wow!' Signal

Think we've never heard from an alien? A radio transmission recorded in Ohio and translated into six little numbers and letters suggests there's a chance we have.

Listen To A Possible Signal From E.T.

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Analysis

Sports

Anti-Doping Scientists Have Jobs Cut Out For Them

Cyclist Floyd Landis sent the sports world buzzing last week with his admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs and his accusations that other top-flight cyclists did the same. But while the attention is focus on WHO engaged in doping, investigators are focusing on Landis' description of HOW they did it.

Anti-Doping Scientists Have Jobs Cut Out For Them

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Environment

BP Says 'Top Kill' Method Requires Patience

BP says it could taken another day or two before engineers know whether their "top kill" approach to stopping the gusher in the Gulf has worked. NPR's Richard Harris talks with Michele Norris about the latest fix attempt.

BP Says 'Top Kill' Method Requires Patience

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