Science

Experimental Drug Provides New Approach To Fighting Alzheimer's

6:24am October 20, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

A new experimental drug is designed to slow down Alzheimer's by protecting brain cells from toxins associated with the disease. That's a different approach from other Alzheimer's drugs, which have tried to eliminate those toxins.

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Science

Take The Long Way Home: Spacefarers' Journey Prolonged By Space Junk

6:24am October 20, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Three spacefarers heading to the International Space Station this week had to take a detour in order to avoid space debris. Researchers have yet to solve the problem of orbiting junk.

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EPA Says Volkswagen Dodged Clean Air Rules With Emissions Software

6:14am October 20, 2015

by Tracy Samilton

The Environmental Protection Agency is accusing Volkswagen of intentionally dodging clean air rules on nearly half a million vehicles in the U.S. The EPA says Volkswagen installed software called a "defeat device" that only runs full pollution controls during official emissions testing. Under normal driving conditions, the vehicles emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times allowable levels, according to the EPA.

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Gulping down coffee to stay awake at night delays the body's natural surge of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Caffeine At Night Resets Your Inner Clock

6:10am October 20, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Late-night coffee, tea or cola does more than keep you up, scientists say. The amount of caffeine in a double espresso can delay the internal clock in cells throughout your body by about 40 minutes.

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On Thailand's Samui Island, a macaque picks coconuts from a tree top. Captive monkeys are trained to help harvest coconuts on the island's plantations.

What's Funny About The Business of Monkeys Picking Coconuts?

11:01pm October 19, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

Animal advocates were outraged after discovering videos of leashed monkeys picking coconuts in Thailand. But monkey trainers and scientists say it's common practice, and doesn't count as abuse.

Researchers have used MRI scanners to learn that preemies are born with weak connections in some critical brain networks.

Weak Brain Connections May Link Premature Birth And Later Disorders

9:31pm October 19, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Brain scans found abnormally weak connections in the brains of premature infants may make them more prone to develop autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other emotional disorders.

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Drought-Stricken California Prepares For Strong El Niño Winter

6:56pm October 19, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

In parched California, water managers and emergency management officials are preparing to move from one extreme to another with predictions of a "too big to fail" El Niño winter ahead.

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Rare Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake Washes Ashore In Southern California

6:37pm October 19, 2015

A yellow-bellied sea snake washed ashore in Ventura County, Calif., Friday. It's the first reported sighting of the species in Southern California since 1983. Now it's joining the collection at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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Proponents of arbitration say the system is more efficient than going to court for both sides, but arbitration can be costly, too. And a 2009 study showed the typical awards in nursing home cases are about 35 percent lower than the plaintiff would get if

Suing A Nursing Home Could Get Easier Under Proposed Federal Rules

6:34pm October 19, 2015

by Ina Jaffe

Many families must sign a binding arbitration agreement when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home, pledging not to sue if something goes wrong. Proposed rules would ban that requirement.

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A view of Earth as seen from EPIC, the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera.

NASA To Publish At Least A Dozen Daily Images Of Earth From Space

6:17pm October 19, 2015

by Laura Wagner

The photos come from a camera on a satellite, once called "GoreSat" after former Vice President Al Gore, who initially proposed the project in the late 1990s.