Science

Emotion seemed to fuel plenty of sighs by Humphrey Bogart's character Rick (right) in the 1942 film classic Casablanca, and even Rick's good friend Sam, played by actor Dooley Wilson, couldn't console him.

Sorry, Bogie, A Sigh Is Not Just A Sigh

8:39pm February 08, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Sighs aren't just signs of resignation, relief or the blues. Involuntary sighs are vital to lung health, say scientists who think they have figured out the brain circuitry that controls the reflex.

December brought storm clouds to the Porter Ranch neighborhood in Southern California's San Fernando Valley.

Families Near The Huge Gas Leak Wonder: Is Home A Safe Place To Be?

7:57pm February 05, 2016

by Kelly McEvers

Most health officials say the small amounts of benzene and other components of the natural gas still leaking in Southern California are probably not a health threat. Still, some parents worry.

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According to legend, the Explorers Club — a society of scientific adventurers — served its members a prehistoric dish at its annual dinner in 1951. By some accounts, the mystery meat was woolly mammoth; by others, extinct giant sloth. Now DNA analysis

Science

Two Grad Students Use Science To Bust The Dinner Hoax Of The Century

6:08pm February 05, 2016

by Angus Chen

In 1951, members of the scientific Explorers Club thought they had dined on prehistoric meat dug out of the Alaskan tundra. The meal became legend. Now two Yale students have unraveled the deception.

Some researchers say we're losing our critical thinking and memory skills by relying on search engines.

OK, Google, Where Did I Put My Thinking Cap?

4:37pm February 05, 2016

by Zhai Yun Tan

It can be too easy for students to Google an assignment before they stop to think about it. Some researchers say we're losing our critical thinking and memory skills by relying on the search bar.

Is It Time To Stop Using Race In Medical Research?

1:15pm February 05, 2016

by Angus Chen

Medical researchers often use race to define health risks. But a geneticist and a sociologist say racial categories don't accurately reflect who people are, and that science has to change.

Science

Climate Change May Be Good News If You’re A Coastal Salt Marsh

1:12pm February 05, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

SciWorks Radio is a production of 88.5 WFDD and SciWorks, the Science Center and Envir

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Sporadic dengue fever outbreaks in Florida in 2009 and 2010 spurred mosquito control efforts in Key West and Miami Beach, shown here. The same mosquito that carries dengue, Aedes aegypti, can transmit Zika.

Florida Governor Ramps Up Mosquito Fight To Stay Ahead Of Zika

12:33pm February 05, 2016

by Greg Allen

It's only a matter of time, Gov. Rick Scott figures, before the Zika virus shows up in Florida mosquitoes. He's called for increased spraying and other moves to keep Zika and other diseases in check.

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'This Is Your Brain On Sports' Gets Inside Minds Of Players, Coaches And Fans

6:59pm February 04, 2016

The new book, This is Your Brain on Sports, gets inside the minds of the players on the field, the fans in the stands, and the coaches on the sidelines. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers and Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated about what sports tell us about how we think.

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Science

Research Explores Consequences Of Revealing Embarrassing Details

6:53pm February 04, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Confessing embarrassing information is often better than withholding it. Research finds that people distrust withholders of details more than they dislike revealers of unsavory information.

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The Noor I Concentrated Solar Power plant, shown on Thursday, is the first phase of a large solar thermal power plant that is intended to supply more than a million Moroccans with electricity.

Morocco Unveils A Massive Solar Power Plant In The Sahara

4:11pm February 04, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The Noor I solar thermal power plant is the first phase of a project that's projected to provide more than a million Moroccans with electricity — even once the sun has gone down.