Science

Smokers More Likely To Quit If Their Own Cash Is On The Line

3:25pm May 14, 2015

by Richard Harris

A carrot isn't enough — bring on the stick. A study finds smokers are more likely to quit tobacco if they lose some of their own money after a relapse, than if they get a bonus for quitting the habit.

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Margie Lachman says Abraham Maslow's research had a big influence on modern psychology.

How Did Abraham Maslow Change Psychology?

9:14am May 14, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Brandeis Psychology professor Margie Lachman works in the same office where Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs. She describes his lasting influence on psychology.

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California Builders Prepare For Future Water Needs As Population Grows

6:56pm May 13, 2015

by Molly Peterson

Under the growing burden of drought, California is struggling to supply enough water to all of the people currently living there. The state is also working on ways to ensure water for millions more residents expected to live there in the future.

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Santa Fe Cuts Water Consumption By Imposing Tiered Pricing Model

6:56pm May 13, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block interviews Santa Fe, N.M., Mayor Javier Gonzales about how the city managed to cut water usage by one-fifth while its population grew by 10 percent.

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The skull of a chicken embryo (left) has a recognizable beak. But when scientists block the expression of two particular genes, the embryo develops a rounded "snout" (center) that looks something like an alligator's skull (right).

How Bird Beaks Got Their Start As Dinosaur Snouts

12:01pm May 13, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Hoping to help trace the history of how velociraptors evolved into birds, researchers at Harvard and Yale may have tracked a key beak transformation to two genes.

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Chef, cookbook author and owner of Washington, D.C.'s Restaurant Nora, Nora Pouillon, in the restaurant's garden.

In 'Organic Life,' The Making Of America's First Certified Organic Restaurant

12:56pm May 12, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Nora Pouillon writes about her lifelong devotion to food in a new memoir, My Organic Life. Her restaurant has been a fixture in the Washington, D.C., food scene since 1979.

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Coca-Cola cans on a production line at a bottling plant near New Delhi in 2013. The company decided in April 2015 not to build an $81 million bottling plant in southern India because local farmers said it might exhaust groundwater supplies.

Why Food Companies Should Be More Afraid Of Water Scarcity

9:50am May 12, 2015

by Abby Wendle

An environmental sustainability group assessed how 37 U.S. food companies are responding to escalating water risks. It found most have a long way to go to improve water efficiency and other practices.

Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods has created an Internet interface so customers can zoom in and view information about specific koa trees from their computers.

Using Investments And Technology To Rebuild Hawaii's Koa Forests

9:00pm May 11, 2015

by Jeff Tyler

One company is attempting reforestation with an innovative business model. Investors can track the coveted trees using digital IDs. Their money goes to plant new trees that won't be harvested.

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In Midst Of Drought, Why Not Harvest Water From The Air?

9:00pm May 11, 2015

All Tech Considered explores some experimental and lesser-used technologies for harvesting and disinfecting water.

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Welcome to America! Before it was spotted in Los Angeles, the fruit fly species Drosophila gentica had been seen only in El Salvador back in 1954.

Exotic Vinegar Flies Invade California After World Tour

8:33pm May 11, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

One critter traveled around the globe from Australia on a eucalyptus tree. The other hitched a ride on a Central American flower. These flies are the tip of the invasive insect iceberg in California.