Environment Scientists Watch for Mount St. Helens Eruption September 30, 2004 • Researchers upgrade the chance of a mild to moderate volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens to 70 percent — possibly occurring within days. The mountain in Washington state was the site of a catastrophic surprise eruption in 1980. Hear Ley Garnet of Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Space First X-Prize Flight a Success for SpaceShipOne September 30, 2004 • Are we witnessing the birth of a commercial space flight industry? Day to Day technology contributor Xeni Jardin reports on Wednesday's launch of SpaceShipOne. The craft is the top competitor in the race for the Ansari X-prize, a global competition to build the first viable commercial spaceship. The winning team is set to receive a $10-million award.
National One Man's Junk Is Another's Marvel September 30, 2004 • Jim Williams never met a piece of electronics he didn't like. The Silicon Valley electrical engineer collects and cherishes what few of us notice: the inner workings of modern machines. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.
Environment DNA Testing May Curb Illegal Ivory Trade September 30, 2004 • Delegates from 160 nations are gathering in Thailand for a meeting on international trade in endangered species. They will discuss new genetic research that makes it easier to trace poached ivory. NPR's John Nielsen reports.
Obituaries John Mack, Author of Lawrence Book, Dies in London September 29, 2004 • Dr. John Mack died Tuesday in London, the victim of an auto accident. Dr. Mack, a Harvard professor, wrote A Prince of Our Disorder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of T.E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia. Years later, he did controversial research on people who claimed they had been abducted by aliens. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with a friend and colleague of Dr. Mack, Dr. Robert Jay Lifton of the Harvard Medical School.
Researchers Track Humans to Common Ancestor September 29, 2004 • NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with science writer Steve Olson about his article in the current issue of the journal Nature. With professors Joseph Change and Douglas Rohde, Olson writes that a new statistical model shows that all human beings have a common ancestor, who lived just 3,500 years ago.
Space Detecting the Earth's Hum for What It Is September 29, 2004 • The earth hums, emitting a tone too low for human ears to detect. Geophysicists have finally located the source of the noise. As they report in this week's issue of the journal Nature, it comes from the globe's largest oceans during winter, apparently the result of powerful winter storms. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.
Calif. Earthquake a Preview of the 'Big One'? September 29, 2004 • A 6.0 earthquake rattled central California on Thursday -- is it a harbinger of the "Big One?" NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Andrew Michael of the Menlo Park Earthquake Hazard Team about the earthquake near the rural California village of Parkfield, and the challenge of forecasting temblors.
Environment Estuary is Temporary Home for a Great White September 28, 2004 • NPR's Michele Norris talks with Captain Mike Ryan of R & R Marines Charter Fishing about the great white shark that has been holed up for the last week in an estuary off Naushon Island, 3 miles from Woods Hole, Mass. Ryan has so far shuttled about 300 curious onlookers hoping for a closer view of the shark.
Environment Quake Strikes in Central California September 28, 2004 • An strong earthquake strikes central California, with little damage reported from the sparsely populated area near the town of Parkfield. The quake, with a 6.0 magnitude, struck along the San Andreas Fault, in an area seismologists had been monitoring for the past twenty years. NPR's Richard Harris reports.
Opinion World Lack of Trees Adds to Haiti Flooding September 27, 2004 • Commentator Daniel Erikson, director of Caribbean Programs at the Inter-American Dialogue, reflects on the destruction of trees in Haiti. Some 4,000 people have died this year in mudslides and flash floods, including the many who died last week because of Jeanne, which was then at tropical-storm strength. The Caribbean country was covered with green 200 years ago. Now it has less than 1 percent forests, causing many to call Haiti a Caribbean desert.
National Injury Risks in Florida Rise after Hurricane September 27, 2004 • As officials and rescue teams in central Florida assess damage from the area's third hurricane of the season, they report a rise in injuries and accidents. Statistically, more dangers emerge in the days after a hurricane has struck, according to relief workers. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.
Environment White House May Delist Protected Species September 27, 2004 • The Bush administration considers removing several animals from the Endangered Species List, saying the populations are now large enough to survive without protection. But ecologists say headcounts are only one way to measure whether a species has recovered. Hear NPR's John Nielsen.
Crow Populations Suffer from West Nile Virus September 26, 2004 • In the five years since it was discovered in the United States, West Nile Virus has had a devastating effect on some bird populations. Scores of crows have disappeared from all over the country. Reporter Nell Boyce talks with Kevin McGowan, a crow expert at Cornell University, about the effects the virus has had on the social fabric of crow families.
Research News September 26, 2004 • New advances in science, medicine, health, and technology.Stem cell research, drug research, and new treatments for disease.