Science

Science

Air Quality - The Connection

1:14pm May 23, 2014

SciWorks Radio is a production of 88.5 WFDD and SciWorks, the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County, located in Winston-Salem.

We all know well by now that our smallest actions can have a consequence on the environment. While we often think of long term effects on climate, many of us overlook the immediate local impact. In this second Earth Day series installment of SciWorks Radio, we spoke with Lorelei Elkins, Program Coordinator at Triad Air Awareness, based in the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection.

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Rebecca Woolf takes a lot of photos of her children for her blog, Girl's Gone Child, but says she tries to not let the camera get in the middle of a moment.

Overexposed? Camera Phones Could Be Washing Out Our Memories

12:58pm May 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

When you snap lots of photos, psychologists say you're subconsciously relying on the camera to remember the experience for you. And your memory, they say, may suffer because of it.

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NASA's Comic Background Explorer (COBE) was launched in 1989. It showed the background wasn't entirely even.

Science

Big Bang's Ripples: Two Scientists Recall Their Big Discovery

10:20am May 21, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Fifty years ago today, two astronomers in New Jersey accidentally discovered the Big Bang's afterglow. The roaring space static their hilltop antenna detected came from the birth of the universe.

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Science

Mating Rituals: Why Certain Risky Behaviors Can Make You Look Hot

9:29am May 21, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Social science research suggests risky behavior such as braving heights or swimming in deep waters increases your sex appeal. Driving without a seat belt? Not so much.

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Science

Gluten Researcher Reverses His Earlier Finding

11:43am May 20, 2014

A 2011 study found gluten can cause gastrointestinal distress even in people who don't suffer from celiac disease. Peter Gibson published that study, and in a new paper he says the opposite is true.

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Science

Why Reporting On Scientific Research May Warp Findings

7:46am May 20, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

The pressure to publish original research can mean scientists are neglecting to verify the work of others. In its current issue, the journal Social Psychology is trying a different approach.

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Science

The First American Teenager, Millennia-Old And Underwater

6:28pm May 18, 2014

by Joe Palca

DNA from the skeleton of a 12,000-year-old teenage girl found on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula shows that today's Native Americans are descended from Siberians who spread southward across North America.

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Contaminated water can spread diseases like cholera and typhoid. A new project aims to provide water filters in the form of an educational book.

Filtering A New Idea: A Book That's Educational And 'Drinkable'

10:32pm May 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

Improving access to clean water can reduce the spread of diarrheal diseases in developing countries. The "Drinkable Book" should help: It has water safety tips and each page works as a filter.

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Out There On The Ice: An Intimate View Of The Melting Antarctic Sheet

1:00pm May 16, 2014

Two groups of scientists have reported that the melting of the giant West Antarctica Ice Sheet appears to be unstoppable. Oceans could rise several feet in the coming centuries because of its melting.

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Science

Coal Ash Spill Impact

12:33pm May 16, 2014

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

SciWorks Radio is a production of 88.5 WFDD and SciWorks, the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County, located in Winston-Salem.

Recently, we looked at the cause of the Dan River coal ash spill, and discussed some ways to read the river for damage. Today we'll speak with Dr. Dennis Lemly, research fish biologist for the US Forest Service, about this recent spill and the impact of ash waste in general.

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