Science

Could Magnets Help Lessen The Impact Of Concussions In Football?

6:23pm November 23, 2014

A researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University is experimenting with putting magnets in football helmets to dull the impact. NPR's Tess Vigeland speaks with neuroscientist Raymond Colello.

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Science

Why People Take Risks To Help Others: Altruism's Roots In The Brain

1:26pm November 23, 2014

by Michelle Trudeau

In the face of natural disasters and disease, there are always people who step forward to help. Their brains may tell why. This story originally aired on Sept. 22 on Morning Edition.

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Starfish Illness Harms Other Sea Creatures

11:21am November 22, 2014

Starfish in the Pacific northwest are being decimated by what's called wasting disease. Researcher Drew Harvell tells NPR's Scott Simon that warming seas are making it worse.

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Shrinking Glaciers Could Squeeze Washington's Water Supply

6:36pm November 21, 2014

by Ashley Ahearn

Washington state is home to more glaciers than any other state in the lower 48. And they're receding faster than ever before.

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Sleep's Link To Learning And Memory Traced To Brain Chemistry

5:23pm November 20, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

During sleep, the brain locks in existing memories and can even form new ones. Scientists say they are starting to understand how that happens. A midnight snack may interfere.

Pistachios, a possible energy source for a Turkish city.

Turkey Looks For Energy In An Abundant Resource: Pistachio Shells

1:13pm November 20, 2014

by Laura Secorun Palet

Converting the shells into biogas could provide most of the heat for a planned city of 200,000, engineers say. There's precedent in Australia, where macadamia nut shells are generating power.

California sheep rancher Dan Macon had to sell almost half of his herd because the drought left him without enough feed.

With Drought The New Normal, Calif. Farmers Find They Have To Change

11:37am November 20, 2014

by Kirk Siegler

Three years of severe drought in California is forcing farmers and ranchers to make some tough choices. In some cases, they're rethinking everything about their business and finding new opportunities.

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Carbon dioxide is represented by the red on this map.

WATCH: How Carbon Dioxide Travels Around The Globe

1:10pm November 19, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

A NASA computer model visualizes in detail where carbon dioxide is released, how it moves across the globe and how it's affected by the seasons.

Are Modafinil's Brain-Boosting Benefits Hype Or Science?

9:08am November 19, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Modafinil has been approved for treatment of narcolepsy, but it's often used to improve mental performance. The question is, does it work? A new study says probably not.

A tangle of protein (green) in this scanning electron micrograph of a brain cell of an Alzheimer's patient lies within the cytoplasm (blue) of the cell. The tangle consists of clumps of a toxic form of tau.

Toxic Tau Of Alzheimer's May Offer A Path To Treatment

9:08am November 19, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

Faulty forms of the brain protein tau trigger tangles inside and outside brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. Scientists say figuring out how to stop bad tau's spread from cell to cell might be key.

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