NPR Topics: Science http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1007&ft=1&f=1007 The latest health and science news. Updates on medicine, healthy living, nutrition, drugs, diet, and advances in science and technology. Subscribe to the Health & Science podcast. en Copyright 2010 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Science http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1007&ft=1&f=1007 When To Test For Prostate Cancer? Ads urge men of a certain age to get screened for prostate cancer. But is "test early, test often" the best approach? Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society and Mark Scholz, author of <em>Invasion Of The Prostate Snatchers,</em> discuss other approaches. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777511&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777511&ft=1&f=1007 Ads urge men of a certain age to get screened for prostate cancer. But is "test early, test often" the best approach? Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society and Mark Scholz, author of Invasion Of The Prostate Snatchers, discuss other approaches.

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]]> Happy Birthday, Buckyballs! Twenty-five years ago this month, researchers first identified buckminsterfullerenes -- a previously undiscovered form of carbon shaped like a tiny soccer ball. Harry Kroto, who shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery, explains what's been learned about fullerenes since. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777515&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777515&ft=1&f=1007 Twenty-five years ago this month, researchers first identified buckminsterfullerenes -- a previously undiscovered form of carbon shaped like a tiny soccer ball. Harry Kroto, who shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery, explains what's been learned about fullerenes since.

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]]> Scientists Study What Makes A Man A Good Dancer Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave filmed men dancing, converted the videos into dancing avatars and asked women to rate the avatars' dancing ability. The researchers found that the highly rated male dancers had some moves in common. Some advice: Shake that right knee. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777519&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777519&ft=1&f=1007 Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave filmed men dancing, converted the videos into dancing avatars and asked women to rate the avatars' dancing ability. The researchers found that the highly rated male dancers had some moves in common. Some advice: Shake that right knee.

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]]> The Cure For Malaria Could Be In A Mosquito's Gut Reporting in the journal <em>Science,</em> researchers write that mosquitoes can fight off infection by the malaria parasite, and that their immune response is even more efficient the second time. Study author Carolina Barillas-Mury discusses whether mosquitoes themselves could help eradicate malaria. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777523&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777523&ft=1&f=1007 Reporting in the journal Science, researchers write that mosquitoes can fight off infection by the malaria parasite, and that their immune response is even more efficient the second time. Study author Carolina Barillas-Mury discusses whether mosquitoes themselves could help eradicate malaria.

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]]> Does The 'Energy Star' Label Need An Update? A review in <em>Consumer Reports</em> says it's good news so many products have become energy efficient but calls for strengthening Energy Star standards to guide consumers to truly efficient products. Ira Flatow and guests discuss that report and overlooked ways people can save energy at home. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777527&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777527&ft=1&f=1007 A review in Consumer Reports says it's good news so many products have become energy efficient but calls for strengthening Energy Star standards to guide consumers to truly efficient products. Ira Flatow and guests discuss that report and overlooked ways people can save energy at home.

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]]> The Intelligence Of Crowds In 'The Perfect Swarm' In his book <em>The Perfect Swarm,</em> Len Fisher talks about swarm intelligence -- where the collective ideas of a group add up to better solutions than any individual could have dreamed up, including an example of how UPS reorganized its driving routes using the logic of an ant colony. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777531&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777531&ft=1&f=1007 In his book The Perfect Swarm, Len Fisher talks about swarm intelligence -- where the collective ideas of a group add up to better solutions than any individual could have dreamed up, including an example of how UPS reorganized its driving routes using the logic of an ant colony.

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]]> Tracking Coastal Erosion From Storms New data from sensitive airborne altimetry combined with undersea sensors is giving scientists better insight into how major storms can rapidly reshape coastlines. Reporter Sid Perkins discusses his <em>Science News</em> article on the scouring power of major storms. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777507&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777507&ft=1&f=1007 New data from sensitive airborne altimetry combined with undersea sensors is giving scientists better insight into how major storms can rapidly reshape coastlines. Reporter Sid Perkins discusses his Science News article on the scouring power of major storms.

