We’re Mutating!

January 29, 2013
At least our genes are. The Nature website reports that establishing the age of each mutation in contemporary human populations is important to fully understand our evolutionary history and will help to us to develop new medicines for diseases caused... continued

How the Internet Changes Your Brain

January 29, 2013
Lots of things change our brains (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show). We know that reading changes the brain--according to the language you read. Does using the internet change your brain as well? If so, then people in... continued

Far Flung Pollution Affects Us All

January 29, 2013
Chemicals used as flame retardants are present as environmental pollutants all around the globe, including remote sites in Indonesia, Nepal and Tasmania, where no one wears clothes that are treated with these chemicals. Researcher Amina Salamova says, "These findings illustrate... continued

Mad Cow Medicine

January 28, 2013
We don't hear much about Mad Cow Disease anymore (thank goodness), but scientists are studying the human form (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease) because it has similarities to diseases that affect millions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) (NOTE: Subscribers... continued

The Real Cost of Superstorms

January 28, 2013
It's not just cleaning up the mess they leave behind, it's the fact that by blowing away houses, they diminish the tax base that supports local schools. In the January 25th edition of the New York Times, Alison Leigh Cowan... continued

SLAM, POW!

January 28, 2013
It's superbowl time again, and time to talk about football head injuries. At least there's now a new technique that may lead to earlier diagnosis of brain disorders in athletes The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions... continued

Whistle Talk

January 25, 2013
La Gomera is one of the smallest Canary Islands, and it's a place where its inhabitants communicate with each other by whistling. As you walk along the beach in La Gomera, you can hear the sounds of the Gomeran whistle,... continued

Tracking Down an International Hum

January 25, 2013
The Canadian government will fund a search for the cause of the mysterious Windsor hum, a low, persistent noise that's been bothering there residents for two years. It's been described as described as sounding like an idling truck or train... continued

Clues to Mars Life May Lie Underground

January 25, 2013
Minerals found in the subsurface of Mars, a zone of more than three miles below ground, make for the strongest evidence yet that the red planet may have supported life (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show). Up to... continued

Wolves and Dogs–What’s the Difference?

January 24, 2013
Dogs and wolves are genetically so similar, it's been difficult for biologists to understand why wolves remain fiercely wild, while dogs can gladly become "man's best friend." Biologists think the different behaviors are related to the animals' earliest sensory experiences... continued