356381 items (356381 unread) in 46 feeds
World Health Organization
(804 unread)
Media
(277495 unread)
Reuters Health eLine
(11480 unread)
Australia ABC News: Health
(16298 unread)
China Xinghua Health News
(8874 unread)
New York Times: Health
(14781 unread)
HeraldToday.com: Health
(2842 unread)
WebMD Health Headlines
(7711 unread)
Medical News Today
(86099 unread)
iVillage Health
(956 unread)
Newsvine - health
(40201 unread)
Bird Flu
(5945 unread)
Medical News Today - Bird Flu/Avian Flu
(751 unread)
Diabetes
(13124 unread)
Medical News Today - Diabetes
(4570 unread)
Cholesterol
(5067 unread)
Topix.net - Cholesterol
(2204 unread)
Medical News Today - Cholesterol
(707 unread)
Cancer
(26756 unread)
Medical News Today - Breast Cancer News
(3479 unread)
Medical News Today - Cancer/Oncology News
(12074 unread)
HIV
(14500 unread)
Medical News Today - HIV/AIDS News
(7777 unread)
Women
(9797 unread)
Medical News Today - OBGYN News
(6558 unread)
Men
(2893 unread)
Medical News Today - Men's health News
(1244 unread)
A federal ban on fishing for red snapper, one of the most prized saltwater fish, is set to take effect Jan. 4 — part of an effort to bring back the species in the Atlantic Ocean. But coastal fishing towns that rely on business from anglers say the ban could take a huge economic toll.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
James Bain was 19-years-old in 1974, when he was arrested and charged with kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old boy. He was convicted largely because the boy identified him in a police lineup. After serving 35 years in prison, James Bain was recently freed after DNA testing — which he pleaded for when he was initially accused — found him innocent of the crime. Bain talks about his life as a freed man and whether he holds any resentment toward the judicial system for the life-changing error.
James Bain was 19-years-old in 1974, when he was arrested and charged with kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old boy. He was convicted largely because the boy identified him in a police lineup. After serving 35 years in prison, Bain was freed after DNA testing — which he pleaded for when he was initially accused — found him innocent of the crime. Bain talks about his life as a freed man and whether he holds any resentment toward the judicial system for the life-changing error.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A few years ago, trees started coming down across the road from Joan Graham's Michigan horse farm. She set in place a plan to conserve her land after her death by giving it to a conservancy. But just to be safe, she added a grave twist: She would have her body — and anyone else who wanted to join her — buried on the land.
A few years ago, trees started coming down across the road from Joan Graham's Michigan horse farm. She set in place a plan to conserve her land after her death by giving it to a conservancy. But just to be safe, she added a grave twist: She would have her body — and anyone else who wanted to join her — buried on the land.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The northern white rhinoceros was hunted to extinction by poachers in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Four of the last eight known northern whites in the world, two male and two female, were sent from a Czech zoo to Kenya, where scientists hope they will breed.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
It's been more than 10 years since scientists first showed it is possible to grow embryonic stem cells. Despite political wrangling over the years, scientists have made advances in basic research. Still, there is a ways to go before stem cells can be used to treat disease.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Officials in Richmond, Calif., want to raise Chevron's taxes and are blocking refinery upgrades, pending environmental review. Chevron is California's largest greenhouse gas producer. While the company tries to improve its image, it's also hinting that it might be time to relocate.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Using DNA tests, two seniors at Manhattan's Trinity School found plenty of food that wasn't what the labels said it was. A test of DNA from a cockroach found in an apartment on the Upper West Side suggests it may represent a new species or subspecies.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
