Science

Science

Placebos May Be A Powerful Tool That Medicine Has Overlooked

6:30am May 09, 2019

by Shankar Vedantam

Physicians believe placebos work only if patients think they're getting medicine. In other words, doctors have to deceive patients. But there might be a way to get placebos to work without deception.

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Hurricane Florence flooded Nichols, S.C., in September 2018. It was the second catastrophic flood in the region in less than two years.

When '1-In-100-Year' Floods Happen Often, What Should You Call Them?

9:37pm May 08, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

The term "100-year flood" can be confusing and misleading, scientists, local emergency officials and homeowners all agree. Experts say there's a better way to communicate about flood risk.

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Isabelle Carnell-Holdaway (left), now 17, with her mother Joanne Carnell-Holdaway. Isabelle has a dangerous infection that is being treated with a cocktail of genetically modified viruses.

Genetically Modified Viruses Help Save A Patient With A 'Superbug' Infection

5:49pm May 08, 2019

by Rob Stein

Treatment with genetically altered bacteriophages — viruses that attack bacteria — may have halted a patient's near-fatal infection, hinting at new ways to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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Flooding in America is getting more frequent and severe.

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WATCH: Flooding In The U.S. Is Getting Worse

5:34pm May 08, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

Flooding in America is getting more frequent and severe. Climate change is driving it.

Entering the control room at Three Mile Island Unit 1 is like stepping back in time. Except for a few digital screens and new counters, much of the equipment is original to 1974, when the plant began generating electricity.

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant To Close, Latest Symbol Of Struggling Industry

5:17pm May 08, 2019

by Jeff Brady

The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of the nation's worst nuclear accident, will shut down by the end of September. Backers failed to secure subsidies to keep the plant operating.

Researchers also found that congestion on the roads in San Francisco also was exacerbated because of where the ride-hailing cars were and at what time of day.

Uber And Lyft Caused Major Traffic Uptick In San Francisco, Study Says

3:57pm May 08, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Researchers compared data from fall 2010 — before the companies made inroads in the city — and fall 2016. They found that the companies are to blame for more than half of a big increase in traffic.

Artist rendering of NuScale Power's nuclear power plant design, which would use small modular reactors.

This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer

2:24pm May 08, 2019

by Jeff Brady

An Oregon company plans a new kind of nuclear power plant that many consider the future of the industry. It's smaller and cheaper and could work well with renewable energy.

Science

How Computer-Assisted Telepathy Helps Humans Communicate

4:45pm May 07, 2019

by Elise Hu

The next phase of human evolution seems headed toward merging biological bodies with machines, and in the first video of Future You, Elise Hu gets connected to a network and plays a game her thoughts.

Unnatural Order: The Human Threat To Life On Earth

3:54pm May 07, 2019

A new U.N. report says one million species of plants and animals are facing extinction. What can we do about it?

Dr. Brian Chesebro (right), in Portland, Ore., has calculated that by simply using the anesthesia gas sevoflurane in most surgeries, instead of the similar gas desflurane, he can significantly cut the amount of global warming each procedure contributes to

Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?

10:58pm May 06, 2019

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

Anesthesia revolutionized surgery by vanquishing patients' pain. But many of the chemicals are greenhouse gases. One Oregon doctor who has done the math says some are much less damaging to the planet.

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