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Scientist Studies Brain Process of Songbirds

Sarah Woolley, a professor of behavior neuroscience in the psychology department of Columbia University, studies different species of finches to figure out how the brain recognizes and processes sounds and vocalizations.

Scientist Studies Brain Process of Songbirds

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Opinion

Couple Finds Good Will in Taste Tests

A food-loving couple from San Diego has launched a quirky social experiment: They go to restaurants and ask if they can taste other people's food. Surprisingly, most people happily comply — even offering their own forks!

Couple Finds Good Will in Taste Tests

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Not All Sunscreens Are Created Equal

The SPF numbers on sunscreen bottles only refer to the level of protection against a type of radiation called UVB. But dermatologists say it's important to use a lotion that shields skin from UVA rays, too.

Not All Sunscreens Are Created Equal

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Are Computer Keyboards Dishwasher Safe?

We put pots, dishes and silverware in the dishwasher. But a computer keyboard? Although manufacturers warn against it, NPR's Nell Boyce puts her keyboard in the dishwasher, and it lives to type the story.

Are Computer Keyboards Dishwasher Safe?

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Fiji's Mangroves, Coral Under Assault

Coastal mangrove forests help protect villages from storm surges, and coral reefs harbor the fish that villagers live off of. But a climate witness program in Fiji shows these natural systems are threatened; villagers and scientists are trying to uncover why.

Fiji's Mangroves, Coral Under Assault

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Don Herbert, TV's 'Mr. Wizard,' Dies

Actor Don Herbert, who explained the world of science to young viewers in the 1950s and '60s, has died at the age of 89. His show, "Watch Mr. Wizard," ran for 14 years. Science Friday host Ira Flatow talks about Herbert's legacy with Robert Siegel.

Don Herbert, TV's 'Mr. Wizard,' Dies

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Opinion

A Year's Montage of SoundClips

On the first anniversary of our series, SoundClips, we present — for those who may have missed any of them or all of them — a compilation of all of the sounds from the series in alphabetical order.

A Year's Montage of SoundClips

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Survival at a Price in an Iranian Prison

At age 16, Marina Nemat was imprisoned for speaking out against Iran's brutal regime. Just minutes from execution, her life was spared by a man who forced her to marry him and convert to Islam. She tells her story in a new memoir.

Survival at a Price in an Iranian Prison

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Space Tethers: Slinging Objects in Orbit?

What do you get when you combine a high school library, a ballistic missile, and a machine that makes sexy underwear? A woven string more than a half a mile long called a "space tether." Some say tethers could help move things around in outer space without needing rockets.

Space Tethers: Slinging Objects in Orbit?

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Simulated City Preps Marines for Reality of Iraq

Before going to Iraq, Marines visit Wadi al-Sahara, a fictional Iraqi town where Iraqi role players re-create many of the same situations found in Iraqi cities. This training exercise is designed to help Marines work with Iraqis and avoid conflict.

Simulated City Preps Marines for Reality of Iraq

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Revisiting Tom DeBaggio, and Life with Alzheimer's

For more than seven years, All Things Considered has followed the story of one Alzheimer's patient, Tom DeBaggio. And it's apparent in a recent visit with Tom and his wife, Joyce, how sharply his health has declined.

Revisiting Tom DeBaggio, and Life with Alzheimer's

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Have You Heard About B Flat?

For reasons that remain mostly mysterious, the note we call "B flat" does the oddest things. It aggravates alligators, it lurks in the stairwell of an office building, and it emanates from a supermassive black hole 250 million light years from Earth.

Have You Heard About B Flat?

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Opinion

Barbaro Death Touches Admirers

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was put down this week after the long medical struggle that followed his leg injury at the Preakness Stakes in the summer of 2006. Both Barbaro's spectacular success and tragic death affected the racer's many fans.

Barbaro Death Touches Admirers

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After a Safe Landing, a Pilot Gives Thanks

Air traffic controller David Murphy was awarded the Archie League Medal of Safety award for his work helping a pilot land safely despite a broken autopilot that kept his plane in a nosedive.

After a Safe Landing, a Pilot Gives Thanks

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Surgeon Writes of Death, Dying in 'Final Exam'

When Pauline Chen became a doctor, she was troubled by inconsistencies in the ways that fellow physicians dealt with the emotional aspect of death and dying. Chen tackles the subject in her new book: Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality.

Surgeon Writes of Death, Dying in 'Final Exam'

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