You know that supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park? The one responsible for the steam that makes the place famous? Well, it turns out that supervolcano is super indeed — both bigger and deeper than scientists had previously known. Host Guy Raz speaks with geophysicist Robert Smith of the University of Utah about his new research on the larger-than-thought volcanic system beneath Yellowstone.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The "Do It Yourself" movement works well when you're talking about making your own music or growing your own vegetables. But some people are starting a DIY-biology movement. They're studying things like DNA and E. coli bacteria in home laboratories. And for now, the industry is largely unregulated. Host Guy Raz speaks with Jason Bobe, founder of the group DIYbio.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Restaurants usually pay about $100 a month to dispose of used oil from the deep fryer. But mechanical engineer James Peret of Massachusetts came up with a way for them to turn that oil into energy savings. He invented a small generator called the Vegewatt. It sits out back at the restaurant, in place of the used-oil dumpster, and filters out the old bits of food. It then pumps the clean oil into a system that can knock about $1,000 off of a restaurant's utility bill. Host Guy Raz talks to Peret, as part of our series on some of the great inventions of 2009.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Restaurants usually pay about $100 a month to dispose of used oil from deep-fryers, but mechanical engineer James Peret of Massachusetts invented a way to turn that oil into energy savings. A small generator called the Vegawatt sits outside the restaurant, filtering out the old bits of food and pumping the clean oil into a system that can cut about $1,000 from a restaurant's utility bill. Guy Raz talks to Peret as part of our series on some of the great inventions of 2009.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Ira Flatow and a panel of science writers and editors discuss the top science stories of 2009, from the discovery of water on the moon to the unveiling of human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus to public health controversies like the new mammography guidelines and the swine flu vaccine.
A few duds under the tree? Return them for cash and go to dinner. Psychologists say people report feeling happier when they spend their money on experiences rather than objects. Study author Ryan Howell, from San Francisco State University, explains the results and speculates on whether the findings extend to gift-giving. Originally broadcast Feb. 13, 2009.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Are mistletoe and poinsettia something to be worried about this time of year? Poison expert Edward Krenzelok explains how to avoid accidental poisonings this season, and how to keep the holidays toxin-free. Originally broadcast Dec. 26, 2008.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Attention unbelievers: A new book uses science to explain just how Santa is able to deliver so many presents in one night, how he knows whether you've been naughty or nice and how he stays trim eating so many cookies. Author Gregory Mone discusses his book The Truth About Santa.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Author K.C. Cole writes about physicist and Exploratorium-founder Frank Oppenheimer in Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens. Cole, a friend of Oppenheimer's, digs into FBI files and personal memories to describe the complex man also called the "Uncle of the Atomic Bomb." Originally broadcast Aug. 7, 2009.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
On Christmas Day 25 years ago, Carol Greider made the discovery that won her a share of this year's Nobel Prize in medicine. But her friend and colleague wasn't there at the eureka moment, and missing it taught him an important life lesson about working on Christmas.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
It turns out that death isn't written into the fabric of life at all. So from whence cometh obligatory death? It accompanied the advent of multicellularity.
Despite 25 years and billions of dollars spent on cleanup efforts, the Chesapeake Bay remains one of the country's most polluted waterways. With waste of all kinds, each of the almost 17 million people living in the watershed contributes to the pollution.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
As the Copenhagen talks neared collapse last week, President Obama cut a last-minute deal with leaders from China and three other nations to curb greenhouse gases. It's unclear how they'll do that, but one thing is clear: The U.S. and China have become leaders that may shape the new climate diplomacy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
As the Copenhagen talks neared collapse last week, President Obama cut a last-minute deal with leaders from China and three other nations to curb greenhouse gases. It's unclear how they'll do that, but one thing is clear: The U.S. and China have become leaders that may shape the new climate diplomacy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
'Tis the season for images of snowflakes. Unfortunately, many artistic renderings of snow crystals show an eight-sided structure — something that can't occur in nature. So this year, one scientist decided to set the record straight.
