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Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Salt

When Resistance Is Futile: Bring In The Robots To Pull Superweeds

An illustration imagines what a weed-seeking robot could look like, armed with different tools to attack different problem plants.

February 14, 2013 After years of being burned by Roundup, weeds like palmer amaranth, marestail and giant ragweed have evolved resistance to the herbicide. To fight them, scientists are now looking to a concept that seems straight out of sci-fi.

Summary

Shots - Health News

Would You Open Your Checkbook For Science?

Car commercial? Nope. Jessica Richman, Zachary Apte (center) and William Ludington are looking to the crowd for money to fund uBiome, which will sequence the genetic code of microbes that live on and inside humans.

February 14, 2013 Crowd funding has proved popular for bands raising money to produce a new album and for producers of documentary films. Now scientists are getting into the act, and some are raising money from the very people they're studying.

Summary

Krulwich Wonders...

Guy Pumps Out A Valentine — Literally

The heart Paym Rajabi biked for his girlfriend, Clare

February 14, 2013 Last year a guy in San Francisco jumped on a bicycle, clicked on his GPS, clicked on an app, snapped on his helmet, and 27 miles, 2 1/2 hours and many calories later, he'd etched a valentine message onto a street map of San Francisco. That was nice. Now, a year later, it's getting really interesting.

Summary

Joe's Big Idea

Scientist Gets Research Donations From Crowd Funding

Ethan Perlstein

February 14, 2013 What do you do when you're a scientist and you have no job and no money for your research? If you're Ethan Perlstein, you try crowd funding. He raised $25,000 to investigate where the drug methamphetamine is stored in the brain.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Salt

Marine Stewardship Council Responds To NPR Series On Sustainable Seafood

Swordfish from Canada feature a label from the Marine Stewardship Council at a Whole Foods in Washington, D.C.

February 13, 2013 NPR "did not present a complete or balanced view" of its program, the MSC writes in a statement.

Summary

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Asia

Did North Korea Test A 'Miniature' Nuclear Bomb?

An official with the Korea Meteorological Administration shows a seismic image of a tremor caused by North Korea's nuclear test, in Seoul on Tuesday.

February 12, 2013 North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test is much more powerful than the previous two, according to estimates made by instruments that measure seismic waves from the blast. But it's hard to verify North Korea's claim that the test was of a miniaturized nuclear weapon.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

All Tech Considered

This App Uses The Power Of You To Report The Weather

This map shows data reported by users of the mPING app during Friday's blizzard in the Northeast.

February 12, 2013 A new smartphone app allows users to document falling precipitation in their location. The mPING app aims to help weather officials program radar to determine exactly what's falling near you. For example, is it hail or mixed rain?

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Under The Label: Sustainable Seafood

For A Florida Fishery, 'Sustainable' Success After Complex Process

Dennis Roseman, left, and Jamie Manganello pull in a swordfish off the coast of Florida. The Day Boat Seafood company went through a complicated process to become certified as a sustainable fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council.

February 12, 2013 Environmentalists, together with the Marine Stewardship Council, say that Day Boat's story reflects the good that the MSC system can do. But critics say the vigorous certification process is inconsistent.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

The Salt

Most Americans Eager To Buy Seafood That's 'Sustainable'

Swordfish from Canada are marked with a label from the Marine Stewardship Council at a Whole Foods in Washington, D.C. The MSC says its label means the fish were caught by a sustainable fishery, but critics says it's not always so clear.

February 12, 2013 Consumers are increasingly being marketed seafood with labels that are supposed to certify that it's good for the environment. We asked about consumers' seafood eating habits and whether they prefer to buy "sustainably caught" fish.

Summary

Krulwich Wonders...

What Is It About Emily?

Emily and her beetle earrings.

February 12, 2013 A channel on YouTube lets you see what goes on deep in the bowels (excuse the expression) of a natural history museum. There are dead things in jars, drawers and basements, but best of all, there's Emily, who hosts the show. She's a volunteer curatorial assistant/storyteller who could make a thumbtack interesting.

Summary

Under The Label: Sustainable Seafood

Conditions Allow For More Sustainable-Labeled Seafood

A sockeye salmon that was caught from the research vessel Miss Delta off the coast of Vancouver is examined. The MSC has certified the fish as "sustainable" even though there is concern from scientists and environmentalists.

February 12, 2013 Most fisheries certified by the MSC system have conditions that spell out how they have to change their operations to comply with MSC standards. But they can still be labeled "certified sustainable seafood" even though they have years to comply.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Monday, February 11, 2013

The Salt

Pig Manure Reveals More Reason To Worry About Antibiotics

Pigs at a farm in Beijing peer out at visitors. Half of all the pigs in the world live in China.

February 11, 2013 Manure from pig farms doesn't just contain residues of antibiotics used in livestock. It also carries high concentrations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a new study of Chinese pig farms finds. And researchers say "it's a global problem."

Summary

Under The Label: Sustainable Seafood

Is Sustainable-Labeled Seafood Really Sustainable?

Capt. Art Gaeten holds a blue shark that was caught during a research trip in Nova Scotia. Scientists are studying the impact of swordfish fishing methods on the shark population.

February 11, 2013 Industry demand for the "sustainable seafood" label, issued by the Marine Stewardship Council, is increasing. But some environmentalists fear fisheries are being certified despite evidence showing that the fish population is in trouble — or when there's not enough information to know the impact on the oceans.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Krulwich Wonders...

The Egg Makes Its Move In A New Version Of Which Came First: The Chicken Or the Egg?

Let there be chickens!

February 11, 2013 Everybody knows you need a chicken to lay an egg. Everybody knows you need an egg to produce a chicken. What nobody knows is how the cycle started. Here's a new take, that leans eggwards — and it's fun to watch.

Summary

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