Science

British Scientists Gain Approval To Edit DNA In Human Embryos

4:34pm February 01, 2016

by Rob Stein

British regulators are giving scientists the first government sanction to edit DNA in human embryos. Scientists want to do this to learn more about human development, but critics fear it will lead to designer babies.

California's Golden Gate Bridge during a rainstorm. Scientists believe the moon's position has an impact on the amount of rainfall.

Scientists Say The Moon Really Does Impact Rainfall On Earth

4:10pm February 01, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

When the moon is overhead or "underfoot," the chance of rainfall diminishes ever so slightly, a new study concludes.

Kathy Niakan is leading the Francis Crick Institute research team that applied for permission to edit genes in human embryos.

U.K. Regulator Gives Go-Ahead For Scientists To Edit Genes In Human Embryos

12:44pm February 01, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The researchers want to study the first few days of an embryo's development. They must now seek approval from an ethics committee in the United Kingdom.

How Scientists Are Working To Eradicate Zika Mosquitoes

10:29am January 30, 2016

Can the spread of the Zika virus be curtailed by eliminating mosquitoes that carry it? Professor Anthony James of UC Irvine discusses the consequences of pesticides to our health and on the ecosystem.

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Project Nourished's virtual eating gizmos. From left: An atomizer that releases the scents of a food; a virtual reality headset; a a device that mimics the chewing sounds transmitted from a diner's mouth to their ear drums; a cocktail glass with built-in

Science
Arts

We Sampled The Gastronomic Frontier Of Virtual Reality

7:25pm January 29, 2016

by Noah Nelson

Project Nourished uses a variety of tricks to fool the mind into thinking it's eating. The goal: to let us consume our favorite tastes without unwanted extras — like food allergens or just calories.

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Kelli Fabick of Ellisville, Mo., held her mother's Australian silky terrier, Zoey, as veterinarian Sarah Hormuth gave the dog a flu shot last April. The dog flu strain H3N2 is now circulating in more than two dozen U.S. states.

Dog Flu Virus Spreading Across The United States

5:55pm January 29, 2016

by Rob Stein

One strain of dog flu causing outbreaks in the U.S. appears to be especially contagious, making it likely more dogs than usual will get sick, veterinarians say. Still, 90 percent of cases are mild.

C4 proteins (green) are seen at the synapses in a culture of human neurons. (Heather de Rivera/McCarroll Lab/Harvard via AP)

Variations In A Gene Provide Clues About Schizophrenia

5:46pm January 29, 2016

by Katherine Harmon Courage

Scientists studied the genomes of more than 64,000 people and found that those with the debilitating psychiatric disease were much more likely to possess mutations of a particular gene.

Science

Why Do Humans Have Chins? A Scientist Explains The 'Enduring Puzzle'

5:37pm January 29, 2016

James Pampush devoted five years and his Ph.D. dissertation to one question: Why do homo sapiens have chins, when all of our evolutionary relatives don't? He tells NPR's Robert Siegel about "the enduring puzzle of the human chin."

Scientists Use Genetic Engineering To Vanquish Disease-Carrying Insects

4:29pm January 29, 2016

by Joe Palca

A city in Brazil is using a genetically modified mosquito to control the spread of diseases like Dengue fever and the Zika virus. NPR reports on whether the scheme is working.

Science

A New Ninth Planet

2:09pm January 29, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

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

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