The federal government has been fighting pollution of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, for 25 years. But harmful nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, continue to flow into its waters — and they're often traced to nearby fertilizer- and manure-laden farms.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
President Barack Obama hailed the last-minute accord at the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen as a breakthrough. But many delegates left disappointed. NPR science correspondent Richard Harris talks about what was and what was not achieved in Copenhagen.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
At what age does a kid's belief in Santa peak? Psychologically speaking, the answer is 5, when young brains are full of imagination and not so much doubt.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Everyone knows that "time flies when you’re having fun," but a new study suggests that the reverse is also true. Researchers tricked people into thinking that either time was flying … or dragging. Those who thought time had "flown by" rated their experiences as more fun.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
It was just before Christmas last year when a massive coal ash retention pond gave way near Kingston, Tenn. An estimated one billion gallons of the gray material spilled into a river and inundated acres of sparsely-populated land. One year later, clean-up is going slower than expected and it's more expensive too.
A biologist reflects on an awe-inspiring experience in Africa, when a group of baboons united in some kind of amazing "mystical" moment.
A biologist reflects on an awe-inspiring experience in Africa, when a group of baboons united in some kind of amazing "mystical" moment.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A biologist reflects on an awe-inspiring experience in Africa, when a group of baboons united in some kind of amazing "mystical" moment.
The FDA has promised to reassess the safety of BPA — a widely used plastic additive that can act like estrogen in the body. Currently, the agency's position is that BPA exposure is too low to cause health effects, but some major studies of the chemical's safety are just beginning.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres, the excavations director said. The find could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Dinosaur fossils found in China show that the Sinornithosaurus had grooved teeth connected to what could be venom ducts. Several researchers hypothesize that the dinosaur may have used venom much the way Gila monsters of the American Southwest do.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Much of the U.S. continues to dig out from a massive snowstorm that snarled traffic and travel plans. When the forecast is bleak, or a promised storm never shows, weathermen often take the blame. NBC meteorologist Tom Kierein explains just how accurate a forecaster can be.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The climate change deal brokered in Copenhagen "lays the foundation for international action," the president said, but the challenge now is to build momentum inside the U.S. to create a clean energy economy. The first part of that effort is legislation already waiting in the Senate.
The climate change deal negotiated late Friday night in Copenhagen almost didn't happen. And for some, it's still too little, too late. The deal was brokered in the final hours of the conference. And it all hinged on one particular sentence.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
World leaders reluctantly agreed to a global effort to limit the effects of greenhouse gases.
World leaders reluctantly agreed to a global effort to limit the effects of greenhouse gases.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
As gentlemen may have noticed, flies are turning up in urinals with increased frequency. Not real ones, but lifelike images carefully positioned in the porcelain bowl. It seems the very presence of this insect drastically reduces what's politely called "spillage." But why flies?
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The findings led advocates to declare an epidemic. Federal researchers were more cautious and said better detection could be behind the apparent increase.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Genes called non-coding genes tell other genes when to switch on and off. New research on this type of gene might explain rapid adaptations like lactose intolerance in humans, the spikes on a fish stickleback and varying colors of flies.
At the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union this week, high-definition footage of a deep ocean volcano spewing lava into the water wowed attendees. Science News reporter Sid Perkins reports on that and other meeting news, including earthquake tracking on Twitter.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
In the consumer report "How Much Information?" University of California technology management professor Roger Bohn writes that average Americans consume about 34 gigabytes of data daily across all media, including television, radio, computer games, music and the Internet.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A perennial holiday dilemma: Will alcohol kill bacteria like salmonella in homemade eggnog? Microbiologists Vince Fischetti and Raymond Schuch, from The Rockefeller University, ran an experiment in the lab to see whether salmonella can survive in a vat of spiked eggnog.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Woolly mammoths and ancient horses may have been roaming the North American steppes longer than scientists thought. Evolutionary biologist Eske Willerslev describes how his team used DNA samples taken from permafrost cores to recalculate when the animals may have disappeared.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Dr. Julie Holland ran the weekend shift at Bellevue's psychiatric emergency room for nine years. In her new memoir Weekends at Bellevue, Holland describes the patients she encountered — from the manic to the criminally insane — and the reasons she eventually left the job.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
By analyzing cell phone movements and online search queries, scientists can monitor traffic in real time and track disease outbreaks more efficiently, but at what cost to privacy? Computer scientists Tom Mitchell and Deborah Estrin discuss the pros and cons of crowd sourcing personal data.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The clock is winding down on the climate conference in Copenhagen, and there is no deal on the table. President Obama told the gathering that while nothing gets done, "the danger of climate change grows until it is irreversible."
