Space Crew to Study Meteor Shower Aboard Aircraft August 31, 2007 • A team of scientists and astronomers will study the Aurigid meteor shower aboard two aircraft high above the Pacific Ocean early Saturday morning. Scientists will observe how the meteors break up and examine their colors to learn about the materials that formed the solar system.
Even Spiders Know Everything's Bigger in Texas August 31, 2007 • Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas has some new tenants: spiders – lots of spiders. And they have spun a giant communal web. Several hundred yards along a nature trail have been taken over by the elaborate arachnid construction.
Environment How a Duck Species Was Snatched Away to Safety August 31, 2007 • Three years ago, biologists snatched 20 endangered Laysan Ducks — out of just 500 in existence — from the only spot they were found on earth. The birds became pioneers for a new population of ducks on Midway Atoll, where today, they thrive.
Space Researchers in Arctic Conduct Mars Simulation August 31, 2007 • What would it be like to work on Mars? A team of seven intrepid explorers just returned from four months on an Arctic island, where they attempted to duplicate some of the living and working conditions that might be faced by a future Mars exploration team.
Space Astronomers Find a 'Hole' in the Universe August 31, 2007 • Scientists have found a space nearly a billion light-years across that contains nothing — no stars, gas, galaxies, or mysterious dark matter that astronomers believe makes up much of the universe. The scientists who performed the study explain what it might mean to find... nothing.
Technology Go Get a (Virtual) Life August 31, 2007 • Tired of this life? With a few clicks of the mouse, you can create an online, virtual "you." Guests and callers discuss why we find virtual lives so addictive, and scientists explain their efforts to use online communities to learn more about real-life human behavior.
Education Colleges Create Eco-Friendly Dorms August 31, 2007 • Some college students are demanding that campus housing be more environmentally responsible. Changes involve everything from switching to energy-saving light bulbs in dorms to low-flow showers to hi-tech renovations of student living space.
Gasoline Expands in Heat, and Energy Slips Away August 31, 2007 • When drivers fill up their tanks in Arizona or California, they see a dollar or more evaporate. The gasoline expands in the heat. So there's less energy in a tank of 100-degree gas than there is in a tank of 70-degree gas.
World Spain Battles Devastating Vole Infestation August 30, 2007 • An invasion of mouse-like rodents is laying waste to a broad swath of farmland in central Spain. Farmers are trying everything from burning fields to squashing the creatures with giant rolling pins, but to little avail.
World River's Bounty Bypasses Families, Feeds Business August 29, 2007 • Along Brazil's Sao Francisco River, thousands of poor people are living with no running water while neighboring agriculture giants and vineyards have limitless access to water — for virtually pennies. In Pernambuco, a 12-year-old girl fell to her death trying to "poach" water from a canal meant to irrigate fields.
Katrina, Two Years Later New Orleans Suffers Crisis in Mental Health Care August 29, 2007 • Two years after Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans residents need mental health care, but there are few resources and almost no psychiatric beds. With nowhere to turn, people in the city have been forced to take drastic steps.
World Brazil River Dispute Highlights Larger Issue August 29, 2007 • President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva says hydro-electric energy is must-have for the development of South America's biggest economy. But environmental and indigenous groups increasingly oppose massive engineering projects.
Research News California Scientists Search for Perfect Pitch August 28, 2007 • A good ear is ideal, but perfect pitch? A California study has found that some people can effortlessly identify a musical note simply by hearing it, in the same way that many of us detect primary colors.
World Gamers Find Gaps in China's Anti-Addiction Efforts August 28, 2007 • Anti-addiction software is supposed to protect gamers under the age of 18 in China. But the software, which detracts points from game-players' scores if they don't take a break at certain points, hasn't been an unqualified success.
U.S. Obesity Levels on the Rise, Group Says August 28, 2007 • Despite recent attention to the issue of obesity and its relation to health problems such as diabetes and hypertension, not one state showed a decline in the rate of obesity, according to the Trust for America's Health on Obesity, a nonprofit organization.