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Friday, May 24, 2013

The Two-Way

Ring Nebula Is More Like A Jelly Doughnut, NASA Says

The famous Ring Nebula is shown here in striking detail, in a composite image made from images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and infrared data from telescopes on Earth.

May 24, 2013 The Ring Nebula, whose iconic shape and large size make it a favorite of amateur astronomers, can now be seen in new detail, after NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a sharp image of the nebula. Researchers say the new clarity reveals details that were previously unseen, and a structure that's more complex than scientists believed.

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The Two-Way

Study Is First To Chart Amphibian Populations' Decline In U.S.

Populations of frogs and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

May 24, 2013 Populations of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released this week.

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TED Radio Hour

Scott Fraser: Can Eyewitnesses Create Memories?

Forensic psychologist Scott Fraser says, "all of our memories, put simply, are reconstructed memories."

May 24, 2013 Forensic psychologist Scott Fraser studies how we remember crimes. He describes a deadly shooting and explains how eyewitnesses can create memories that they haven't seen. Why? Because the brain is always trying to fill in the blanks.

Transcript

On TED Radio HourPlaylist

TED Radio Hour

Daniel Kahneman: How Do Experiences Become Memories?

Daniel Kahneman says, "we tend to confuse memories with the real experience that gave rise to those memories."

May 24, 2013 Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman goes through a series of examples from vacations to colonoscopies. He explains how our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness differently.

Transcript

On TED Radio HourPlaylist

TED Radio Hour

Joshua Foer: Can Anyone Learn To Be A Master Memorizer?

Joshua Foer says that one past memory champion developed a technique to remember more than 4,000 binary digits in half an hour.

May 24, 2013 Some people can memorize thousands of numbers, the names of dozens of strangers or the precise order of cards in a shuffled deck. Science writer and U.S. Memory Champion Joshua Foer shows how anyone can become a memory virtuoso, including him.

Transcript

On TED Radio HourPlaylist

TED Radio Hour

Memory Games

"We all look through family albums. We all hear stories at the dinner table. ... They become incorporated into what we believe we actually remember." — Scott Fraser

May 24, 2013 Memory is malleable, dynamic and elusive. When we tap into our memories, where's the line between fact and fiction? Can our memory play tricks on us? Can we train it to be more accurate? TED speakers discuss how a nimble memory can improve your life, and how a frail one might ruin someone else's.

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ListenPlaylist

Krulwich Wonders...

Who's The Best Drinker? Dogs? Cats? Or Pigeons?

Three pigeons quench their thirst at a water fountain in Brisbane, Australia, in Aug. 2009.

May 24, 2013 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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Shots - Health News

Why You Have To Scratch That Itch

The origin of itch has confounded scientists for decades.

May 24, 2013 Itch can be a useful warning sign, or a maddening symptom with no cure. But the origins of itch have long been a mystery. Scientists think they've come closer to understanding the origins of itch in a molecule that makes mice scratch like mad.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Two-Way

Evolution Saves Cockroaches From Taking The Bait

A still from video provided by researchers that shows glucose-averse German cockroaches avoiding a dab of jelly, which contains glucose, and favoring the peanut butter.

May 23, 2013 A new study unravels the mystery of a peculiar transformation: sometime in the 1990s, the insects developed a sudden aversion to sweet-tasting poisons.

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