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The president tells the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen that America is setting an example of bold action and other nations must follow or see the world suffer catastrophic effects — even as he acknowledges that some nations feel the United States is not doing enough.
President Obama has endorsed a $100 billion per year deal to help developing countries adapt to climate change, but only if China agrees to allow independent outside monitors to verify its emissions reductions. Beijing has refused, saying it will cut emissions on its own terms.
After several frantic rounds of last-minute diplomacy at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, President Obama announced that he had reached a "meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough" with the key developing nations of China, India, South Africa and Brazil. The countries say they will work to limit global warming to no more than a 2 degree Celsius increase over the next decade.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
With President Barack Obama and other world leaders arriving in Copenhagen, negotiators have been working through the night to craft a political declaration for Friday's climate summit.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
If you're having trouble understanding why the Copenhagen talks are making such slow progress, try imagining having 193 children in your family. And every little decision has to be reached by consensus. You'd be lucky to get through breakfast. At the climate talks, 193 countries are trying to find common ground.
If you're having trouble understanding why the Copenhagen talks are making such slow progress, try imagining having 193 children in your family. And every little decision has to be reached by consensus. You'd be lucky to get through breakfast. At the climate talks, 193 countries are trying to find common ground.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The "greening disease" is crippling the state's $9 billion citrus industry, but researchers are testing genetically modified plants in hopes of safeguarding future production.
At the climate conference in Copenhagen, there's been considerable discussion over how to put a price on reducing carbon emissions. Generally, placing a price on a commodity — corn or soy or a car — is a fairly easy matter in an established marketplace. But carbon is not a commodity, and there's no established marketplace for carbon, so the effort presents particular challenges.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The point of the climate negotiations is to replace the 1997 Kyoto climate treaty. The U.S. never ratified that treaty, because it doesn't require rapidly industrializing countries such as China to cut emissions. The head of the American negotiating team in Copenhagen, Todd Stern, tells NPR's Richard Harris that China and India's reluctance to make binding commitments remains a stumbling block.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will contribute to a proposed $100 billion fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change-related disasters such as floods and crop failures.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the U.N. climate summit that the United States is prepared to join other rich countries in raising $100 billion in yearly climate financing for poor countries by 2020. The U.S. declaration could give a boost to the deadlocked Copenhagen talks.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Negotiators at the Copenhagen climate summit are facing an uphill task in their attempt to come up with a political agreement on global warming. Listeners ask how a developing nation is defined, about efforts by some countries to become carbon-free, the difference between global warming and climate change, and what to expect from the summit.
Climate negotiators in Copenhagen may snatch a small victory from the jaws of defeat Wednesday as they put the final touches on a deal that would pay countries to save carbon-absorbing forests.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The planet orbits a red dwarf star 40 light-years from our Earth, and its surface may be covered in water. But scientists say conditions on this planet would probably be too extreme to support life as we know it.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
As world leaders streamed into Copenhagen, disputes have left big issues unresolved just two days before participants hope to sign a historic accord to fight global warming. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters tried to disrupt the conference, and police said more than 200 were detained.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The industry says it has access to vast quantities of the low-carbon fuel and has funneled money into a new lobby to position itself better within proposed climate legislation. But some lawmakers aren't on board, and Exxon Mobil joining the team hasn't helped.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Use of CT scans in the U.S. has more than tripled in less than two decades. Despite the medical benefits, these scans emit a significant amount of radiation. A new study estimates that 29,000 future cancers could be related to CT scans performed in the U.S. in 2007.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Large Hadron Collider was supposed to start smashing particles last fall and was expected to lead to huge scientific discoveries about the universe. Instead, the collider broke down just days after it first started. Scientists have been repairing it for a year, and now it’s ready to go again.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
As rumors of a secret deal to jettison the Kyoto Protocol spread, developing countries threatened to boycott the talks. But some progress is made on a program that would pay countries to not cut down trees.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The history of Earth features a few extremely successful species, such as ants, black pepper, sheep, and of course, humans. In his book, What On Earth Evolved, Christopher Lloyd explores their stories before and after man.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
They are demanding that rich countries raise their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, throwing the 192-nation U.N. climate summit into disarray. The Copenhagen talks were already faltering because of disputes over emissions cuts and financing for poor countries.
