Researchers suggest your basic political leanings may be coded in your genes
It is two weeks until election day and the presidential candidates, their campaigns and their supporters have invested huge amounts of time and money to win our votes.But what ultimately sways us to...
View ArticleNew research finds rapid evolution in plants to resist predatory insects
From the spiciness of the chili pepper to horseradish’s bitter bite, many plant traits are evolutionary adaptations to insect attacks.For millennia, insects, such as the silkworm and its mulberry...
View ArticleNew research reveals human-like speaking ability in beluga whale
A beluga whale is making waves, years after his death, in a new article published last week in the scientific journal Current Biology.Beluga whales are known as "canaries of the sea" because of their...
View ArticleAstronauts get Halloween treats delivered as research continues
Halloween trick-or-treating was officially canceled in New Jersey Wednesday night, by order of Gov. Chris Christie.The Republican moved the holiday to Nov. 5 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which left...
View ArticleResearchers develop edible 'peels' for variety of liquid, semi-solid foods
Editor's Note: This report is part of a collaboration between PRI's The World and NOVA.A team of chefs, chemists and designers has come up with a way for you to eat a cocktail, to hold a mouthful of...
View ArticleCost of getting energy to market rising as resources become more scarce
Ask an oilman how much it costs to produce a barrel of oil and he’ll likely give you a dollar amount.Ask somebody who studies biophysical economics, which combines the disciplines of biology and...
View ArticleAfter Sandy, looking at oysters as a way to protect vulnerable coastlines
There are many ideas for protecting New York from devastating storm surges in the future, barriers and gates, for example.Writer Paul Greenberg has an idea of his own, and it's not something you might...
View ArticleAt lab in Austria, scientists try to get inside heads of dogs
Editor's note: This report comes by way of a partnership with NOVA. See more on this story. The Veterinary University of Vienna’s Clever Dog Lab aims to find out what makes a dog bold or shy, eager or...
View ArticleCalifornia scientists look close to home to change understanding of risk...
Editor's Note: This story comes to Living on Earth from Lauren Sommer of IEEE Spectrum Magazine's National Science Foundation special "Responding to Disasters, from Prediction to Recovery." Evaluating...
View ArticleUrban planners see Sandy's aftermath as a chance to reopen old discussions
The superstorm called Sandy was a wake-up call in the United States, laying bare our vulnerabilities in the face of dangerous new realities of climate disruption.Rising sea levels and severe storm...
View ArticleEnglish scientist studies implications of adding senses to human repertoire
Editor's Note: This report comes by way of a collaboration between PRI's The World and PBS' NOVA program. Ask Kevin Warwick to look ahead a hundred years and predict where we are headed as a species,...
View ArticleClimate scientist links Arctic melting to U.S. weather fluctuations
David Robinson knows just about everything there is to know about climate change.But starting a borrowed chainsaw is another thing altogether.“Ahh, this doesn’t look good,” Robinson said as he...
View ArticleNew model says science under-estimates climate change
Scientists agree that the planet is warming, but there is a wide range of projections as to how hot it’s going to get.A new analysis from scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research...
View ArticleScientist maps how brain changes when being creative
Charles Limb wants to know what happens in our brains when we play piano.Limb, a professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who has a side project that involves brain research....
View ArticleAustralian scientist discovers South Pacific island isn't real
When you call up the Coral Sea on Google Maps, there’s a curious black blob in the middle of the water.An Australian scientist, Maria Seton, recently sailed to the spot to see if she could solve the...
View ArticleNYU researcher doubts science can contribute to understanding creativity
Gary Marcus, the director of New York University’s Center for Language and Music, wrote Guitar Zero, a book about how the brain learns.Marcus is skeptical of tests that measure creativity. He thinks...
View ArticleLizards point out how single species can be greatly altered by environment
Rosario Castañeda can’t get her one-gallon jar to open. The lid won't budge.The jar’s brimming with ethanol. And submerged in that preservative are half a dozen lizards the size of turkey...
View ArticleWarming climate presents grave risk of greenhouse gas release in Arctic
As international climate negotiators meet in Doha, Qatar, scientists are issuing a stark warning of possibly huge emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from the warming Arctic.If you want to...
View ArticleCancer's New Battleground: In Uganda, Jackson Orem fighting to establish...
By Joanne SilbernerEditor's note: This story is part of a special series on Cancer's New Battleground: The Developing World. View more stories and multimedia from this series at TheWorld.org/Cancer....
View ArticleTexas scientists develop super microwave that stops bread from molding
A Lubbock, Texas, company is on the verge of creating bread that will stay mold-free for as much as two months. The company Microzap has been working for years to eliminate bacteria in different...
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