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Science

Tuesday

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare
Frank Rossoto Stocktrek/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

Fresh Air

When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt, looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

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Can Planting More Milkweed Save Monarch Butterflies? It's Complicated

Monarchs spend their winters in the central mountains of Mexico before traveling up through the United States to Canada. Sandy and Chuck Harris/Flickr hide caption

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Sandy and Chuck Harris/Flickr

The Salt

Can Planting More Milkweed Save Monarch Butterflies? It's Complicated

KUNC

Conservationists have long blamed farmers' use of pesticides for decimating the milkweed that monarch caterpillars like to eat. But scientists say simply planting more milkweed isn't the answer.

Food For Thought: The Subtle Forces That Affect Your Appetite
Kai Schreiber/Flickr

Hidden Brain

Food For Thought: The Subtle Forces That Affect Your Appetite

What do large tables, large breakfasts and large servers have in common? They all affect how much you eat. This week on Hidden Brain, we look at the hidden forces that drive our diets.

Food For Thought: The Subtle Forces That Affect Your Appetite

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Monday

Turns Out You Do Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blew

Rwanda is known as "le pays des milles collines" €-- the land of a thousand hills. Weather varies by altitude; for farmers, detailed forecasts can make a huge difference. Francesco Fiondella/International Research Institute for Climate and Society hide caption

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Francesco Fiondella/International Research Institute for Climate and Society

Goats and Soda

Turns Out You Do Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blew

Rwanda is missing 15 years of weather data. Getting it back would be a boon for farmers. But can it be done?

Turns Out You Do Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blew

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Bumblebees' Little Hairs Can Sense Flowers' Electric Fields

Scientists say bumblebees can sense flowers' electric fields through the bees' fuzzy hairs. Jens Meyer/AP hide caption

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Jens Meyer/AP

The Two-Way

Bumblebees' Little Hairs Can Sense Flowers' Electric Fields

The fields bend the hairs, and that generates a nerve signal, scientists say.

Bumblebees' Little Hairs Can Sense Flowers' Electric Fields

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Danger Below? New Properties Hide Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells

A contractor prepares to cut off the top of a coal bed methane well near Gillette, Wyo., in 2015. It's one of thousands of abandoned, plugged wells sprinkled throughout Wyoming and Colorado. Stephanie Joyce/Wyoming Public Media hide caption

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Stephanie Joyce/Wyoming Public Media

Environment

Danger Below? New Properties Hide Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells

Wyoming Public Radio

Around the country, houses, schools and shopping centers are being built on old oil and gas fields — and hidden underground are millions of abandoned wells that are not monitored for leaks.

Danger Below? New Properties Hide Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells

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Sunday

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Says Government Can Help Clean Energy Innovation

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz takes part in a press conference at the end of the 2015 meeting of the International Energy Agency Governing Board on Nov. 18, 2015 in Paris. ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images

Energy

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Says Government Can Help Clean Energy Innovation

As he prepares for a conference on implementing clean energy to combat climate change, energy secretary Ernest Moniz says he's confident the Obama administration's commitments will remain in place.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Says Government Can Help Clean Energy Innovation

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Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

A chalkboard "bucket list" stirred imaginations and got people talking at an Indianapolis festival designed to help make conversations about death easier. Jake Harper/WFYI hide caption

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Jake Harper/WFYI

Shots - Health News

Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

WFYI

How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.

Death Talk Is Cool At This Festival

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Using Algorithms To Catch The Sounds Of Endangered Frogs

Scientists in California are turning to big data to help save the red-legged frog, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Gary Kittleson hide caption

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Gary Kittleson

All Tech Considered

Using Algorithms To Catch The Sounds Of Endangered Frogs

Scientists are turning to big data to try to save California's state amphibian. They're using software to comb through hours of recordings to find the red-legged frogs that remain.

Using Algorithms To Catch The Sounds Of Endangered Frogs

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Saturday

A Conversation About The Future Of Water

National Public Radio host, Michel Martin asks a question at the live performance of Martin's show, Going There at Colorado State University Tuesday May 24, 2016. The show was titled, " The Future of Water." V. Richard Haro/Richard Haro Photography hide caption

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V. Richard Haro/Richard Haro Photography

Michel Martin, Going There

A Conversation About The Future Of Water

Michel Martin traveled to Fort Collins, Colo. to talk diverse panel of guests about drought, water rights and dealing with a future where water may be scarce.

A Conversation About The Future Of Water

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Friday

AI? More Like Aieeee!! For The First Time, A Robot Can Feel Pain

"Danger, Will Robinson!" The danger-sensing abilities of the newly developed robot system far exceed those of the Robot in the classic TV series Lost in Space. Bettmann Archive hide caption

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Bettmann Archive

The Two-Way

AI? More Like Aieeee!! For The First Time, A Robot Can Feel Pain

The German researchers say this will keep robots safer, because "pain is a system that protects us." Added bonus: They say the humans who work alongside them are likely to be safer, too.

Hokule'a, The Hawaiian Canoe Traveling The World By A Map Of The Stars

The Hokule'a, a voyaging canoe built to revive the centuries-old tradition of Polynesian exploration, makes its way up the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Sailed by a crew of 12 who use only celestial navigation and observation of nature, the canoe is two-thirds of the way through a four-year trip around the world. Bryson Hoe/Courtesy of 'Oiwi TV and Polynesian Voyaging Society hide caption

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Bryson Hoe/Courtesy of 'Oiwi TV and Polynesian Voyaging Society

Code Switch

Hokule'a, The Hawaiian Canoe Traveling The World By A Map Of The Stars

A voyaging canoe built to revive the centuries-old tradition of Hawaiian exploration is circumnavigating the globe. Its crew has already traveled 26,000 miles navigating with the sun, stars and waves.

Hokule'a, The Hawaiian Canoe Traveling The World By A Map Of The Stars

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Thursday

Germ Resistant To Antibiotic Of Last Resort Appears In U.S.

A Pennsylvania woman developed a urinary tract infection cased by Escherichia coli bacteria that were found to be resistant to colistin, an antibiotic that is seen as the last line of defense. Nature's Geometry/Science Source hide caption

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Nature's Geometry/Science Source

Shots - Health News

Germ Resistant To Antibiotic Of Last Resort Appears In U.S.

The germs caused a urinary tract infection in a Pennsylvania woman that was difficult to treat. The bacteria were resistant to the drug often used as the last-ditch treatment, but another one worked.