Science

Science

Salty, Sweet, Sour. Is It Time To Make Fat The Sixth Taste?

4:24pm February 18, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Fat has a lot in common with the five basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami. But while people easily recognize the texture of fat, scientists say they can't quite perceive the taste.

Rabia Salihu Sai'id, Mojisola Usikalu, Nashwa Eassa, Mojisola Oluwayemisi and Dang Thi Oanh won the Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World

Tough As Nails: Female Scientists Rise Up In Nigeria

1:59pm February 18, 2015

by Danielle Venton

Working as a professor isn't an easy job anywhere. But try doing innovative research with only four hours of electricity a day, no access to the Internet and hostility from male colleagues.

After the pot-smoking comes the insatiable hunger. Just ask James Franco and Seth Rogen's weed-loving characters in Pineapple Express.

How Marijuana Highjacks Your Brain To Give You The Munchies

12:20pm February 18, 2015

by Angus Chen

Where there's pot, there's often an insatiable hunger. Now researchers have a big clue why: Cannabinoids, the drug in marijuana, appear to flip a neural circuit that normally tells us we're full.

Science

Examining The Entourage Effect

7:24am February 18, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

New psychological research explores a phenomenon known as the entourage effect. We hear why people like to create their own entourages.

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Science

Why Penguins Can't Taste Fish

7:24am February 18, 2015

Savor fish are a staple for penguins. Researchers say the birds' ability to taste umami disappeared more than 20 million years ago.

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The plant is an early tomato grafted to a late-producing potato. The two can be harvested throughout the season.

Science

Gardener's Twofer: First Ketchup 'N' Fries Plant Hits U.S. Market

6:35pm February 17, 2015

by Sáša Woodruff

British horticulturists figured out how to graft a tomato plant onto a potato plant. The plant, called Ketchup 'n' Fries, has crossed the pond and will be available to U.S. gardeners this spring.

Drones are displayed at an event with the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Coalition, last month. The FAA's proposed new rules for their commercial use require certified pilots to fly them and limit their speed, altitude and area of operation.

Commercial Drone Rules To Limit Their Weight, Speed And Altitude

3:59pm February 17, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The long-awaiting Federal Aviation Administration proposal could be a boon to some companies hoping to use unmanned aircraft, but they might complicate the picture for Amazon.

Robert Davies (standing) and the quartet during a performance of "The Crossroads Project." Musicians include (left to right) Robert Waters, Rebecca McFaul, Anne Francis Bayless and Bradley Ottesen.

Climate Scientist Tries Arts To Stir Hearts Regarding Earth's Fate

12:45pm February 17, 2015

by Joe Palca

Physicist Robert Davies worked with a classical quartet and two visual artists to create a musical performance about climate change. The music and images, he says, help the information take hold.

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Science

Pity For Penguins: They Can't Taste Their Dinner

12:08pm February 17, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Savory fish are a staple for penguins, but the poor birds lack the ability to taste the umami flavor of their meals. One hypothesis? The genes at play got frozen out of commission.

Can A Computer Change The Essence Of Who You Are?

12:46pm February 16, 2015

by Lulu Miller

The latest episode of NPR's Invisibilia takes us online. Some people think interacting with these machines is changing us all — for better and worse.

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