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Science

Wednesday

Environment

Scientists Explore Cause of Dolphin Deaths

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are trying to figure out what's been causing deaths of bottlenose dolphins over the last two decades. Elizabeth Shogren joins the scientists on an expedition near Charleston, S.C.

Scientists Explore Cause of Dolphin Deaths

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Books

Book Examines Science in a Left-Handed Way

David Wolman's new book, A Left Hand Turn Around the World, explores the scientific factors that lead to 10 percent of the human race being left-handed. Wolman tells Madeleine Brand about the book.

Book Examines Science in a Left-Handed Way

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Tuesday

Law

Federal Trial on Vioxx Opens in Houston

The first federal trial over the painkiller Vioxx begins Tuesday in Houston. Pharmaceutical company Merck has defended its handling of the drug in two previous state cases, losing one of them. Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market last year after a study showed that the drug posed heart risks.

Federal Trial on Vioxx Opens in Houston

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Katrina & Beyond

Busiest Hurricane Season Ends with New Storm

Wednesday marks the end of the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record. Weather forecasters added one more storm to the list Tuesday: Tropical Storm Epsilon, which is moving over the central Atlantic. It is the 26th named storm of the season.

Busiest Hurricane Season Ends with New Storm

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Monday

Vioxx: The Downfall of a Drug

Merck to Cut 7,000 Jobs, Close Plants

Drugmaker Merck announces plans to slash 7,000 jobs -- 11 percent of its workforce -- and close five plants by the end of 2008. Merck's troubles include thousands of lawsuits related to its painkiller Vioxx and the impending loss of patent protection of one of its most profitable drugs, Zocor.

Merck to Cut 7,000 Jobs, Close Plants

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Law

First Federal Vioxx Trial Set to Begin

Drugmaker Merck faces more than 7,000 lawsuits related to its painkiller Vioxx. The first of four federal Vioxx trials is slated to begin Tuesday in Houston. The case involves a 53-year-old Florida man who had a fatal heart attack in 2001 after a month on Vioxx.

First Federal Vioxx Trial Set to Begin

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Plumbing the Depths of Rumor Research

University of Wyoming professor Martin Bourgeois is one of a group of sociologists who is studying how rumors are spread. Bourgeois discusses the ethics of rumor research nd invites listeners to contribute their own rumors to his research.

Plumbing the Depths of Rumor Research

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Saturday

World

Chinese Chemical Spill Moves Toward Russia

As a chemical spill in the Songhua River heads toward Russia's Far East, the nearly 4 million people of Harbin, China, do without running water for a fourth day. The BBC's Louisa Lim tells Scott Simon that Chinese newspapers are criticizing the central government's slow response to the disaster.

Chinese Chemical Spill Moves Toward Russia

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Friday

Highlights from the Ig Nobel Awards

We broadcast the best of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, recognizing the strange, the silly and the stupid in the world of science. This year's ceremony includes an operatic tribute to infinity, a look at e-mail spam as literature, and photographs of 34 years' worth of meals.

Highlights from the Ig Nobel Awards

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Space

Mars Ready for its Close-up

Throughout November, hundreds of people are lining up to peer through the telescope at Lowell Observatory in northern Arizona. What they'll see: Mars in close opposition with the Earth. This is the nearest the red planet has been to Earth since 2003. If you miss it this month, you'll have to wait until 2018 for such an incredible view. Sadie Babits has this postcard from the observatory.

Mars Ready for its Close-up

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Science and the Search for Other Dimensions

From Plato's cave to Van Gogh's skies, alternate realities have long been a theme for artists and writers. Can the same be said for science and scientists? In this holiday rebroadcast, Ira Flatow talks with theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss about the search for alternate realities in art and science?

Science and the Search for Other Dimensions

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Struggling with Body Image During the Holidays

For those who struggle with their weight and body image, the focus on food around the holidays may create anxiety. Guest host Farai Chideya talks with Robyn McGee about her sister, who died from complications following gastric bypass surgery.

Struggling with Body Image During the Holidays

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Tuesday

Possible Ethical Lapse Threatens Stem Cell Deals

Possible ethical lapses in the way South Korean researchers obtained women's eggs for their experiments threaten to derail international collaborations in stem cell research. Last year, Korean scientists stunned the world by announcing that they'd cloned a human embryo -- a feat only the Koreans have managed.

Possible Ethical Lapse Threatens Stem Cell Deals

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