Mad Cow Time Bomb

May 27, 2004
Britain may be facing a Mad Cow time bomb. New research suggests that up to 4,000 people there unknowingly carry the human form of mad cow disease. Some may already be passing it on through blood transfusions and contaminated surgical... continued

In Vitro May Pass on Genetic Problems

May 27, 2004
Many couples choose to have babies using in-vitro fertilization because the man's sperm count is too low to father children any other way. However, this low sperm count could be due to a genetic defect that affects more than sperm,... continued

Music Teachers Going Deaf

May 26, 2004
A new study shows that music teachers are routinely exposed to noise levels that could result in hearing loss. Researcher Hans Kunov says, "The hair cells of the inner ear simply crumble under the load, and they don't grow back... continued

How the Brain Grows Up

May 26, 2004
Those of us who've had to deal with cranky toddlers and stubborn teenagers will not be surprised to learn that the brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is the last to mature. This may be why it's so much... continued

A Skin Story

May 26, 2004
In the movie Fahrenheit 451, books have been burned, so a group of people volunteer to each memorize a book in order to keep it alive. Now author Shelley Jackson is using volunteers to create a story called "Skin." Each... continued

Chicago is Sinking While Canada is Rising

May 24, 2004
We know that Venice and New Orleans are sinking?but Chicago? It turns out that melting Canadian glaciers are causing the land around Chicago to sink.The ground underneath the city is sinking at less than an inch a year, but this... continued

Smoking: Cutting Back Doesn?t Help

May 24, 2004
Most smokers find it much easier to cut down their number of cigarettes a day than they do to quit smoking entirely. Now scientists know why: they're actually still getting the same amount of nicotine and cancer-causing agents because they've... continued

The Satisfaction of Making Money

May 24, 2004
A new study shows that people who inherit their money (or win it in the lottery) instead of working for it don?t get as much happiness from it. Behavioral scientist Greg Berns compared the brain activity of people playing two... continued

Eureka!

May 23, 2004
There?s a certain type of sudden realization that cartoonists often portray with a light bulb going on over the head?the "Eureka!" experience. What?s going on inside our brains when this happens? Mark Jung-Beeman says this happens "when you need to... continued

Climate Change Makes World a Duller Place

May 23, 2004
Climate change will affect the world's poor more drastically than rich nations, but the rich will suffer too. For all of us, the world will become a much duller place. Many of the impacts of global warming are not life-threatening... continued