Robert Krulwich http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5194672&ft=1&f=5194672 Robert Krulwich works on radio, podcasts, video, the blogosphere. He has been called "the most inventive network reporter in television" by <em>TV Guide</em>. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:32:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Robert Krulwich http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5194672&ft=1&f=5194672 Isn't That King David? Nope, It's Just Dave Take something old, familiar and classical, add denim, polyester and glasses, and watch what happens! Two French artists create a new form of time travel. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:32:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/18/193101828/isnt-that-king-david-nope-its-just-dave?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/18/193101828/isnt-that-king-david-nope-its-just-dave?ft=1&f=5194672 Take something old, familiar and classical, add denim, polyester and glasses, and watch what happens! Two French artists create a new form of time travel.

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]]> Why Men Die Younger Than Women: The 'Guys Are Fragile' Thesis Death, it appears, prefers gentlemen to ladies. Women don't just outlive men, they consistently outlive men at every stage of life. More boys die in utero, in infancy, in adolescence, in middle age, at every stage. That's why nature makes more of them. But why? What's so fragile about guys? Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:39:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/17/192670490/why-men-die-younger-than-women-the-guys-are-fragile-thesis?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/17/192670490/why-men-die-younger-than-women-the-guys-are-fragile-thesis?ft=1&f=5194672 Death, it appears, prefers gentlemen to ladies. Women don't just outlive men, they consistently outlive men at every stage of life. More boys die in utero, in infancy, in adolescence, in middle age, at every stage. That's why nature makes more of them. But why? What's so fragile about guys?

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]]> Why Dolphins Make Us Nervous India has just banned dolphin entertainment parks. They are "morally unacceptable," says a government ministry. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, the U.S. Navy announced that 24 dolphins trained to sniff for underwater mines will be replaced by robots. We are definitely confused about dolphins. Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:32:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/13/191286344/why-dolphins-make-us-nervous?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/13/191286344/why-dolphins-make-us-nervous?ft=1&f=5194672 India has just banned dolphin entertainment parks. They are "morally unacceptable," says a government ministry. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, the U.S. Navy announced that 24 dolphins trained to sniff for underwater mines will be replaced by robots. We are definitely confused about dolphins.

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]]> The Most Dangerous Traffic Circle In The World? Moving north: two vans. Moving east: three taxis, a peddle cab and one lady walking. Moving west: six motorcyles, another taxi, a truck and a van. Moving south: a bicyclist, two cabs and a truck. All of them meet and there are no rules. Who lives? Who dies? Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:22:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/10/190468911/the-most-dangerous-traffic-circle-in-the-world?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/10/190468911/the-most-dangerous-traffic-circle-in-the-world?ft=1&f=5194672 Moving north: two vans. Moving east: three taxis, a peddle cab and one lady walking. Moving west: six motorcyles, another taxi, a truck and a van. Moving south: a bicyclist, two cabs and a truck. All of them meet and there are no rules. Who lives? Who dies?

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]]> Watts For Lunch? (Or Why Humans Are Like Light Bulbs) Take a bunch of broccoli, or make it a Slurpee, burger, pizza and fries, swallow, and ask yourself, "How much energy did I just consume?" Enough to light a flashlight? Run an electric toothbrush? If I were a lunch-eating light bulb, how long would I glow? Here's the answer. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:06:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/10/190385487/watts-for-lunch-or-why-humans-are-like-light-bulbs?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/10/190385487/watts-for-lunch-or-why-humans-are-like-light-bulbs?ft=1&f=5194672 Take a bunch of broccoli, or make it a Slurpee, burger, pizza and fries, swallow, and ask yourself, "How much energy did I just consume?" Enough to light a flashlight? Run an electric toothbrush? If I were a lunch-eating light bulb, how long would I glow? Here's the answer.

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]]> The Boomerang Graffito (Or Bad, Bad, Luther B!) Be really careful when you carve your name onto an ancient Egyptian temple. Not because it's wrong (which it is), but because sometimes the temple comes back to haunt you. The true story of Luther Bradish, an American spy who didn't keep his secret. Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:40:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/05/188968426/the-boomerang-graffito-or-bad-bad-luther-b?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/05/188968426/the-boomerang-graffito-or-bad-bad-luther-b?ft=1&f=5194672 Be really careful when you carve your name onto an ancient Egyptian temple. Not because it's wrong (which it is), but because sometimes the temple comes back to haunt you. The true story of Luther Bradish, an American spy who didn't keep his secret.

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]]> MIT's Magic Bag Of Sand What can you do with beach sand? Build a sand castle. Dig a canal. Make a snake. What can you do with MIT's "smart" sand? One day, you will turn it into a hammer, fork, chair, anything you want. And when you're done? Poof! It's sand again. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:07:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/04/188642248/mit-s-magic-bag-of-sand?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/04/188642248/mit-s-magic-bag-of-sand?ft=1&f=5194672 What can you do with beach sand? Build a sand castle. Dig a canal. Make a snake. What can you do with MIT's "smart" sand? One day, you will turn it into a hammer, fork, chair, anything you want. And when you're done? Poof! It's sand again.

