Home  »  Headline News

On:

Drones are all around us, in the sky (and now) in the water too. The next time you go fishing, you may pull out a robot, because the Department of Homeland is developing an unmanned underwater vehicle that looks like a tuna fish. In the past, the joke was that a fisherman might pull up a boot–now he’s more likely to reel in a robot.

Smaller or larger versions of fish robots could swim effortlessly through the oceans as they run US military reconnaissance missions or conduct scientific surveys.
read more

On:

Lots of things change our brains (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to these shows). Changes in sensory experience can cause massive rewiring of the brain, even as one ages. This rewiring involves fibers that supply the primary input to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for sensory perception, motor control and cognition.
read more

On:

A Consumer Reports investigation of over 200 rice products revealed "significant" and "worrisome" amounts of inorganic arsenic in nearly every rice product they tested and urged consumers to scale back on their eating of rice products. They also asked the FDA to intervene, since inorganic arsenic is a known carcinogen. Arsenic is often found in vegetables, fruits and even water. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports found the chemical was common in many apple and grape juices. Rice, which is grown in liquid, easily absorbs the arsenic found naturally in soil and water.
read more

On:

One of the world’s leading ice experts has predicted the final collapse of Arctic sea ice in summer months within four years. That’s earlier than the Earth’s predicted demise in December of 2012, but it could be a major cause of it.

In the September 17th edition of the Guardian, John Vidal quotes climatologist Peter Wadhams as calling it "a global disaster."
read more