Science

Casinos, Sites Of Excess, Might Actually Help Families Slim Down

7:59pm March 10, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

A recent study finds that a casino's expansion was associated with an increase in family income in its community. In turn, that increase in household income helped lead to a decrease in childhood obesity.

Queue Listen Now

A set of littleBits comes with more than 40 different types of electronic pieces that connect with magnets.

Science

SXSW: Software, Apps Still Rule But A Hardware Resurgence Is On

7:59pm March 10, 2014

by Elise Hu

Technology talk is often focused on software and programs that run inside our devices. But a "maker movement" is driving interest toward making the physical devices themselves.

Queue Listen Now

Science

The '60s Are Gone, But Psychedelic Research Trip Continues

10:00am March 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Since the 1970s, hallucinogens have been classified as Schedule I drugs, indicating they have no medical use. But researchers say there are benefits and that work must continue.

Queue Listen Now

Military Conflict Decisions: Why Weakness Leads To Aggression

9:59am March 10, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Can a behavioral economics theory explain military standoffs such as the one in Crimea? Research on military conflicts shows that weakness, not strength, often leads to aggression.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Early Settlers in the Upper Yadkin River Valley

6:05pm March 07, 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.

Why do we live where we live? Maybe we like the schools or the short drive to our favorite science museum. But why are communities built where they are?

Dr. Eric Jones, Assistant Professor of Archeology at Wake Forest University, is is trying to answer this question about some North Carolinians that once lived in your neighborhood...

Queue Listen Now

Empty shelves where eggs should be at a Whole Foods Market in Washington, D.C. The store blames increased demand for organic eggs.

Science

Chickens That Lay Organic Eggs Eat Imported Food, And It's Pricey

11:26am March 04, 2014

by Dan Charles

America's farmers aren't growing enough organic corn and soybeans for our organic animals. Farmers in China, India and Argentina are filling the gap, but tight supplies have led to shortages.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Fracking for Gas in North Carolina & the Geology That Made It

3:06pm February 28, 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.

Check out this this map to see where the Rift Basins and Subbasins lie in North Carolina.

Queue Listen Now

Science

From Aztecs To Oscars: Popcorn's Beautiful, Explosive Journey

3:06pm February 28, 2014

by Adam Cole

Long before it fueled moviegoers, popcorn helped lay the foundation for the Aztec empire. In our video, we look at popcorn under a microscope, where the rock-hard kernel's fluffy secret is revealed.

Queue Listen Now

A hunk of salt from the underground nuclear waste dump in Carlsbad, New Mexico. A piece of salt is believed to have fallen from a cavern ceiling and crushed drums of waste.

Science

13 Workers Exposed To Radiation At N.M. Nuclear Waste Dump

1:21pm February 28, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

An accident at the site appears to be more serious than first disclosed. Nobody knows what happened, but it's shaping up to be a major setback for the nation's only dedicated nuclear waste dump.

Queue Listen Now

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts a new TV series called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey. It's an update of the influential 1980 PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Journey, hosted by Carl Sagan.

Science
Arts

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Explains Why The Cosmos Shouldn't Make You Feel Small

9:45am February 28, 2014

The astrophysicist says that participating in a "great unfolding of a cosmic story" should make us feel large, not small. This spring, Tyson hosts a TV series called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey.

Queue Listen Now