European officials say the impasse, started by African countries and backed by major developing countries such as China and India, ends after poor nations received assurances that rich nations were not conspiring to soften their commitments to cutting greenhouse gases.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
More than 110 heads of state are expected to arrive in Denmark this week, as diplomats try to bridge enormous disagreements over a new climate deal. Developing countries want rich countries to raise their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
We're headed into crunch time for negotiators at the Copenhagen climate conference. One man packing his bags for Copenhagen is economist Nicholas Stern. Guy Raz speaks with Stern about the blueprint for climate action he laid out in his most recent book, The Global Deal.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
In his latest look at the year's coolest inventions, Guy Raz talks to Eben Bayer about his company's breakthroughs, Greensulate insulation and Ecocradle packaging — both made from mushrooms. Bayer came up with the idea as a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic in New York and developed it with classmate Gavin McIntyre. Now the two have a company called Ecovative Design.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
New research shows that if carbon emissions soar, we could end up with super-sized lobsters. But you'll have to strap that bib on fast; those jumbo lobsters probably won't last for long.
New research shows that if carbon emissions soar, we could end up with super-sized lobsters. But you'll have to strap that bib on fast. Those same environmental conditions could spell trouble for the critters that lobsters eat — and ultimately for the jumbo crustaceans themselves.
New research shows that if carbon emissions soar, we could end up with super-sized lobsters. But you'll have to strap that bib on fast. Those same environmental conditions could spell trouble for the critters that lobsters eat — and ultimately for the jumbo crustaceans themselves.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Scientists believe they've found the mystery volcano whose eruption caused Earth's temperature to plummet early in the 19th century.
Scientists say evidence in the ice of Antarctica and Greenland shows a volcanic eruption, probably near the equator, contributed to global cooling early in the 19th century.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A growing number of sellers are highlighting the "green" features of properties to try to lure buyers. But while many buyers see eco-friendliness as an added bonus, location, price and traditional amenities remain the top priorities.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Abortion-rights backers want quick action from the president-elect, although they may not press for sweeping changes. Obama has said he is looking to find common ground on reproductive health issues.
Right now, 10 countries — including the U.S., China and Russia — are responsible for 80 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. The United States is the world's second largest emitter (China ranks no. 1), sending around 5.8 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year. That's the equivalent to a year's worth of greenhouse gas emissions from 1.1 billion average passenger vehicles.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Nobel banquet in Stockholm Thursday night required the services of 20 cooks and 210 waiters and waitresses.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Fearful memories can be updated — and the fear erased — without drugs, a new study in the journal Nature suggests. Study author Elizabeth Phelps, a psychologist at New York University, explains the findings and the implications for treating anxiety disorders.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A landmark lawsuit is challenging the patents Myriad Genetics holds on the so-called breast cancer genes — patents that make Myriad the sole provider of a crucial genetic test. Do patents on genes spur research and innovation, or harm patients? Two experts share their views.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
New research suggests coffee is more than a pick-me-up; it may help protect against prostate cancer. Researcher Kathryn Wilson describes the results of a preliminary study showing that men who drank more coffee lowered their risk of developing an aggressive type of prostate cancer.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released 10 red weather balloons across the country and offered $40,000 to the first group to locate them all. Riley Crane, of MIT, explains how his team bagged the prize by locating the balloons in fewer than nine hours.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Scientists, policymakers, activists and skeptics from around the world have gathered in Denmark's capital to figure out how to deal with the threat of climate change. Elliot Diringer of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change describes the negotiations and the sticking points.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
European Union leaders agreed Friday to commit $3.6 billion a year until 2012 to help poorer countries combat global warming, as they sought to rescue their image as climate change innovators and bolster talks in Copenhagen.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
India is the planet's fifth biggest carbon polluter. Even with its vast population, its per capita emissions are many times lower than the West. As India's economy grows, so will its pollution. India's government has announced measures to combat climate change. But some question whether it can carry them out. The city of Gurgaon has become the front-line in a battle between government and growth.
