Law Fla. High Court Weighs Terri Schiavo Case August 31, 2004 • The Florida Supreme Court hears a challenge to "Terri's Law." Passed last fall, the law let Gov. Jeb Bush authorize a feeding tube for a brain-damaged Tampa woman -- despite a court ruling allowing the tube's removal.
Environment Biologists Hope Electricity Can Foil Invading Fish August 30, 2004 • Engineers and biologists are testing a new electric barrier underwater near Chicago, hoping to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Two breeds of Asian carp are rapidly moving up the Mississippi River basin, and have been found just 50 miles from Lake Michigan. NPR's David Schaper reports.
Environment Early Action Key in War Against Invasive Species August 30, 2004 • Foreign life forms ranging from the dreaded zebra mussel to mute swans are taking over the American countryside. Biologists haven't had much luck in their fight to stop this "silent invasion," but the battle isn't over yet. NPR's John Nielsen reports.
Environment Prioritizing the Globe's Most Endangered Primates August 30, 2004 • NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to renowned primatologist Russ Mittermeier about the International Primatological Society, which met last week in Torino, Italy, to compile a list of the world's 25 most endangered primates.
Religion The Search for John the Baptist's Ritual Cave August 29, 2004 • Shimon Gibson, a biblical archeologist, believes he has found a cave outside of Jerusalem, where John the Baptist might have performed his baptisms. Other archeologists aren't so sure. NPR's Julie McCarthy reports.
Environment South African Penguin Population Decimated August 28, 2004 • NPR's Scott Simon talks to Jim Metzner, producer of the radio program Pulse of the Planet about the dwindling population of South African Penguins, also known as jackass penguins.
Research News Recreational Fishing Takes Heavy Toll on U.S. Fish August 27, 2004 • Recreational fishing poses a surprisingly dangerous threat to some popular species, such as red snapper, black sea bass and rockfish, a new study shows. Sport-fishing boats are much smaller than commercial vessels, but there are many more of them. NPR's John Nielsen reports.
Movies Scientists Pick 'Blade Runner' as Best Sci-Fi Flick August 27, 2004 • Scientists, not critics, have chosen the best science fiction movie of all time. Nearly 60 scientists from fields as diverse as quantum physics and zoology picked Blade Runner as the best. They were surveyed by the British newspaper The Guardian.
From Our Listeners Climate Change and Calif. Wine Country August 27, 2004 • Could climate change mean the end of the wine industry? We look ahead to California's climate 50 to 100 years from now.
From Our Listeners Demystifying The Science of Flight August 27, 2004 • A 50-year-old myth dies hard. Why airplanes fly: What you were taught in school might be wrong.
Research News Vengeance Has a Gene, Scientists Say August 26, 2004 • A team of Swiss scientists finds the desire for retribution against rule breakers has a deep-seated, biological explanation. Punishing scofflaws activates the same pleasure center of the brain involved in recreational drug use and falling in love. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on the study, which appears in this week's issue of the journal Science.
Research News Genetically Altered 'Marathon Mice' Created in Lab August 26, 2004 • NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Ira Flatow, host of NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday, about "marathon mice" -- genetically altered mice with more muscle, less fat and twice the endurance of normal mice.
West Nile Virus Hits S. California's Horses August 26, 2004 • West Nile virus has killed nearly 600 people nationwide since 1999 and more than 20,000 horses. It's estimated that only 45 percent of horses have been vaccinated. Southern California's ranches are the latest hot spot for the disease. John Rabe of member station KPCC reports.
Space New Planet Detected by Small Telescope August 26, 2004 • NPR's Melissa Block talks with Kelly Beatty of Sky and Telescope magazine about the small telescope used to detect a new planet, orbiting a distant star. The telescope has small optics of about four inches in diameter, with a sophisticated camera on the end.
Tech Guru Omar Wasow: High-Tech Sports Doping August 26, 2004 • Last week, tech guru Omar Wasow talked about the legal ways athletes competing at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens are hoping to improve their medal chances. This week, Wasow talks about the illegal methods to enhance performance, and how athletes try to fool drug tests.