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Science

Thursday

Should We Return The Nutrients In Our Pee Back To The Farm?

More than 170 volunteers in the Brattleboro, Vt., area have contributed urine to the Rich Earth Institute field trials. Mike Earley/Courtesy of Rich Earth Institute hide caption

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Mike Earley/Courtesy of Rich Earth Institute

The Salt

Should We Return The Nutrients In Our Pee Back To The Farm?

A group of environmentalists in Vermont aren't at all squeamish about "pee-cycling." A local hay farmer is using their pee as fertilizer as they run tests to find out how safe it is for growing food.

Hospitals Fight Proposed Changes In The Training Of Doctors

Chief Medical Resident Dr. Julia Vermylen (right) critiques interns during an "intern boot camp," held at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital in June. Stacy Thacker/AP hide caption

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Stacy Thacker/AP

Shots - Health News

Hospitals Fight Proposed Changes In The Training Of Doctors

KFF Health News

The Institute of Medicine this week urged Congress to allocate to community clinics more of the $15 billion it spends annually on training new doctors. But hospitals say that's the wrong prescription.

What Somebody's Mummy Can Teach You About Heart Disease

Eduard Egarter-Vigl (left) and Albert Zink (right) sample Italy's mummified iceman for genetic analysis in November 2010. Previous research suggests he, too, was predisposed to heart disease. Samadelli Marco/EURAC hide caption

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Samadelli Marco/EURAC

Shots - Health News

What Somebody's Mummy Can Teach You About Heart Disease

Mummies from Ancient Egypt, Peru and the U.S. all show signs of hardened arteries. But why? Researchers say bad hygiene, open hearths and maybe some deeply ingrained genetic factors were to blame.

National

Is Fracking To Blame For Increase In Quakes In Oklahoma?

Oklahoma is experiencing more earthquakes, and some scientists say they're caused by wastewater disposal wells. Linda Wertheimer learns more from energy reporter Joe Wertz of StateImpact Oklahoma.

Is Fracking To Blame For Increase In Quakes In Oklahoma?

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Wednesday

Mom No Longer 'Dumb' About Gay Son

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StoryCorps

Mom No Longer 'Dumb' About Gay Son

Ninety-year-old Rita Fischer and her son Jay recall a conversation they had back in the 1980s, when Jay first told Rita he was gay.

Mom No Longer 'Dumb' About Gay Son

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Farming The Bluefin Tuna, Tiger Of The Ocean, Is Not Without A Price

Yonathan Zohar, Jorge Gomezjurado and Odi Zmora check on bluefin tuna larvae in tanks at the University of Maryland Baltimore County's Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology. Courtesy of Yonathan Zohar hide caption

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Courtesy of Yonathan Zohar

The Salt

Farming The Bluefin Tuna, Tiger Of The Ocean, Is Not Without A Price

Scientists are trying to raise prized bluefin tuna completely in captivity. An experiment at a Baltimore university is the first successful attempt in North America.

Farming The Bluefin Tuna, Tiger Of The Ocean, Is Not Without A Price

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Tuesday

Want To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Choose Mackerel Over Shrimp

A fisherman pulls a basket filled with anchovies aboard a fishing boat off of Peru's northern port of Chimbote, in 2012. Peru is the world's top fishmeal exporter, producing about a third of worldwide supply. Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Reuters/Landov

The Salt

Want To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Choose Mackerel Over Shrimp

Sardines and other small, oily fish are some of the most nutritious in the sea. Now there's another reason to eat them: Fishermen use a lot less fuel to catch them than many other kinds of seafood.

Animals

The 30-Foot High Pile Of Bones That Could Be A DNA Treasure Trove

The Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming may hold specimens of DNA from animals who roamed thousands of years ago. Julie Meachem, a paleontologist leading the expedition into the cave, speaks with Audie Cornish about the secrets she hopes to find.

The 30-Foot High Pile Of Bones That Could Be A DNA Treasure Trove

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Welcome To The Nuclear Command Bunker

Lt. Raj Bansal and Capt. Joseph Shannon (right) approach Foxtrot-01, a remote nuclear missile base in Nebraska. Geoffrey Brumfiel/NPR hide caption

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Geoffrey Brumfiel/NPR

National Security

Welcome To The Nuclear Command Bunker

A small cadre of officers is responsible for keeping America's nukes on alert 24/7. Here's a peek into their world, and what it takes to do the job.

Welcome To The Nuclear Command Bunker

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Widely Used Insecticides Are Leaching Into Midwest Rivers

The U.S. Geological Survey found that neonicotinoids are leaching into streams and rivers in the Midwest, including the Missouri River, shown here in Leavenworth, Kan. Dean Bergmann/iStockphoto hide caption

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Dean Bergmann/iStockphoto

The Salt

Widely Used Insecticides Are Leaching Into Midwest Rivers

Researchers found that a class of chemicals similar to nicotine and used on corn and soy farms has run off into streams and rivers in the Midwest. There they may be harming aquatic life, like insects.

Monday

Environment

This Albino Redwood Tree Isn't Dead — But It Came Close

An extremely rare, albino hermaphroditic redwood tree was in danger of being sent to the chipper because it was growing too close to the path of a new railroad line in Cotati, Calif. But thanks to local outcry from arborists and the community, the tree is getting a second chance at life.

This Albino Redwood Tree Isn't Dead — But It Came Close

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