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Science

Thursday

Doctors Question Ethics of Baby Gender Test

A new blood test can reportedly determine the sex of a fetus as early as five weeks into a pregnancy, with nearly 100 percent accuracy. But some doctors have expressed concerns over the ethics of this new product.

Doctors Question Ethics of Baby Gender Test

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Space

Ira Flatow on Science: Crashing into a Comet

A U.S. space probe called Deep Impact may collide with a comet this Sunday -- on purpose. Alex Chadwick talks to Ira Flatow, host of NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday, about what scientists hope to gain from this unique mission.

Ira Flatow on Science: Crashing into a Comet

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Research News

Imprisoning Bacteria to Isolate Changes

For scientists working with bacteria in a lab, evolution is a bit of a problem. Bacteria change so rapidly that a cool trait you create one day may be gone the next. Now a researcher reports he may have found a way to solve the problem: a tiny prison for bacteria. It's no bigger than a dime and has six tiny compartments that can each hold a few bacteria. Tiny pipes pump in food, scrub the walls, take out waste, and remove the progeny of dividing bacteria. This keeps bacteria in a kind of holding pattern that means they don't evolve into something different from the one you started with.

Imprisoning Bacteria to Isolate Changes

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Research News

Data Show Orcas Defy Sleeping

New research shows that killer whales don't get a wink of sleep during their first month of life. And neither do their moms. The finding, published in the journal Nature, contradicts the notion that all mammals need to sleep regularly to thrive, especially when they're young.

Data Show Orcas Defy Sleeping

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National

U.S. Moves to Shore Up V.A. Funding

GOP leaders in the Senate and House are moving quickly to address a multi-billion dollar shortfall in funding for the Veterans Affairs Administration. The White House is expected to send a supplemental spending request to Capitol Hill Thursday. Secretary James Nicholson disclosed the shortfall at a hearing on Tuesday.

U.S. Moves to Shore Up V.A. Funding

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Wednesday

Report Highlights Cancer Risks of Low Radiation

Scientists who advise the government say even low doses of radiation slightly increase a person's risk of developing cancer. But the group also says the risk from something like a chest X-ray is so tiny it's virtually impossible to measure.

Report Highlights Cancer Risks of Low Radiation

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Gross Anatomy, Body Donation

A Final Good-Bye: Med Students Honor Body Donors

Last fall, first-year medical students at the University of Maryland entered the gross anatomy lab, learning to dissect cadavers -- and reassess their thoughts about death. In June, the students concluded their journey at a ceremony honoring those who gave their bodies to science.

A Final Good-Bye: Med Students Honor Body Donors

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Tuesday

Space

NASA -- and Shuttle's -- Timetable Is Uncertain

NASA chief Michael Griffin faces a Congressional hearing about the future of his agency. Meanwhile, an independent panel advising on shuttle safety expressed its reservations in its final meeting Monday, before NASA announces the launch date for the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster.

NASA -- and Shuttle's -- Timetable Is Uncertain

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Monday

The Impact of War

Healing a Deep Wound from Iraq

More than 13,070 U.S. troops have been injured in Iraq, with just over half of those injured unable to return to duty. One recovering soldier is 32-year-old Robert Bartlett, an Army scout with the 3rd Infantry Division, whose face and hands were badly injured by a roadside bomb in May.

Healing a Deep Wound from Iraq

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Business

Cattle Owners Hope High Prices Offset Effects of Mad Cow

The Agriculture Department has announced a second case of mad cow disease in the United States. Cattle owners are hoping high domestic beef prices will offset any decline in consumption.

Cattle Owners Hope High Prices Offset Effects of Mad Cow

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Sunday

Movies

Documentary Captures 'March of the Penguins'

An amazing new nature film follows the epic journey of Emperor penguins across frozen landscapes as they migrate -- single-file -- to a familiar, yet mysterious destination. And at journey's end, life literally begins anew.

Documentary Captures 'March of the Penguins'

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Saturday

National

Mad Cow Case Prompts Doubts on U.S. Testing

The second confirmed U.S. case of mad cow disease carries economic consequences and has many questioning the USDA's testing protocols. Changes requested months ago by consumer advocates will now be put in place.

Mad Cow Case Prompts Doubts on U.S. Testing

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Stem-Cell Conference Draws Big Crowd

The International Society of Stem Cell Research wraps up its annual meeting in San Francisco. Joe Palca tells host John Ydstie that there's more interest in stem-cell research than ever before. Attendance at the three-year-old conference is booming.

Stem-Cell Conference Draws Big Crowd

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