NASA is set to launch its new telescope, WISE, into Earth's orbit Monday. This sensitive infrared telescope is expected to detect previously hidden asteroids, including ones that might be threatening to smack into Earth.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Few places in the country are as vulnerable to sea level rise as Florida. Miami Beach, the Keys and Palm Beach are just a few of the communities that may be largely underwater if, as some are predicting, the sea level rises 3 or 4 feet over the next century.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Sens. John Kerry, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham outlined Thursday the basics they would like to see in legislation to control global warming and to increase the nation's energy independence. This outline could ultimately suggest a way toward a compromise on the highly polarizing issue.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Researchers in Marin County, Calif., are experimenting with ways to get plants to absorb more carbon emissions. So far, their plan seems to be working — the grass in the experiment plots is capturing 50 percent more carbon from the air than grass in the untouched plots. But, researchers still need to measure what the net carbon uptake is.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Saudi Arabia's strategy on climate change has long been to deny the science, a tactic it is using at the U.N. summit in Copenhagen. Saudis fear that reducing emissions will reduce oil exports and be catastrophic for their economy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Carol Greider, the Johns Hopkins molecular biologist who won a share of this year's prize for physiology or medicine, picks up her medal today.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants his country to take the lead in the fight against global warming. He is pushing through a radical and unpopular plan to tax individual households according to their carbon footprint. But the new measure has many seeing red, not green.
For the last ten years, Spain has said all the right things about controlling its carbon emissions in the face of the looming climate crisis. It has even taken concrete action: A new law demands every new house in Spain must have a solar water heater. The country also has made massive investments in solar power plants, wind farms and public transport. However in the last ten years Spain's carbon footprint has increased by more than 30 percent.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The industrial world has set a goal of preventing the global average temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, that's 3.6 Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels. That number will be discussed a lot during the global warming talks in Copenhagen.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
No one is thrilled about nuclear waste, but nuclear power plants generate lots of electricity and no carbon dioxide. As America looks to a clean-energy future, number crunchers say nuclear can't be ruled out. Right now, nuclear power provides 20 percent of the nation's electricity. With no new plants, that number would gradually decline, just as the demand for clean power grows.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Intensive reading instruction not only helps students boost reading skills, but also improves the brain's "highways" that communicate information, a new study finds. This suggests that reading depends on areas of the brain that process information as well as the wiring that connects those areas.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Negotiators at Copenhagen know exactly what they need to figure out: who has to cut greenhouse gas emissions and by what amount — and how much rich countries should pay developing ones to not pollute the atmosphere. But the devil is in the details, so here's a look at what those details are.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Changes in the way Americans drive, the appliances we use, and how much we recycle can lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, says the co-author of an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Michael Vanderberg says change can be significant even if not everyone takes part.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A new study says that 66 million Americans provide care for an elderly parent, family member or a disabled child, and that caregiving has become an unpaid, part-time job. On average, caregivers provide 19 hours of help a week, and this causes people to miss work or to quit work altogether.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Copenhagen climate conference currently underway in Denmark has sparked global focus on "going green" in favor of environmentally friendly habits. But one environmental activist says that's a waste of time. Mike Tidwell, of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, explains why he's skeptical of the green movement. Tidwell says the focus is a distraction from serious environmental action.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
NASA scientist James Hansen was invited during the Bush administration to address a climate meeting. He says after interacting with administration officials for a few years, he believes they were trying to stifle the discussion on global warming. Hansen tells Steve Inskeep that while the political climate has changed since then, not enough is being done to fight global warming.
