Science

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.

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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.

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Researchers Debate Effectiveness Of Snow Helmets

7:43am February 26, 2014

by Fred Bever

More Americans are wearing safety helmets when they ski or snowboard. The helmets prove their worth in preventing relatively minor injuries, and may help to reduce the severity of brain injuries.

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Colorado Becomes First State To Restrict Methane Emissions

8:06am February 25, 2014

by Elizabeth Shogren

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas from oil and gas production. The rules require companies to find and repair equipment leaks. The rules also will reduce air pollution that contributes to smog.

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Science

Coal Ash Spill Impact Can Be Measured With Science

7:48pm February 21, 2014

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

SciWorks Radio

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Science

Are More Eccentric Artists Perceived As Better Artists?

9:29am February 21, 2014

A study finds part of the reason people love Lady Gaga and Vincent Van Gogh is that these are very eccentric artists, and people have strong, unconscious stereotypes that eccentric artists are better.

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Why does thunder rumble? Acoustic professor Trevor Cox explains that it has to do with the way lightning is a jagged line. "Each little kink is actually generating the sound, and the reason thunder rumbles is because the sound takes different time to come

One Man's Quest To Find The 'Sonic Wonders Of The World'

2:38pm February 19, 2014

Acoustic engineer Trevor Cox has traveled around the globe to hear whispering arches and singing sand dunes. Closer to home, he can also explain why your singing sounds better in the shower.

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The Earth's 'Sixth Extinction' May Be One Of Our Own Making

10:15am February 12, 2014

There have been five major mass extinctions over the last half-billion years, when the diversity of life on Earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists are currently monitoring an era of mass extinction predicted to be the most devastating since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. But this time around, says Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction, it's humans that are causing it.

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Science

Study: Stereotypes Drive Perceptions Of Race

2:27pm February 11, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Governments, schools and companies keep track of your race. The statistics are used to track the proportion of blacks and whites who graduate from school. They tell us how many people identify themselves as Native American or Asian. They help us measure health disparities. But there's a problem with all those statistics — and the deeper way we think about race.

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Kansas Mayor Says Sustainability Is About Community, Not Politics

1:36pm February 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Today's political polarization makes it seem harder than ever to tackle climate change. Republican Bob Dixson says the goals of going green aren't only for liberals. His town of Greensburg was hit by an unusually strong tornado, and now he's working on a White House task force to prepare communities like his.

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