When a Comet Exploded in the Air

October 19, 2012
Ever since the publication of the groundbreaking book the Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes in 2006, a controversy has raged about whether or not the explosion of a comet over southern Canada almost 13,000 years ago might have led to the... continued

Special Offer Ends at Midnight Monday

October 18, 2012
Despite all the warnings (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show), there really IS going to be a 2013, and you can make your especially beautiful by using Lucy Pringle's magnificent, mysterious and uplifting new calendar--her annual selection of... continued

Deserts Were Once Wet–On Mars as Well as Earth

October 18, 2012
The deserts of Utah and Nevada have not always been dry: Between 14,000 and 20,000 years ago, valleys throughout the desert southwest filled with water to become large lakes, which--at their maximum--covered about a quarter of both those states. And... continued

Can GM Foods Modify US?

October 18, 2012
Most of the corn sold in the US, even in health food stores, is genetically-modified (GM), and is engineered to produce its own toxic pesticide. When insects attack it, the toxin from the plant splits open their stomachs and kills... continued

Good Morning!

October 18, 2012
Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning--even when the alarm clock isn't ringing? Researchers have identified a new component of the biological clock, a gene responsible for starting the clock from its restful state every morning. The biological... continued

Beware of Ipad Insomnia

October 18, 2012
One of the main causes of insomnia is watching TV in bed, but turning off the TV and picking up a book doesn't help, if the book you're reading is on a back lit e-reader. A new study shows that... continued

What Makes People Snap?

October 17, 2012
Sometimes it's road rage. In one case it was a customer at a fast food restaurant throwing a burger at a cashier when he discovered they'd forgotten to add the pickles. What triggers the proverbial "straw that breaks the camel's... continued

Slow Motion Disaster

October 16, 2012
A process that began 50 million years ago-- the slow motion breakup of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate into two pieces--isn't over yet. In fact, they think it caused the two massive April 11 earthquakes beneath the Indian Ocean off the... continued

Quitting Makes You Nicer

October 16, 2012
Quitting smoking makes you healthier AND it makes you nicer. And it turns out that while blacks have a harder time quitting, there is no difference in the quitting ability between the sexes. Once you DO quit, you'll not only... continued

We Need Robot Laws

October 16, 2012
We need laws on Earth, we need laws in space, and some people think that, since robots will work directly with people in the future, we need laws for THEM to follow too! The Economist quotes roboticist Hugh Herr as... continued