NPR: Science Friday Podcast
Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow. Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week on NPR stations nationwide -- or online here!
Tags: [add tags]
20 Episodes of this Podcast:
A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:51Psychiatrist Steven Schlozman recently expanded his practice from humans to the inhuman. Poring over his library of classic zombie films, he came up with neurobiological explanations for the behavior of the undead, such as lack of a frontal lobe and an overactive amygdala.
...MORE
Halloween: A Holiday For Gadgets
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:46For gadget lovers, Halloween is more geeky than spooky. Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of Make Magazine, talks about the geekiest do-it-yourself Halloween costumes and decorations, from spray foam guts and singing pumpkins to a fortune-teller costume built on a Segway.
...MORE
People ... People Who Eat People
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:42In her book Dinner With a Cannibal, writer Carole Travis-Henikoff documents the long — and often hidden — history of cannibalism in humans. Travis-Henikoff notes that cannibalism wasn't always taboo, whether it be eating loved ones out of respect or eating enemies out of disdain.
...MORE
Why Runners Like To Feel The Burn
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:39What compels hundreds of thousands of runners to compete in marathons every year? Ira Flatow and guests discuss running research — from how humans are adapted specifically for long-distance running to why working up a sweat might be good for the brain, as well as the body.
...MORE
Happy Birthday, Internet
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:33On Oct. 29, 1969, around 10:30 P.M., a message from one computer was sent over a modified phone line to another computer hundreds of miles away. Some say the Internet was born that day. UCLA computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock, who was there, gives his account.
...MORE
Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness
Published: 2009-10-30 18:47:27Reporting in The Lancet, doctors found success in treating Leber's congenital amaurosis, a rare type of blindness, with gene therapy. Study author Katherine High explains how injecting a gene-carrying virus into the eye has improved vision in a handful of patients.
...MORE
Did Algae Contribute To Mass Extinctions?
Published: 2009-10-23 18:03:32Forget asteroids — a new theory says algae were the key to the dinosaurs' extinction millions of years ago. Ecotoxicologist John Rodgers details the evidence for the theory and explains why some algae can be harmful in large quantities, even to present day animal populations.
...MORE
Seeing The Softer Side Of Nature
Published: 2009-10-23 18:03:27In his new book, The Age of Empathy, Frans de Waal says nature has been wrongly depicted to justify a "survival of the fittest" attitude in humans. Drawing on examples from his primate observations, de Waal says it's time for humans to rethink how we treat each other.
...MORE
Natural Selection Works On Humans, Too
Published: 2009-10-23 18:03:23Mining data from the Framingham Heart Study, scientists say they've been able to tease out the effects of natural selection on humans. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns explains how evolutionary forces may produce shorter, rounder, more fertile women in the future.
...MORE
Seeing Through The Eyes Of An Armadillo
Published: 2009-10-23 18:03:20Sam Easterson has refined the art of the critter cam. He is the curator of the Museum of Animal Perspectives — an online repository of "remotely sensed wildlife imagery." All the footage comes from cameras implanted in the landscape or strapped to the backs of animals.
...MORE
Copyright info: Copyright 2007 NPR - For Personal Use Only
All syndicated content presented here is property of the original publisher
Now Playing: A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain
This Feed Exists in These User(s) Folders
