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Why Leaves Really Fall Off Trees

October 30, 2009 • You think you know why leaves fall off trees. Well, you're wrong. It's not the wind. It's not the cold. Because leaves aren't the brightest bulbs in the world, the tree has to make an executive decision come fall.

Why Leaves Really Fall Off Trees

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U.K. Drug Adviser Fired After Marijuana Comments

October 30, 2009 • David Nutt said a government decision to tighten restrictions on marijuana over the protests of many prominent British scientists had undermined public faith in government science. Nutt had long argued that marijuana is far less dangerous than legal drugs — including alcohol.

The History Of Plastic: From Billiards To Bibs

October 30, 2009 • Plastics have been touted as a miracle material by some, and criticized as artificial and toxic by others. But, nowadays, it's hard to imagine life without plastics: Cars, textiles, televisions, computers and food containers all have plastic parts. But synthetic plastics are a relatively new invention; production of consumer plastics didn't really take off until after World War II.

A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain

October 30, 2009 • Psychiatrist Steven Schlozman recently expanded his practice from humans to the inhuman. Poring over his library of classic zombie films, he came up with neurobiological explanations for the behavior of the undead, such as lack of a frontal lobe and an overactive amygdala.

A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain

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People ... People Who Eat People

October 30, 2009 • In her book Dinner With a Cannibal, writer Carole Travis-Henikoff documents the long — and often hidden — history of cannibalism in humans. Travis-Henikoff notes that cannibalism wasn't always taboo, whether it be eating loved ones out of respect or eating enemies out of disdain.

People ... People Who Eat People

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Why Runners Like To Feel The Burn

October 30, 2009 • What compels hundreds of thousands of runners to compete in marathons every year? Ira Flatow and guests discuss running research — from how humans are adapted specifically for long-distance running to why working up a sweat might be good for the brain, as well as the body.

Why Runners Like To Feel The Burn

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Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness

October 30, 2009 • Reporting in The Lancet, doctors found success in treating Leber's congenital amaurosis, a rare type of blindness, with gene therapy. Study author Katherine High explains how injecting a gene-carrying virus into the eye has improved vision in a handful of patients.

Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness

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NASA Launches Mission To Track Polar Ice By Plane

Melting at the base of this Texas-sized ice pack in the Amundsen Sea off Antarctica could lead to significant ocean level rise in the long term. This image of the ice shelf was taken on the first flight of Ice Bridge from an altitude of 20,000 feet. NASA hide caption

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NASA

Environment

NASA Launches Mission To Track Polar Ice By Plane

October 30, 2009 • Climate scientists are about to lose a satellite that helped show how global warming affects the Earth's polar ice caps. A replacement won't be in orbit until at least 2015, so NASA will use a DC-8 aircraft instead to track whether the process of melting and subsequent sea-level rise is accelerating.

NASA Launches Mission To Track Polar Ice By Plane

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Senate Hearing On Climate Bill Heats Up

October 29, 2009 • A Senate committee has begun hearings on a massive climate bill that would remake the energy economy. Supporters say it will protect the environment and create a new green industry. Opponents say it will kill the fossil fuel industry — costing millions of jobs.

Senate Hearing On Climate Bill Heats Up

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Astronomers Detect Most Distant Object Ever Seen

October 29, 2009 • Light from a star that died when the universe was about 600 million years old is only now reaching Earth. The gamma ray burst is 13.1 billion light-years away, and astronomers say it's the most distant object ever seen from Earth.

Astronomers Detect Most Distant Object Ever Seen

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NASA Experimental Rocket Launch A Success

The Ares I-X test rocket takes off Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. John Raoux/AP hide caption

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Space

NASA Experimental Rocket Launch A Success

October 28, 2009 • The unmanned Ares I-X made a spectacular debut as it soared into the sky Wednesday. This next generation manned space vehicle is set to be ready in 2015, but some question the future of the program.

Environment

U.S. Envoy: No Bilateral Climate Deal With China

October 28, 2009 • President Obama's envoy for climate change has dashed hopes of a bilateral deal on climate change during next month's presidential trip to China. "There is no agreement per se," said Todd Stern, adding that there had been no intention of cutting a separate bilateral deal.

U.S. Envoy: No Bilateral Climate Deal With China

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Research News

Bioengineered Plants Gone Wild

October 27, 2009 • A study shows the effect of what happens when genes from bioengineered plants get lose. A gene that protects a squash from a viral disease also protects a wild gourd from this disease but it makes it more susceptible to other threats.

Bioengineered Plants Gone Wild

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Space

Weather Interferes With NASA Test Flight

October 27, 2009 • The prototype of a new manned spacecraft was scheduled to launch Tuesday morning from the Kennedy Space Center, but weather delayed the unmanned test flight. The rocket is intended to carry astronauts into orbit after the aging space shuttles are retired.

Weather Interferes With NASA Test Flight

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Artist concept of the Ares I-X rocket. Courtesy of NASA hide caption

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Space

NASA To Launch World's Tallest Rocket

October 26, 2009 • The prototype of a new manned spacecraft is scheduled to launch Tuesday morning from the Kennedy Space Center. But a White House panel of experts recently raised doubts as to whether the Ares I-X is right for the job.

NASA To Launch World's Tallest Rocket

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Friday October 30, 2009

Why Leaves Really Fall Off Trees

A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain

People ... People Who Eat People

Why Runners Like To Feel The Burn

Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness

NASA Launches Mission To Track Polar Ice By Plane

Thursday October 29, 2009

Senate Hearing On Climate Bill Heats Up

Astronomers Detect Most Distant Object Ever Seen

Wednesday October 28, 2009

U.S. Envoy: No Bilateral Climate Deal With China

Tuesday October 27, 2009

Bioengineered Plants Gone Wild

Weather Interferes With NASA Test Flight

Monday October 26, 2009

NASA To Launch World's Tallest Rocket