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Science

Tuesday

Business

'Marketplace' Report: Alcohol Labeling

Alcohol beverages are about to get a makeover. The Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau has proposed a ruling that will require the alcohol industry to include detailed product information on the label — the amount of protein, sugar, calories and, of course, alcohol per serving.

'Marketplace' Report: Alcohol Labeling

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Environment

Cities Take On Kyoto Challenge to Cut Emissions

More than 600 mayors across the nation have pledged to try to meet the target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions set by the Kyoto Protocol. Observers say it won't be easy with the soaring emissions rates of the last decade.

Cities Take On Kyoto Challenge to Cut Emissions

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Monday

Environment

Efforts to Restore Carolinas' Oysters Hit Snag

More homes are being built along the Carolina coasts, and the landscaping for those homes is causing the conflict: The shells that are dumped back into the water as habitat for new oysters also are prized by landscapers as an authentic addition to garden designs.

Efforts to Restore Carolinas' Oysters Hit Snag

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Sunday

Environment

Artist Records Glacier's Sounds from the Deep

Before Vatnajokull Glacier disappeared into the ocean, artist Katie Paterson wanted to record its last gasps. The Glaswegian artist documented a week in the erosion of Europe's largest glacier using a microphone in the lagoon at the edge of the glacier.

Artist Records Glacier's Sounds from the Deep

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Adaptation

Is Ancient People's End a Warning for the Future?

The Anasazi thrived for centuries in the American Southwest. But almost 1,000 years ago, they suddenly abandoned their villages. Scientists think their decline may have been caused by climate change and warn that the past could foretell the future.

Is Ancient People's End a Warning for the Future?

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Saturday

Obituaries

Albert Ellis: Father of Cognitive Therapy

Dr. Albert Ellis was sometimes called the Lenny Bruce of psychotherapy: He was funny, profane and controversial. His theories on cognitive therapy, first presented in the mid-1950s, challenged the thinking of Sigmund Freud. By the time he died this week at age 93, Ellis had become considered by many to be as influential as Freud.

Albert Ellis: Father of Cognitive Therapy

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Friday

Space

Astronauts' Behavior Prompts NASA Policy Debate

NASA promised to review its efforts to monitor the mental health of the astronaut corps after an astronaut was arrested in February. A report on the issue says the agency allowed two astronauts to fly 12 hours after they had gotten drunk.

Astronauts' Behavior Prompts NASA Policy Debate

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Space

Damaging Report Released on NASA

A report released today shows that some astronauts drink heavily before space flights and have, on a couple of occasions, flown drunk. This is just the latest embarrassing news for NASA. Earlier this year, an astronaut was charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted battery. And yesterday NASA reported that a subcontractor had sabotaged a computer.

Hear reporter NPR's Alex Cohen and Pat Duggins of member station WMFE

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The Future of Fast-Acting Depression Medication

Depression medication usually takes weeks to kick in, but one drug, ketamine, starts working in hours. New research published this week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, says that scientists have a better idea of how the drug, also used as an anesthetic, may be affecting the brain.

The Future of Fast-Acting Depression Medication

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Drawing the Line Between Science and Politics

The Fish and Wildlife Service will review eight decisions on endangered species made under the direction of Julie MacDonald. MacDonald resigned in May amid charges that she tampered with the science behind decisions regarding the amount of protection species deserved under the Endangered Species Act.

Drawing the Line Between Science and Politics

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Space

NASA Plagued by Reports of Intoxication, Sabotage

A NASA report says that an internal investigation found evidence of "heavy use of alcohol" by astronauts prior to flight. The news comes on the same day that NASA announced it was investigating a worker for deliberately sabotaging a computer bound for the International Space Station.

NASA Plagued by Reports of Intoxication, Sabotage

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Space

Mars Rovers Battle Storms on the Red Planet

The rovers are caught in the worst storms scientists have ever seen on Mars. Swirling dust threatens to cover the solar panels on the long-running Mars rovers, choking off their energy supply. Also, guests discuss a new Mars mission, Mars Phoenix, set to launch next week.

Mars Rovers Battle Storms on the Red Planet

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Space

Reports of Sabotage, Alcohol Abuse Hit NASA

NASA says it is investigating the sabotage of a computer scheduled for delivery to the International Space Station. The revelation comes as a report reveals that on at least two occasions intoxicated astronauts were allowed to fly.

Hear reporter NPR's Alex Cohen and Pat Duggins of member station WMFE

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Thursday

Befuddling Birth: The Case of the Mule's Foal

Mules — the offspring of female horses and male donkeys — are generally sterile and can't reproduce. But a female mule in Colbran, Colo., has recently become a mother, and her owners are trying to figure out how it happened.

Befuddling Birth: The Case of the Mule's Foal

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Does Feline Have a Feeling That Death Is Near?

A Day in the Life of Oscar the Cat is the title of an essay in the New England Journal of Medicine about a feline with an apparent sense of the hour of death. Oscar lives in a nursing home in Rhode Island, on a ward where patients are very old and ill.

Does Feline Have a Feeling That Death Is Near?

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