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. Copyright 2009 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Science http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1007&ft=1&f=1007 In Oregon, Boat Owner Worries Over Climate Change Officials in Portland, Oregon, are planning a new light rail bridge over the Willamette River. Dan Yates, owner of a small company that runs boat excursions on the river, tells host Guy Raz he's afraid that climate change and rising water levels will keep his boats from passing under the proposed bridge. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668808&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668808&ft=1&f=1007 Officials in Portland, Oregon, are planning a new light rail bridge over the Willamette River. Dan Yates, owner of a small company that runs boat excursions on the river, tells host Guy Raz he's afraid that climate change and rising water levels will keep his boats from passing under the proposed bridge.

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]]> Scientist Explains Earth's Warming Plateau Research shows that over the past several years, Earth's temperature has not been heating up. Climate change skeptics claim this as evidence that global warming is overexaggerated. But the man who did the research, climate and ocean scientist Mojib Latif, says "not so fast." Latif talks to host Guy Raz about the Earth's temperature plateau and what it means for global warming. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668812&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668812&ft=1&f=1007 Research shows that over the past several years, Earth's temperature has not been heating up. Climate change skeptics claim this as evidence that global warming is overexaggerated. But the man who did the research, climate and ocean scientist Mojib Latif, says "not so fast." Latif talks to host Guy Raz about the Earth's temperature plateau and what it means for global warming.

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]]> Astronaut's Wait Over As Daughter Born Back Home Astronaut Randolph Bresnik is a new dad again, after launching into space and taking a spacewalk, all for the first time. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:59:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120661472&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120661472&ft=1&f=1007 Astronaut Randolph Bresnik is a new dad again, after launching into space and taking a spacewalk, all for the first time.

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]]> Museum: Galileo's Fingers, Tooth Found Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again, a Florence museum said Friday. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:06:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120630787&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120630787&ft=1&f=1007 Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again, a Florence museum said Friday.

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]]> Scientist: 'Don't Give Up' On Stopping Asian Carp Two Asian carp species that could devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem may be a few miles from Lake Michigan. To halt their migration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater electric fence on a canal 20 miles south of the lake. But tests conducted by David Lodge at Notre Dame indicate that they have gotten close to the lake despite the barrier. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624300&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624300&ft=1&f=1007 Two Asian carp species that could devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem may be a few miles from Lake Michigan. To halt their migration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater electric fence on a canal 20 miles south of the lake. But tests conducted by David Lodge at Notre Dame indicate that they have gotten close to the lake despite the barrier.

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]]> Rethinking The Human Future In Space With NASA reporting a "significant amount" of water on the lunar surface, is it time to re-examine our priorities regarding living and working in space? Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute, talks about why and how people should venture beyond Earth. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613250&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613250&ft=1&f=1007 With NASA reporting a "significant amount" of water on the lunar surface, is it time to re-examine our priorities regarding living and working in space? Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute, talks about why and how people should venture beyond Earth.

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]]> Personalizing Solar Power Researchers are hoping to improve solar energy installations by coupling a solar panel to an efficient hydrolysis unit that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. Daniel Nocera of MIT says the approach could lead to personal solar power units that could get many houses off the grid. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613254&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613254&ft=1&f=1007 Researchers are hoping to improve solar energy installations by coupling a solar panel to an efficient hydrolysis unit that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. Daniel Nocera of MIT says the approach could lead to personal solar power units that could get many houses off the grid.

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]]> Real-Life Physics Problems Star On TV The stars of <em>The Big Bang Theory</em> are two fictional Caltech physicists, but the physics problems they study are real. Bill Prady, the program's co-creator and executive producer, talks about including real-world science in the script, from dark matter to magnetic monopoles. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613274&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120613274&ft=1&f=1007 The stars of The Big Bang Theory are two fictional Caltech physicists, but the physics problems they study are real. Bill Prady, the program's co-creator and executive producer, talks about including real-world science in the script, from dark matter to magnetic monopoles.

