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Wednesday, February 06, 2013

World

Tsunami Debris On Alaska's Shores Like 'Standing In Landfill'

Trash, much of it believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami, litters the beach on Montague Island, Alaska, on Jan. 26.

February 6, 2013 APRNWreckage believed to be from the 2011 Japanese tsunami is washing up thousands of miles away in Alaska. The debris isn't just unsightly — it poses environmental worries for the landscape and animals. One conservationist says the problem may be worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

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Research News

Why You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It's Crooked

Building your own stuff boosts your feelings of pride and competence, and also signals to others that you are competent.

February 6, 2013 Building your own stuff boosts your feelings of pride and competence, and also signals to others that you are competent. As a result, most of us believe we labor on things we love. Now, psychologists are asking if it is the other way around — is it labor that leads to love?

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Shots - Health News

Exercise Can Be Good For The Heart, And Maybe For Sperm, Too

Human sperm race to fertilize an egg.

February 5, 2013 A study finds that guys who watched a lot of TV had lower sperm counts than more active fellows. The effect held true even when other factors, such as body weight and diet, were taken into account.

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Krulwich Wonders...

Dinosaurs With Attitude

Tianyulong

February 5, 2013 Spielberg's were big, green and scaly. The real ones? They were often rosy, yellow, orange, iridescent, covered with fuzz, plumes, or feathers. Take a look at this latest take on the Jurassic, when reptiles, we think, looked more like rainbows.

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Monday, February 04, 2013

Shots - Health News

Aging Poorly: Another Act Of Baby Boomer Rebellion

Health researchers say the proportion of people in their late 40s to 60s with diabetes, hypertension or obesity has increased over the past two decades.

February 4, 2013 Many of them have cut out smoking, and rates of heart attack and emphysema have declined. But baby boomers are burdened with diabetes, hypertension and many other chronic conditions. Researchers say too little exercise and a rise in obesity threaten baby boomers' golden years.

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Shots - Health News

What Makes You Feel Fear?

Movies like The Shining frighten most of us, but some brain-damaged people feel no fear when they watch a scary film. However, an unseen threat — air with a high level of carbon dioxide — produces a surprising result.

February 4, 2013 Some people with damage to a specific region of the brain called the amygdala do not feel fear. If you make them handle a snake or show them a scene from a scary movie such as The Shining, they won't be affected. But breathing in air with high levels of carbon dioxide can send them into a panic.

Summary

Education

African Americans Fly High With Math And Science

Barrington Irving , a 23-year-old Jamaican-born pilot, at a news conference at Opa-locka Airport Wednesday, June 27, 2007, ending a three-month journey he said would make him the youngest person to fly around the world alone.

February 4, 2013 At the age of 23 and with only $30 in his pocket, Barrington Irving became the youngest person to fly around the world. Host Michel Martin talks to Irving about getting kids on board with math and science from a 'flying classroom.'

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Krulwich Wonders...

Irresistible Meets Unstoppable. Who Wins?

Unstoppable Force

February 4, 2013 I know you've wondered: What would happen if an irresistible object is launched at an immovable object? Who wins? What happens? Well, here's the answer. It's not what you'd expect.

Summary

Energy

Are Mini-Reactors The Future Of Nuclear Power?

The reactor room at Babcock & Wilcox's prototype reactor outside Lynchburg, Va. The reactor vessel is behind the orange curtain.

February 4, 2013 WFAEThe prefabricated nuclear reactors, which would be small enough to build in a factory and ship on trucks, would generate about one-tenth the power of a typical nuclear power plant. It's potentially a growth opportunity for American industry, but critics say the reactors carry a host of safety, security, environmental and economic concerns.

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Sunday, February 03, 2013

Animals

Wood Stork's Endangered Status Is Up In The Air

A wood stork soars over its nest in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Fort Myers, Fla., in 2008, as baby wood storks wait in their nest for an adult to bring food.

February 3, 2013 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife may upgrade the wood stork's status from "endangered" to "threatened." But some environmentalists and the Audubon Society says that in south Florida, the bird's population is still a long way from reaching a full recovery.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Saturday, February 02, 2013

Animals

Did You Hear That? I Think It Was A Walrus

The sound of a male walrus is just one of the more than 9,000 recordings in the Macaulay Library's new digital archive.

February 2, 2013 The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has just finished digitizing its huge archive of wildlife sounds — more than 9,000 of them — and made it available online.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

Friday, February 01, 2013

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