Krulwich On Science
Ants That Count!()
Desert ants have a nifty way of finding their way back home after a foray out of the nest to find food — they count their steps. To prove it, some scientists devised a creative experiment that showed just how the little guys do it. It's already known that ants use celestial clues to establish the general direction home, but how do they know exactly the number of steps to take that will lead them right to the entrance of their nest?
Why Leaves Really Fall Off Trees()
October 30, 2009 You think you know why leaves fall off trees. Well, you're wrong. It's not the wind. It's not the cold. Because leaves aren't the brightest bulbs in the world, the tree has to make an executive decision come fall.
Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body()
October 23, 2009 When you get the flu, viruses turn your cells into tiny virus factories that help spread the disease. This animation takes you to the front lines of a viral assault that could be going on inside your body right now.
To Casket Or Not To Casket?()
October 9, 2009 Bernd Heinrich, one of America's great field biologists, talks with NPR's Robert Krulwich about what to do with our bodies after we're dead. Is it better to be buried, "beetlized," or frozen solid and shattered into a million pieces?
Brain Candy
The Crow Paradox()
July 27, 2009 Here's a surprise: Wild crows can recognize individual people. They can pick a person out of crowd, follow them, and remember them for years. But people — even people who love crows — can't recognize individual crows. Here, two experiments that tell the story.
Science
Hot! Hot! Hot! How Much Heat Can You Take?()
July 22, 2009 Now that it's high summer, you're probably wondering how much heat you can take. Some 230 years ago, three curious London gentlemen walked into a room with a few eggs, a steak and a dog — with exactly that question.
Remembering An Old, Forgotten Soldier()
May 25, 2009 Once upon a time, there was a well-known American soldier named Williams Jenkins Worth. His monument still stands in the heart of New York City, but while thousands pass it each day, few remember the man who lies beneath it.
The Secret Advantage Of Being Short()
May 18, 2009 Imagine if someone touches your toe and your nose at the same time. You feel those touches simultaneously; but really the signal from your nose reaches your brain before the signal from your toe. This is part of the reason why one neuroscientist thinks short people might experience things faster than tall people.
Shakespeare Had Roses All Wrong()
April 6, 2009 Through Juliet's lips, Shakespeare said "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But the Bard may have been wrong — names do matter. Language researchers say your sense of the rose depends on what you call it.
About Krulwich On Science
NPR Science Correspondent Robert Krulwich demystifies what's dense and difficult — even if you feel lost when it comes to science.
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