Science

Demonstrators carry a mock pipeline as they pass the White House to protest the Keystone Pipeline, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18, 2012.

After Keystone Review, Environmentalists Vow To Continue Fight

2:33pm March 25, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

A report released by the State Department Friday says the pipeline won't have much of an impact on the development of oil from Alberta. But activists who oppose the project aren't giving in.

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Same-sex marriage advocates protest outside the county clerk's office in San Francisco on Feb. 14.

Shift In Gay Marriage Support Mirrors A Changing America

8:42am March 25, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

The latest polls indicate 58 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. In 1977, that number was 13 percent. One researcher says that jump in support isn't the result of a generational gap — it's that many who once opposed gay marriage have changed their minds or softened their opposition.

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Future Robot's FURo robot acts as a host.

Science

Four Robots That Are Learning To Serve You

6:34pm March 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

Robots are moving further from sci-fi into everyday reality. They can now assist with doing housework, giving directions and even performing surgery. They're still a few years off, but here are a few robots we may live with someday.

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The Abnormally Normal Science Of Sinkholes

2:58pm March 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

When a Florida man vanished into a massive sinkhole that opened underneath his home in February, the case garnered national attention. But geologists say sinkholes occur regularly without much notice.

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Scientists Search For Gulf War Illness Answers

2:14pm March 22, 2013

According to the Institute of Medicine as many as 250,000 of 700,000 veterans of the first Gulf War suffer from an array of unexplained medical ailments. Guests discuss the latest research on Gulf War illness and its treatment and why it's been hard to pinpoint a cause.

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Science

Project Seeks To Bring Extinct Species Back

1:47pm March 22, 2013

Although the gastric brooding frog became extinct in the mid-1980s, the genome of that Australian amphibian species is alive again thanks to modern biotech techniques. Michael Archer, leader of the 'Lazarus Project,' describes early efforts to resurrect extinct species.

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Science

For Babies, It's Better To Like What I Like

1:45pm March 22, 2013

Babies as young as nine months appear to approve of people who like what they like — and approve of being mean to those who don't share their tastes. Kiley Hamlin, lead author of a study in the journal Psychological Science, discusses the importance of similarity to young children.

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Fans in the mosh pit during the performance of Liturgy at the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, Chicago, on July 14, 2012.

Mosh Pit Math: Physicists Analyze Rowdy Crowd

10:55am March 22, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

At a heavy metal concert five years ago, physicist Jesse Silverberg had a "eureka" moment: The jumping, raucous fans at the show seemed to be moving about like molecules in the air we breathe. So he and friend Matt Bierbaum set out to understand the patterns within mosh pit motion.

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When The Earth Swallows

3:04pm March 21, 2013

Last week a Florida man was swallowed by the Earth as he slept, the victim of a sinkhole. In 1981, another Florida sinkhole ate a swimming pool and a Porsche repair shop. Randall Orndorff, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, discusses this mysterious phenomenon, and whether technology exists to predict when--and where--the surface might crumble.

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Can the Anti-Aging Secret Be Found In ... Red Wine?

3:04pm March 21, 2013

Can red wine slow down the aging process? According to a new study published in Science, a compound found in the skin of grapes activates an anti-aging gene in mice that promotes longevity. Harvard Medical School's David Sinclair discusses the research findings.

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