The NASA scientist who accused agency administrators and the Bush White House of manipulating public releases of climate data says he is disappointed that President Obama hasn't taken more action on the issue.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
We're tag along with Carol Greider, a Johns Hopkins molecular biologist, as she picks up a share of this year's Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in Stockholm.
We're tagging along with Carol Greider, a Johns Hopkins molecular biologist, as she picks up a share of this year's Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in Stockholm.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to human health. That finding paves the way for the agency to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from factories, power plants and cars under the Clean Air Act if Congress doesn't pass legislation to cut emissions.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The climate talks opened Monday in Copenhagen, with more than 190 nations represented. The U.S. and China have pledged some actions already, but negotiators so far haven't even agreed about what the overall deal will look like.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The United States has all the tools it needs to replace its old coal energy economy and drastically cut greenhouse emissions. So what's missing? Political will — and money.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
NPR science producer Jason Orfanon sends another dispatch from Antarctica. Hear the mellifluous sound of a snoring elephant seal!
The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded such gases are endangering people's health and must be regulated, officials tell The Associated Press. The move signals the Obama administration is prepared to contain global warming without congressional action if necessary.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Nations to evaluate progress and set new goals
Over 190 countries, including the United States, are taking part in a conference to evaluate global progress in counteracting climate change and set new goals. The Copenhagen conference began Dec. 7. This interactive shows emission trends and warming indicators over the last two decades.
SpaceShipTwo, a privately funded commercial passenger spacecraft, is set to make its public debut in the Mojave Desert after five years of secret construction. The project is bankrolled by Virgin Galactic founder, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The world's leaders are descending on Copenhagen for the long-awaited United Nations climate conference. NPR's Richard Harris fills in host Guy Raz on the gap between rich and poor nations, and why the last major climate treaty, worked out in Kyoto, Japan, didn't live up to its promise.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Host Guy Raz explores some of the fallout from the "climate-gate" e-mail hack with Dr. Judith Curry, chairwoman of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech. And she says the e-mails reveal a lack of transparency and a lot of "locker room talk" in the climate research community.
To celebrate its 350th birthday, the Royal Society of London selected 60 of the most notable scientific papers it's published over the past four centuries. And it's posting them online — with images of the original manuscripts. These are many of the biggest names in scientific history — Isaac Newton to Ben Franklin to Stephen Hawking. Host Guy Raz reviews a few of them with Michael Thompson, the man in charge of choosing from the society's 60,000-paper collection.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Some children get severely obese because they lack particular chunks of DNA, which kicks their hunger into overdrive, researchers report.
As representatives from around the world gather this week to discuss climate change in Copenhagen, host Liane Hansen talks with former Colorado congressman and senator Tim Wirth. He's president of the United Nations Foundation, an organization which, in part, advocates for environmental issues.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A recent Consumer Reports study finds that two-thirds of whole broiler chickens tested across the country harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter. Urvashi Rangan is the author of the study, and tells host Liane Hansen which chickens made the good and bad lists.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
This past week, state and federal officials broke ground on a long-awaited project key to the restoration of the Everglades. The project is part of a plan passed by Congress in 1989. It's long overdue and could be important in getting water back to the parched Everglades National Park.
Despite the attention being paid to the Copenhagen climate talks beginning Monday, public opinion of the urgency of climate change continues to sink. Some social scientists say the issue is so daunting, many people decide to shut it out of their thoughts. Will this affect a climate change treaty?
