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Saturday

The Tortoise And The Solar Plant: A Mojave Story

Biologists are relocating species such as this juvenile Mojave Desert tortoise due to the planned construction of BrightSource Energy's solar plant in southern California. Sarah McBride for NPR hide caption

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Sarah McBride for NPR

Environment

The Tortoise And The Solar Plant: A Mojave Story

BrightSource Energy is constructing a solar plant in the vast wilderness and has hired a team of biologists to care for and relocate the desert's indigenous tortoises. Despite the millions the company is spending on the effort, some conservationists say the tortoises will die.

The Tortoise And The Solar Plant: A Mojave Story

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Friday

Is Genome Sequencing Surpassing Medical Knowledge?

The cost of sequencing a human genome is plummeting, and soon many people may obtain a copy of their own. But how useful is that information to patients, especially if their genes predict untreatable, fatal diseases? Hank Greely discusses the promise and the pitfalls of genetic testing.

Is Genome Sequencing Surpassing Medical Knowledge?

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Animals

Slip Into The Secret Life of Eels

In his new book Eels, writer James Prosek describes the life history and cultural significance of this slimy, snake-like and often misunderstood fish, introducing the reader to an eel fisherman on the Delaware River and to the myths of the Maori of New Zealand along the way.

Slip Into The Secret Life of Eels

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The Past, Locked In Amber

Scientists excavating an Indian amber deposit say it dates back more than 50 million years, and contains the remains of at least 100 previously undocumented species of insects. American Museum of Natural History curator David Grimaldi describes the amber, and the organisms trapped within it.

The Past, Locked In Amber

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Medical Treatments

Taste Receptors In Lungs May Help Asthmatics

Writing in Nature Medicine, researchers report on discovering bitter taste receptors in human lungs, and that bitter compounds expand airways in asthmatic mice. Stephen Liggett talks about the possibility of treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with bitter compounds.

Taste Receptors In Lungs May Help Asthmatics

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Health

The Mysterious Life Of The Cholera Bacterium

Scientists have long known that cholera is caused by a bacterium transmitted through food or water. But where does the bacterium live between epidemics, and what dictates the timing of new outbreaks? CDC cholera expert Eric Mintz discusses the bacterium behind the Haiti outbreak.

The Mysterious Life Of The Cholera Bacterium

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Animals

'Goat Sucker' May Just Be A Mangy Coyote

The legend of the ferocious chupacabra, or goat sucker, has circulated around Central America since the 1990s. But the supernatural chimeric beast -- described by some as half dog, half bat -- may just be a coyote suffering from mange, says entomologist Barry OConnor of the University of Michigan.

'Goat Sucker' May Just Be A Mangy Coyote

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Thursday

Candidates Take Aim At Climate Bill To Win Votes

A coal-fired power plant in New Haven, W.Va, stores carbon dioxide underground and is the world's largest carbon capture facility. An energy bill that would support such projects is taking a beating from both the left and the right this election season. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Election 2010

Candidates Take Aim At Climate Bill To Win Votes

Two years ago, both presidential candidates supported a plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. This election season, contentious political ads and debates show just how unpopular that idea has become.

Candidates Take Aim At Climate Bill To Win Votes

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Wednesday

Insects Frozen In Amber Offer Clues To India's Past

Insects like this mantis have been fossilized for 50 to 52 million years in a deposit of amber excavated in India. David Grimaldi/AMNH hide caption

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David Grimaldi/AMNH

Animals

Insects Frozen In Amber Offer Clues To India's Past

Scientists have excavated a 50-million-year-old deposit of amber with a wide variety of well-preserved insects, spiders and plants. The deposit was discovered in the Indian state of Gujarat and suggests that the Indian subcontinent may not have been isolated before it joined Asia.