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]]> What Did Rachel Carson Hear? The Mystery Of The 'Fairy Bell Ringer' It's not easy making friends with wild animals, especially when the animal is impossibly small, very shy, hiding under a pile of leaves. But when the writer Rachel Carson heard a "ting! ting! ting!" coming from her backyard — like someone ringing a teeny bell — she had to meet this creature, the one she called "the Fairy Bell Ringer." Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:46:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/03/188307359/what-did-rachel-carson-hear-the-mystery-of-the-fairy-bell-ringer?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/06/03/188307359/what-did-rachel-carson-hear-the-mystery-of-the-fairy-bell-ringer?ft=1&f=5194672 It's not easy making friends with wild animals, especially when the animal is impossibly small, very shy, hiding under a pile of leaves. But when the writer Rachel Carson heard a "ting! ting! ting!" coming from her backyard — like someone ringing a teeny bell — she had to meet this creature, the one she called "the Fairy Bell Ringer."

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]]> Not Winging It, But Ringing It Dolphins make their own toys. They do this by producing perfect little air rings in the water, which they then shove, bite, sculpt and swallow. And they aren't the only ones. Today we celebrate (you should pardon the expression) toroidal vortices. Tue, 28 May 2013 12:04:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/28/186888339/not-winging-it-but-ringing-it?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/28/186888339/not-winging-it-but-ringing-it?ft=1&f=5194672 Dolphins make their own toys. They do this by producing perfect little air rings in the water, which they then shove, bite, sculpt and swallow. And they aren't the only ones. Today we celebrate (you should pardon the expression) toroidal vortices.

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]]> What If There's No Internet? It has no center. No "off" switch. No brain. The Internet was designed to be virtually indestructible. But what if, one day, somehow, it stops? We can't have it anymore. What would that be like? Here's a short video about a French couple. She's ready. He's not. Sat, 25 May 2013 06:27:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/24/186509291/what-if-there-s-no-internet?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/24/186509291/what-if-there-s-no-internet?ft=1&f=5194672 It has no center. No "off" switch. No brain. The Internet was designed to be virtually indestructible. But what if, one day, somehow, it stops? We can't have it anymore. What would that be like? Here's a short video about a French couple. She's ready. He's not.

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]]> Who's The Best Drinker? Dogs? Cats? Or Pigeons? You, you with your lips, throat, cheek muscles and hands, you, with no effort can drink a glass of water. But what about your cat? Your dog? They don't have the advantages you do. Nor do pigeons. And yet, through ways both brilliant and mysterious, they too can drink. Here are their secrets. Fri, 24 May 2013 08:45:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/23/186324864/whos-the-best-drinker-dogs-cats-or-pigeons?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/23/186324864/whos-the-best-drinker-dogs-cats-or-pigeons?ft=1&f=5194672 You, you with your lips, throat, cheek muscles and hands, you, with no effort can drink a glass of water. But what about your cat? Your dog? They don't have the advantages you do. Nor do pigeons. And yet, through ways both brilliant and mysterious, they too can drink. Here are their secrets.

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]]> How Benjamin Franklin Invented A Weight Loss Program, Using Balloons "Someone asked me," Benjamin Franklin once said, "what's the use of a balloon?" They don't do much. They just float. What are they good for? And Franklin replied, "What's the use of a new-born baby?" They just sit there. They don't do much. You have to imagine possibilities. This is Franklin, in the 1780s, thinking about balloons. Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/22/186015985/what-would-ben-franklin-do-with-a-bunch-of-balloons-everything?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/22/186015985/what-would-ben-franklin-do-with-a-bunch-of-balloons-everything?ft=1&f=5194672 "Someone asked me," Benjamin Franklin once said, "what's the use of a balloon?" They don't do much. They just float. What are they good for? And Franklin replied, "What's the use of a new-born baby?" They just sit there. They don't do much. You have to imagine possibilities. This is Franklin, in the 1780s, thinking about balloons.

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]]> The Little Metronome That Wouldn't Take a metronome. Then take another. Then another. Set them ticking at different times. Look. Lift. (That's the key part.) Watch. Then Laugh. Because you will be dumbfounded. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184815141/the-little-metronome-that-wouldnt?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184815141/the-little-metronome-that-wouldnt?ft=1&f=5194672 Take a metronome. Then take another. Then another. Set them ticking at different times. Look. Lift. (That's the key part.) Watch. Then Laugh. Because you will be dumbfounded.

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]]> David Foster Wallace Tells Us About Freedom What do you get when you get a college diploma? To hear David Foster Wallace tell it, you get a muscle that will help you forever after — in shopping lines, overcrowded parking lots, in traffic jams. This muscle, he says, frees you when the world gets painfully dull. Sat, 18 May 2013 05:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184785020/david-foster-wallace-tells-us-about-freedom?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/17/184785020/david-foster-wallace-tells-us-about-freedom?ft=1&f=5194672 What do you get when you get a college diploma? To hear David Foster Wallace tell it, you get a muscle that will help you forever after — in shopping lines, overcrowded parking lots, in traffic jams. This muscle, he says, frees you when the world gets painfully dull.

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]]> What Did I Do Last Summer? Oh, I Discovered How To Make Babies Without Sex. And You? Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world. Fri, 17 May 2013 09:54:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/16/184593276/what-did-i-do-last-summer-oh-i-discovered-how-to-make-babies-without-sex-and-you?ft=1&f=5194672 http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/16/184593276/what-did-i-do-last-summer-oh-i-discovered-how-to-make-babies-without-sex-and-you?ft=1&f=5194672 Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world.

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