National California, U.K. Enter Global Warming Pact July 31, 2006 • California and Great Britain agree to become partners in the fight against global warming. The deal was sealed at the port of Long Beach, where British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to share clean-air technology and research.
Photo Op: An Occasional Series A Lyrical, Multimedia 'Journey Through Time' July 31, 2006 • A multimedia project by acclaimed photographer Frans Lanting, featuring an original orchestral score by composer Philip Glass, tells the compelling story of life from its earliest beginnings on Earth to the explosion of diveristy of species today.
Space Search Is on for Original Apollo 11 Footage July 31, 2006 • The first moon landing was broadcast around the world. But very few people saw the best-quality tape -- and they could be the only ones to see this footage if the original tapes are not found. A group of retirees has made it their mission to search for the missing Apollo 11 tapes.
Performing Arts Breast Cancer Message at Heart of N.C. Play July 31, 2006 • A new play in Durham, N.C., Stealing Clouds, uses drama to show what African-American women face when they get breast cancer.
Research News New Defense Against Snake Bites Identified July 31, 2006 • Snakebite! When it's a copperhead or a rattler, that means venom. Conventional wisdom says that a body's immune system can make the bite worse when it raises immune defenses, sometimes throwing victims into shock. But a new study suggests that one kind of defensive cell, the mast cell, actually does fight off venom.
Diversions Mathematician May Have Solved 100-Year-Old Problem July 29, 2006 • Scott Simon talks with math guy Keith Devlin about the work of Grigori Perelman. Perelman is a mathematician at the Steklov Institute of Mathematics in St. Petersburg, Russia, who may have solved a 100-year-old math problem known as Poincare's Conjecture. It will be the talk of an international mathematics conference coming up in August.
Why Do Construction Projects Fail? July 28, 2006 • Inspections of Boston's Big Dig reveal hundreds of bolts that need to be reinforced. Guests talk about the materials and techniques used in major construction projects. What keeps houses, bridges and tunnels from falling apart? And are there ways to easily detect damage before it becomes severe?
Space A Sightseeing Tour of the Solar System July 28, 2006 • If you're bored with the usual vacation spots, how about some of the top tourist attractions in our solar system? Andrew Fraknoi, director of Project ASTRO, an educational outreach effort of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, provides tips on futuristic travel.
Environment Storm Power Not Tied to Warming, Scientists Say July 27, 2006 • A group of meteorologists says global warming probably isn't responsible for an apparent dramatic increase in the strength of extreme storms during the past few decades. The group says that, until 1990, even the best satellite data tended to underestimate the wind speed of storms.
Radio Expeditions 50 Years On, a Passion for the Wild Endures July 26, 2006 • In July of 1956, wilderness activists Olaus and Mardy Murie made an expedition to the upper Sheenjek River of Alaska's Brooks Range to inventory an untouched wilderness. Five decades later, one of their young disciples returns to find the beauty intact.
World Tsunami Warning System Not Yet in Place July 25, 2006 • A year and a half after the catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed 270,000 people, there is still no tsunami warning system for the region. Scientists say political disputes, coupled with a lack of scientific expertise and money in the region, have hampered efforts. But wealthy nations, while pledging money, haven't done much to put instruments into the ocean to detect tsunamis. Meanwhile, hundreds died in Java this month after another tsunami hit the island without warning.
NASA's Return to Space Mustard Plants to Boldly Grow Where… July 24, 2006 • On board the space shuttle that lifted off July 4 was a black plastic briefcase marked "Critical." Inside were 600 seeds that scientist John Kiss hopes will help scientists figure out which crops grow well in space.
'Brainstorm': A Personal Battle with Bipolar Disorder July 24, 2006 • In a recent five-part series of first-person essays, Orange County Register newspaper reporter Valeria Godines offered readers a window into her personal struggle with bipolar disorder. She speaks with Noah Adams about her illness and her struggle to regain a sense of normalcy.
Research News Study Offers New Insights into Obesity July 22, 2006 • A new study shows that diet and exercise may not be the primary reason why obesity in America is growing. David Allison, of the University of Alabama, tells Debbie Elliot that there are other causes, including air conditioning, lack of sleep and a growing number of non-smokers.
Environment Jellyfish Take Over an Over-Fished Area July 21, 2006 • Critics of the fishing industry have long predicted that if over-fishing continues for much longer, "junk species" like jellyfish will start filling up the vacancies. Until recently, there was no evidence that the prediction would come true. But now, scientists report the largest jellyfish invasion ever, off southern Africa.