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New Study Says Chilly Offices Hurt Women Workers' Productivity, Health

8:35am August 05, 2015

by David Greene

Women tend to feel colder than men in heavily air-conditioned workplaces. Alan Hedge, a professor of ergonomics at Cornell University, explains why — and how it can impact companies' bottom lines.

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Ready, set, fly! The ball bearings glued to this bumblebee's legs simulate the weight and placement of pollen loads. The tag on the insect's back is a lightweight sensor, designed to track its movements in flight.

Heavy Loads Of Pollen May Shift Flight Plans Of The Bumblebee

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Foraging bumblebees can pick up nearly half their weight in pollen before heading home to the hive, research shows. All that weight tucked into hollows on their hind legs can complicate flying.

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The sea snail Conus magus looks harmless enough, but it packs a venomous punch that lets it paralyze and eat fish. A peptide modeled on the venom is a powerful painkiller, though sneaking it past the blood-brain barrier has proved hard.

Snail Venom Yields Potent Painkiller, But Delivering The Drug Is Tricky

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Joe Palca

The drug derived from the venom of cone snails must be injected into the spinal column to get beyond a patient's blood-brain barrier and bring relief. But scientists think they may have a workaround.

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If you were a tsetse fly, you would be irresistibly attracted to these blue flags.

In The Fight Against Tsetse Flies, Blue Is The New Black

10:33am August 04, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

For some unknown reason, the insects that transmit sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa are attracted to the color blue. So scientists think blue flytraps could help wipe out the disease for good.

Researcher John Clements in the early 1980s, after he figured out that lungs need surfactants to breathe.

How A Scientist's Slick Discovery Helped Save Preemies' Lives

9:05pm August 03, 2015

by Joe Palca

Sometimes one person's insight transforms medicine. Dr. John Clements is one of those people. In the 1950s he discovered a slippery lung substance key to breathing, and to the survival of tiny babies.

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When A Child's Picky Eating Becomes More Than A Nuisance

7:59am August 03, 2015

by Richard Harris

Twenty percent of children are picky eaters but most grow out it. Research suggests that picky eating can also be a sign for hypersensitities that can occasionally cause social anxiety and depression.

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Science

In Brazil, Scientists Discover Unknown Carnivorous Plant

7:59am August 03, 2015

A team of botanists has discovered a new species of carnivorous plant in Southeastern Brazil — after finding it in a photo posted on Facebook.

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Mineral supplements, ape-style: A female chimp called Kana eats clay in the Budongo Forest of Uganda.

Humans Aren't The Only Ones To Go Ape Over Diets: Chimps 'Detox,' Too

10:32am August 01, 2015

by Ina Yang

A group of Ugandan chimps has found a great way to boost their mineral intake and neutralize bitter compounds in their diet: by eating clay.

A woman receives the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine at a clinical trial in Conakry, Guinea. The vaccine appears effective after only one shot.

Ebola Vaccine Hailed As 'Game Changer' In Fight Against The Virus

7:53pm July 31, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In a small trial, an experimental vaccine protected 100 percent of people at high risk for Ebola. But more data are needed to figure out exactly how well the vaccine works.

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How 3-D Printing Helps Scientists Understand Bird Behavior

12:21pm July 31, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists who study bird behavior have made fake eggs to put in nests to see how birds react. This handicraft is going high-tech. (This piece first aired on May 26, 2015, on All Things Considered.)

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