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Thursday

Texas Study Points To A Longer Natural Gas Boom

A natural gas drilling rig just east of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. A new decade-long study finds the region's Barnett Shale formation has sufficient gas reserves to last another 25 years. David Kent/MCT/Landov/Fort Worth Star Telegram hide caption

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David Kent/MCT/Landov/Fort Worth Star Telegram

Business

Texas Study Points To A Longer Natural Gas Boom

A new study of the Barnett Shale formation in Texas shows that the natural gas reservoir there will last for at least another two decades. "Turns out, what we learned is that there's a lot of good rock left to drill," says geology professor Scott Tinker, the study's author.

Texas Study Points To A Longer Natural Gas Boom

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Wednesday

First Space Tourist Sets Sights On A Mars Mission

Space tourist Dennis Tito celebrates after his landing near the Kazakh town of Arkalyk on May 6, 2001. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

Space

First Space Tourist Sets Sights On A Mars Mission

The 72-year-old businessman who flew to the International Space Station in 2001 now wants to take advantage of planetary alignment in January 2018 that would allow for people to fly to Mars, loop around the planet, and return to Earth. Dennis Tito says he won't go, but the plan is to send a man and a woman on the 501-day trip.

First Space Tourist Sets Sights On A Mars Mission

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Younger Women Have Rising Rate Of Advanced Breast Cancer, Study Says
Blend Images/Jon Feingersh/Getty Images/iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Younger Women Have Rising Rate Of Advanced Breast Cancer, Study Says

Only about 800 women younger than 40 get the kind of breast cancer that has spread to bones or other organs by the time it's diagnosed. But that number tripled in a generation, and scientists are left wondering what's the cause.

Younger Women Have Rising Rate Of Advanced Breast Cancer, Study Says

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Tuesday

Abraham Verghese: Is The Human Hand Our Best Technology?

"Only the hand can tell where it's tender, where the patient winces." — Abraham Verghese James Duncan Davidson/TED hide caption

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James Duncan Davidson/TED

TED Radio Hour

Abraham Verghese: Is The Human Hand Our Best Technology?

Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are data points. He calls for a return to the traditional physical exam.

Abraham Verghese: Is The Human Hand Our Best Technology?

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Andrew McAfee: Are Droids Taking Our Jobs?

Andrew McAfee speaking at TEDxBoston. Sheryl Lanzel/TED hide caption

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Sheryl Lanzel/TED

TED Radio Hour

Andrew McAfee: Are Droids Taking Our Jobs?

Robots and algorithms can now build cars, write articles, and translate texts — all work that once required a human. So what will we humans do for work? Andrew McAfee says we ain't seen nothing yet.

Andrew McAfee: Are Droids Taking Our Jobs?

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Cynthia Breazeal: Will Man's Best Friend Be A Robot?

Cynthia Breazeal speaks during TEDWomen. James Duncan Davidson/TED hide caption

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James Duncan Davidson/TED

TED Radio Hour

Cynthia Breazeal: Will Man's Best Friend Be A Robot?

Why do we use robots on Mars, but not in our living rooms? Cynthia Breazeal realized the key was training robots to interact with people. Now she builds robots that teach, learn — and play.

Cynthia Breazeal: Will Man's Best Friend Be A Robot?

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Sherry Turkle: Are We Plugged-In, Connected, But Alone?

Sherry Turkle is concerned about how our devices are changing us, as human beings. James Duncan Davidson/TED hide caption

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James Duncan Davidson/TED

TED Radio Hour

Sherry Turkle: Are We Plugged-In, Connected, But Alone?

Sherry Turkle looks at how technology redefines human connection and what we expect from each other.

Sherry Turkle: Are We Plugged-In, Connected, But Alone?

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Monday

Underwater Hunger Artist: Giant Isopod Fasts For 4 Years

A giant isopod in Japan has refused to eat for more than four years. This specimen was caught during a NOAA expedition in the Gulf of Mexico by Bob Carney of LSU. NOAA Ocean Explorer hide caption

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NOAA Ocean Explorer

The Two-Way

Underwater Hunger Artist: Giant Isopod Fasts For 4 Years

From Japan comes news of a giant isopod that knows all there is to know about the hunger game. How else to explain the fasting behavior of the animal that, his minders say, hasn't eaten in more than 1,500 days? The male giant isopod, known simply as No. 1, last ate on Jan. 2, 2009 — or, to put it in perspective, 18 days before President Obama began his first term.