Environment
Forecasters Had Chance To Warn Moore, Okla., Before Tornado
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Science
Biologist Shoukhrat Mitalipov stands outside the monkey enclosure at his lab in Oregon. He says the mistakes in his recent paper were caused by the rush to publish quickly.
Errors In Stem-Cell Cloning Paper Raise Doubts
()Biologists said last week that they had overcome a major obstacle in stem-cell research by cloning human embryos. But several images in the published study were duplicated and labeled incorrectly, prompting questions about the authenticity of the results.
Special Series
Joe's Big Idea
How do ideas become inventions and innovations? An NPR experiment explores.
Shots - Health News
Research Reveals Yeasty Beasts Living On Our Skin()
May 22, 2013 While studying microorganisms on humans is not new, tracking fungi is. In a census of sorts, scientists checked the skin of healthy volunteers. They found an expansive ecosystem of silent inhabitants.
Krulwich Wonders...
How Benjamin Franklin Invented A Weight Loss Program, Using Balloons ()
May 22, 2013 "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.
The Salt
How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine()
May 22, 2013 Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.
Research News
Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else()
May 22, 2013 NASA and Google have come together to buy a new kind of computer that the manufacturer says runs on the strange laws of quantum mechanics. But some physicists counter that the machine, known as the D-Wave Two, has never demonstrated a phenomenon known as "quantum entanglement."
The Two-Way
Storm Chasers Seek Thrills, But Also Chance To Warn Others()
May 21, 2013 When disaster strikes, our natural instinct is to take cover and seek shelter. But in severe weather, especially the type that breeds tornadoes like we saw in Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest this week, there are those who ride toward the storm.
The Salt
Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?()
May 21, 2013 Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers, but rather in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by superefficient LEDs.
The Picture Show
'Nanogardens' Sprout Up On The Surface Of A Penny()
May 21, 2013 Engineers have figured out a way to get crystals to form rose and tulip sculptures, each smaller than a strand of hair. The gardens sprout up on a penny dipped in a salt solution. The technique is similar to 3-D printing and could one day be used to make any complex shape.
The Two-Way
Measuring The Power Of Deadly Tornadoes()
May 20, 2013 Tornado strength is currently measured on what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which gives the tornado a rating from 0 to 5 based on estimated wind speeds and the severity of the damage.
Krulwich Wonders...
The Little Metronome That Wouldn't()
May 20, 2013 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.
The Salt
Can A Piece Of Hair Reveal How Much Coke Or Pepsi You Drink?()
May 20, 2013 People are notorious for under-reporting what they consume — they lie, forget or just guess wrong. For researchers who want to know how much soda we're drinking, a high-tech analysis technique could help.
