Science

Science

Physicists Find New Particle, Look for Answers

10:42am August 23, 2013

Researchers say that they've discovered a new subatomic particle - one that appears to contain four quarks bound together. Physicist Sean M. Carroll describes the significance of the find, and talks about the ongoing effort in physics to explain why the universe is the way it is.

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Science

Coffee's Natural Creamer

10:41am August 23, 2013

Coffee beans are filled with oils that emerge from coffee grounds under high pressure. These oils form the crema - "the frothy stuff" on top of an espresso. In the last installment of Science Friday's series on coffee, food-science writer Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, explains the chemistry of crema.

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Science

Can Your Car Make You An Unethical Driver?

7:25am August 23, 2013

New research suggests the size of your car effects how you drive. If you have a big car, studies show you may be more likely to break the law. It has to do with posture and how powerful you feel.

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Regulators Monitor 'Serious Leaks' At Japanese Nuclear Plant

7:25am August 23, 2013

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is back in the news — more than two years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of meltdowns. New leaks found this week prompted regulators to consider raising the alert level.

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A whale shark dives near the surface in waters off the coast of Mexico.

Science

Where The Whale Sharks Go

3:17pm August 22, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

A nine-year study tracked more than 800 of the massive and largely mysterious whale sharks. For the first time, researchers have tracked the sharks' far-flung migration and where they may go to give birth.

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The Crosstex NGL Pipeline is just one such project in the country that has forced long, unwanted legal battles between oil companies and landowners.

Legal Battles Over Land Rights, Pipelines Are On The Rise

2:24pm August 22, 2013

by Mose Buchele, KUT News

The industry estimates that the U.S. will need to add 2,000 miles of pipeline per year, and that's just natural gas. Oil will need its own infrastructure. That means there will be a lot of pipeline going through a lot of private land — along with sometimes long, drawn-out legal fights with landowners.

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Project Puffin staffers "grub" for puffin chicks beneath boulders.

On A Rocky Maine Island, Puffins Are Making A Tenuous Comeback

8:12pm August 21, 2013

by Fred Bever

The windswept island about 6 miles off the coast was a haven for a hugely diverse bird population until fishermen decimated the birds' ranks. Puffins have been successfully reintroduced to Eastern Egg Rock, but warming ocean waters may be threatening their ability to survive.

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Heavy rains in Australia in 2010 and 2011 flooded farmland and homes, like these in the Queensland state town of St. George, seen here on Feb. 7. 2011.

How Extreme Australian Rains Made Global Sea Levels Drop

9:19am August 20, 2013

by Richard Harris

Sea level has been rising steadily as a result of global warming. But in 2010 and 2011, levels dropped sharply by a quarter of an inch. A new analysis says that's because extraordinarily heavy rainfall got trapped in inland Australia.

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Science

Researchers Use Genetic History To Answer Mutation Questions

6:58am August 20, 2013

by Tristan Ahtone

In the Southwest, a rare genetic disorder known as Common Hispanic Mutation has haunted those of Spanish-colonial descent for nearly 400 years. They call it El Frio or the cold. A majority of people with the disorder reside in New Mexico.

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If someone like Lang Lang were starting out now, the energetic concert pianist could nail every piano competition without the judges ever hearing a note, according to a new study.

How To Win That Music Competition? Send A Video

5:13am August 20, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

A new study shows that judges base musical performances more on sight than on sound.

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