Science

The Tricky Nature Of Putting Science On Trial

6:33pm October 11, 2014

The appeal for seven Italian scientists convicted of manslaughter after downplaying the possibility of an imminent earthquake has began. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with reporter David Wolman about the trial.

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Science

Despite New Sources, Europe Still Relies On Russian Oil

2:20pm October 11, 2014

Suma Chakrabarti, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, tells NPR's Scott Simon about efforts to reduce Europe's energy dependence on Russia.

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Lawmakers Grill Dallas Health Officials On Ebola Response

2:20pm October 11, 2014

by Jeff Brady

The WHO says the Ebola virus has claimed more than 4,000 lives. In Dallas on Friday, members of Congress pressed public health officials on their handling of the first Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S.

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Science

Researchers Say Beavers Are More Than Simple Pests

2:20pm October 11, 2014

Most people think of beavers as pests — they cause floods and block irrigation. But as Mel Babik tells NPR's Scott Simon, she's finding a new use for the buck-toothed critters in the Yakima Basin.

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Icon Genetics' Dr. Frank Thieme selects samples of Nicotiana benthamiana, a relative of tobacco, growing in a company greenhouse in Halle, Germany. The company uses the plants to produce antibodies that could be helpful for increasing supplies of ZMapp.

Answering Your Questions About Ebola Treatments And Vaccines

6:43pm October 10, 2014

We answer listeners' questions about treatments and possible vaccines for Ebola.

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Dr. Gabriel Logan is one of two doctors at the Bomi county hospital, which serves a county of 85,000 people. In a desperate attempt to save Ebola patients, he started experimenting with an HIV drug to treat them.

A Liberian Doctor Comes Up With His Own Ebola Regimen

6:43pm October 10, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

At a government-run hospital in Liberia, Dr. Gabriel Logan is doing everything he can to save Ebola patients. That includes experimenting with an HIV drug as treatment.

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A helmet and pads won't prevent every fracture — but they help.

Sloppy Splinting Can Make A Child's Broken Arm Much Worse

6:17pm October 10, 2014

by Deborah Franklin

A pediatrician who specializes in fixing broken bones in kids and teens says about 90 percent of the fractures he treats have been splinted improperly in a community ER or urgent care center first.

This scale shows the tiniest things you can see with a light microscope.

How To Take A Nobel Prize-Winning Picture

5:32pm October 10, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry went to a team that came up with a way to take a closer look at the secret lives of living cells. It could make biomedical research a lot easier.

Typhoon Vongfong in a photograph taken by NASA's Terra satellite.

Typhoon Vongfong Bears Down On Japan

2:58pm October 10, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The storm, briefly classified as a "super typhoon," will still have winds in excess of 100 mph when it hits Okinawa on Saturday.

The vanillin made through synthetic biology will be used in flavorings sold in the U.S. by International Flavorings & Fragrances.

Science

GMOs Are Old Hat. Synthetically Modified Food Is The New Frontier

1:57pm October 10, 2014

by Eliza Barclay

Scientists hyping synthetic biology say it may one day give us biofuels, drugs and organisms that will solve hefty global problems. But synthetic biology food is already here, and causing controversy.