Listeners To NPR: Why Don't We Track Planes Like We Do Ships?
Geoff Brumfiel, the physics guy on our science desk, helps us land on the right answer.
Science
First Stars Fired Up 140 Million Years Later Than Previously Thought
New data collected from the European Space Agency's Planck telescope shows that the first starlight in the universe occurred about 560 million years after the Big Bang.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg To Step Down
The head of the Food and Drug Administration has been on the job for six years and presided over such controversial decisions as relaxing age restrictions on the Plan B contraceptive.
How Unboiled Eggs Could Help Fight Food Waste
No yolk: Researchers have discovered how to unboil egg whites. The chemical technique could help the food industry and others utilize more enzymes for cheese or beer with less waste.
Love Hot Sauce? Your Personality May Be A Good Predictor
Personality seems to play a key role in our lust for heat in our food. Research has found that thrill seekers tend to like the burn of a spicy meal, and the lure may be different for men and women.
Does Facebook Cause Depression? Depends On How You Use It
Those great photos from your high school girlfriend's recent vacation in the Caribbean? A study says they're probably making you envious, and that envy could be contributing to feelings of depression.
Does Binge-Watching Make Us Depressed? Good Question
Recent headlines make it sound as if watching just a few episodes at night can make us depressed and lonely. OK, more than a few. But the science on binge-watching is just getting started.
Once A Vaccine Skeptic, This Mom Changed Her Mind
Juniper Russo wants what is best for her daughter, Vivian, and she sometimes questions mainstream medicine. But after three years of soul-searching, she decided vaccination was best.
Pediatricians Pressured To Drop Parents Who Won't Vaccinate
The pressure, doctors say, is mostly coming from other parents who don't want their infants exposed to measles, whooping cough or other serious illnesses in the pediatric waiting room.
When Humans Quit Hunting And Gathering, Their Bones Got Wimpy
Humans have lighter bones than other primates, and that change happened a lot later than anthropologists had thought. Blame our sedentary ways after our ancestors took up farming.