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
World leaders meet in Copenhagen Tuesday to begin an 11-day conference on climate change. The U.S. is going into the conference after already reaching an agreement with China that both countries will work toward what they call "significant" efforts to cut down emissions. Host Scott Simon talks to Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero about U.S. preparations for the conference.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
In October, SuperFreakonomics author Steve Levitt spoke with host Scott Simon and outlined some provocative ideas for addressing the problem of global warming, like pumping sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to cool down the earth. The Union of Concerned Scientists took issue, and Levitt is back to discuss his ideas with Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy for the UCS.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
President Obama is changing the time of his appearance at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The White House said Obama will visit Denmark on Dec. 18, at the summit's more crucial phase, instead of next week.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Authorities dumped 2,300 gallons of a fish-killing toxin into a 6-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, targeting the invasive Asian carp. Although none of the fish have actually been seen in this part of the canal, Asian carp DNA was found in water samples.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Mars exploration rover dubbed "Spirit" has been stuck in sand since April. NASA's project manager for the rovers, John Callas, describes attempts to free Spirit, and explains how the rover might continue to collect data from its present location if those attempts fail.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A new project dubbed the "Deep Carbon Observatory" aims to describe the carbon under the Earth's surface. Principal investigator Robert Hazen talks about the project and its relevance to energy supplies, the environment and our understanding of how life on Earth originated.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Feed nematode worms a particular light-sensitive chemical and after the meal, the worms become paralyzed when exposed to UV light. Remarkably, the effects can be reversed under visible light, Neil Branda and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Reporting in Current Biology, researchers write of a warbler that has quickly evolved an unorthodox migration path to England to take advantage of backyard bird feeders. Study author Martin Schaefer explains how the clever migrants could become a distinct warbler species.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
More rigorous scientific training in clinical psychology graduate programs would turn out more competent clinicians, researchers write in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. But not all psychologists agree.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
After being down for more than a year for repairs, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is running again. Physicist Drew Baden explains what went wrong with the Collider, how it was fixed, and what scientists are hoping to find by smashing beams of particles into each other.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
Ball State University is constructing the largest geothermal heating and cooling system in the country — and environmentalists are watching it closely. The university plans to use more than 660 acres to heat and cool nearly 50 buildings, and phase out its coal boilers. If the project is successful, officials say it will cut the university's emissions in half.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
The Copenhagen conference on climate change is set to begin Monday, December 7. Both the policy and science aspects of the issue can be overwhelming. NPR science correspondent Richard Harris offers a suggested reading list to help shed some light on the climate change debate.
The pledge to reduce the ratio of pollution to GDP by 20 percent to 25 percent comes just days before world leaders gather to discuss a new climate pact. Indian officials note that the targeted reductions would be only a domestic commitment and would not be legally binding.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
California researchers are preserving ultra-thin slices of one of the most studied brains in science to further understanding of how humans form and store memories.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
We're going to tag along with Carol Greider, a Johns Hopkins molecular biologist, who will soon be on her way to Stockholm to pick up a share of this year's Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A congressional hearing on climate change today was supposed to be a routine update on the science of global warming. Stolen e-mails from climate scientists, however, have been used to cast doubt on the legitimacy of climate change science by some, turning today's hearing into more of a sparring match.
A congressional hearing on climate change was supposed to be a routine update on the science of global warming. Stolen e-mails from climate scientists, however, have been used to cast doubt on the legitimacy of climate change science by some, turning Wednesday's hearing into more of a sparring match.
Some say the correspondence casts doubt on what we know about the severity of climate change. As polls show Americans are increasingly skeptical about global warming, NPR science correspondent Richard Harris tells us how the controversy might change the debate.
The National Institutes of Health says 13 previously off-limits human embryonic stem cell lines can now be studied with public funds. The move comes after President Obama lifted restrictions on stem cell research put in place by the Bush administration.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
A new study finds that there has been an increase in the number of children born with Down syndrome. One reason for the increase may be that women wait longer to have children, which increases the chances of a child being born with Down syndrome. Another could be that more families choose not to terminate a pregnancy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us