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]]> Determining 'Brain Age' With A Simple Scan Doctors can easily tell whether a child's body is growing normally. But they have a much harder time assessing the brain. Now, using a new type of MRI scan, they can more accurately determine a child's "brain age" and help identify children with developmental problems. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:46:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129754434&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129754434&ft=1&f=1007 Doctors can easily tell whether a child's body is growing normally. But they have a much harder time assessing the brain. Now, using a new type of MRI scan, they can more accurately determine a child's "brain age" and help identify children with developmental problems.

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]]> Appeals Court Lifts Stem Cell Funding Ban For Now The federal court ruling permits government funding of stem cell research to proceed temporarily until the court rules on the merits of the Obama administration's position in the case. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:30:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129752910&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129752910&ft=1&f=1007 The federal court ruling permits government funding of stem cell research to proceed temporarily until the court rules on the merits of the Obama administration's position in the case.

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]]> Thad Allen And Lessons Learned From The Gulf Oil Spill The retired admiral tells <em>Morning Edition</em> host Steve Inskeep about challenges he's faced as national incident commander for the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/09/08/129726292/admiral-thad-allen-and-lessons-learned-from-the-gulf-oil-spill?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/09/08/129726292/admiral-thad-allen-and-lessons-learned-from-the-gulf-oil-spill?ft=1&f=1007 The retired admiral tells Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep about challenges he's faced as national incident commander for the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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]]> One Small Step For Man... Two of the most important human footsteps ever taken -- one on the moon in 1969, the other over three million years ago --  have both been preserved thanks to extraordinary circumstances. They reveal the curious nature of humanity. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/09/02/129609085/one-small-step-for-man?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/09/02/129609085/one-small-step-for-man?ft=1&f=1007 Two of the most important human footsteps ever taken -- one on the moon in 1969, the other over three million years ago --  have both been preserved thanks to extraordinary circumstances. They reveal the curious nature of humanity.

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]]> Fact Sheet: Traumatic Brain Injury Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a sudden trauma to the brain caused by force. A severe TBI can leave a person almost incapable of functioning. But even a mild TBI, a concussion, can lead to a range of debilitating symptoms. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:58:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129726135&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129726135&ft=1&f=1007 Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a sudden trauma to the brain caused by force. A severe TBI can leave a person almost incapable of functioning. But even a mild TBI, a concussion, can lead to a range of debilitating symptoms.

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]]> Think Music Heals? Trombone Player Begs To Differ For years, trombone player Scott Bean had a cough that wouldn't quit. A doctor later figured out that mold and bacteria living in his trombone caused him to develop a condition that's being called "trombone players' lung." Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129725678&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129725678&ft=1&f=1007 For years, trombone player Scott Bean had a cough that wouldn't quit. A doctor later figured out that mold and bacteria living in his trombone caused him to develop a condition that's being called "trombone players' lung."

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]]> BP Report Blames Multiple Companies For Gulf Spill The oil giant's 193-page report says a sequence of failures led to the massive Gulf of Mexico spill that fouled waters and shorelines for months. The company's findings are far from the final word on possible causes of the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon drill rig. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:20:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129720165&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129720165&ft=1&f=1007 The oil giant's 193-page report says a sequence of failures led to the massive Gulf of Mexico spill that fouled waters and shorelines for months. The company's findings are far from the final word on possible causes of the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon drill rig.

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]]> Embryonic-Stem-Cell Funding Stays Bottled Up A federal judge ruled the government is wrong about a "parade of horribles" that a stay on funding of researcher involving human embryonic stem cells would have on the field. He refused to lift a preliminary injunction imposed last month. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/09/08/129721745/human-stem-cell-funding-stays-bottled-up?ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/09/08/129721745/human-stem-cell-funding-stays-bottled-up?ft=1&f=1007 A federal judge ruled the government is wrong about a "parade of horribles" that a stay on funding of researcher involving human embryonic stem cells would have on the field. He refused to lift a preliminary injunction imposed last month.

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