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]]> Fungus Provides Clues To North American Extinctions One of the great mysteries about North America is what killed off woolly mammoths and other exotic animals that roamed the land after the last ice age. Ideas have ranged from a comet impact and climate change to human hunters. A study published Friday in <em>Science Magazine</em> provides new clues about this &mdash; cleverly deduced from samples of a fungus that grew on the animal's dung. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:33:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120592967&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120592967&ft=1&f=1007 One of the great mysteries about North America is what killed off woolly mammoths and other exotic animals that roamed the land after the last ice age. Ideas have ranged from a comet impact and climate change to human hunters. A study published Friday in Science Magazine provides new clues about this — cleverly deduced from samples of a fungus that grew on the animal's dung.

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]]> Sounds During Sleep May Help You Remember Certain sounds played while people napped helped them remember information associated with those sounds once they woke up, say researchers at Northwestern University. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120573613&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120573613&ft=1&f=1007 Certain sounds played while people napped helped them remember information associated with those sounds once they woke up, say researchers at Northwestern University.

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]]> Reef Conservation Strategy Backfires Conservationists worried about overfishing on the Pacific island of Kiribati persuaded fishermen to pick coconuts instead. The strategy backfired: Coconut oil production increased, but so did fishing. It turns out, fishermen who earned more money in coconut agriculture had more leisure time &mdash; which they spent fishing. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120536304&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120536304&ft=1&f=1007 Conservationists worried about overfishing on the Pacific island of Kiribati persuaded fishermen to pick coconuts instead. The strategy backfired: Coconut oil production increased, but so did fishing. It turns out, fishermen who earned more money in coconut agriculture had more leisure time — which they spent fishing.

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]]> Higher Temperatures May Be Behind Pine Growth Ancient bristlecone pine trees found in certain parts of California and Nevada have been growing at an unprecedented rate in the last 50 years. According to a recent study, this growth has most likely been caused by warmer temperatures. Malcolm Hughes, one of the study's lead researchers and a professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona's Laboratory for Tree-Ring Research, offers his insight. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545587&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545587&ft=1&f=1007 Ancient bristlecone pine trees found in certain parts of California and Nevada have been growing at an unprecedented rate in the last 50 years. According to a recent study, this growth has most likely been caused by warmer temperatures. Malcolm Hughes, one of the study's lead researchers and a professor of dendrochronology at the University of Arizona's Laboratory for Tree-Ring Research, offers his insight.

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]]> Camera That Saved Hubble Now On Display Two instruments from the Hubble Space Telescope, including the camera that corrected an early flaw in the telescope, are now on exhibit at the Smithsonian. The camera, about the size of a baby grand piano, is responsible for some of Hubble's most astounding photos. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120539846&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120539846&ft=1&f=1007 Two instruments from the Hubble Space Telescope, including the camera that corrected an early flaw in the telescope, are now on exhibit at the Smithsonian. The camera, about the size of a baby grand piano, is responsible for some of Hubble's most astounding photos.

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]]> Ancient Egyptians Suffered From Hardened Arteries X-ray scans of the arteries of Egyptian mummies show that hardening of the arteries wasn't uncommon among the upper classes in ancient times. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114403619&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114403619&ft=1&f=1007 X-ray scans of the arteries of Egyptian mummies show that hardening of the arteries wasn't uncommon among the upper classes in ancient times.

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]]> Panel: Mammograms Should Start At 50, Not 40 A panel of experts says mammograms are causing women being screened for breast cancer to have too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies. The panel is recommending that women wait until 50 to get mammograms and then only every two years. The American Cancer Society says it stands by its recommendations of regular mammograms beginning at age 40. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120488586&ft=1&f=1007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120488586&ft=1&f=1007 A panel of experts says mammograms are causing women being screened for breast cancer to have too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies. The panel is recommending that women wait until 50 to get mammograms and then only every two years. The American Cancer Society says it stands by its recommendations of regular mammograms beginning at age 40.

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